Bob:
(Feel free to use this on your BERU blog.)
I like the large number of G HQ stations in BERU. UK&CD stations make up the majority of QSOs in my log, and probably the majority of every non-UK BERU log. The many HQ stations add to the fun for me, and do nothing to drain away activity. It’s a real treat to move G HQ stations from band to band. I see no reason to change the G HQ call signs. G#6XX, G#3DR and GB5CC are like familiar friends now, and I’m sure they must be the most fun stations to be at in the UK. Renaming them with RSGB suffixes is not neccessary.
In the rest of the Commonwealth, there are only a few places where HQ stations make a difference to my score. It can be hard enough to find three stations on one band from some of Canada’s less-populous provinces, so with the exception of VE2, VE3, VE7 and maybe VE6, the Canadian HQ stations are just one more 25-point station to work. I rarely find so many ZLs or VKs on any one band that an additonal HQ station from ZL or VK really improves my score. The various ZL6es and the VK#WIAs are fun to find, though. I do like being able to work a fellow VE9 for points.
So, in short, I don’t see a reason to change from the current HQ station arrangements.
I must admit that the “latitude factor” applied to the Team Competition has irritated me. It seems the top Canadian team always gets beaten by the top Australian team, not because they out-scored us, but because they were out-compensated by us. Having done a couple of BERUs from the other side (9M6 and ZL7), I understand the value of the “latitude factor,” but after many years of organising Canadian teams, our consistent losses to correction have sapped my enthusiasm. I would be delighted to be freed from the job of assembling teams, so if the committee were to simply take the top five scores from each area (UK, VE, VK, ZL, RoW) then apply the pre-determined “latitude factor,” I would be grateful. I recall the team competition started with a sport analogy. Perhaps the team competition could be adjusted to be more like UK football, where teams end up in one division or another based on performance.
BERU is still my absolute favourite contest. A little tinkering might be okay, but I’m averse to large changes. What we really need are more sunspots, no amount of rules adjustment will change that score.
73,
Dave VE9CB
Hi There
Greetings from VY2 land. In short, I echo the comments by VE9CB. I could talk on and on about HQ stations as Dave did, but to be BRIEF – I do not think that the number of HQ stations are BROKEN – in this case, then, it doesn’t need fixing. The HQ stations are fun to work and fun to try to find on all bands – less of them to find lessens MY FUN in the contest.
73/161 Jeff K1ZM/VY2ZM
Hello Bob thank you for the stirring up.
As a long time 12 hour G participant in the contest with a less than optimum station I would like to comment on the HQ discussion.
I have found that even with good propagation there is a tendency to run out of stations to work towards the end of the contest and the HQ stations have provided a welcome lift to the proceedings. Especially welcome on 80m and I suspect that, when propagation is open on 10 and 15, 40m will also suffer. The number of stations as they stand seems fair enough and of course if we can get the rarer UK prefixes active so much the better.
My preference would be that to avoid confusion amongst the more casual participants UK HQ stations would have the HQ suffix and to try to encourage groups to initiate necomers into the contest. GB5CC should however continue as the RSGB super station which has reach to the far ends of the commonwealth working the little pistols as well as the top guns and should be set up as such.
I would remind some Gs that the contest is a way of bringing the commonwealth together as equals and not just for the benefit of UK. Also the skill of running a volume of stations, which is what VE and nearer commonwealth stations are in a position to do is also part of contesting thrills even if only a few G’s can manage that (apart from HQ stations).
In any event despite the miserable conditions in recent years the contest is always an enjoyable challenge and the only one for which I still upset the household regime here.
See you next year, old age permitting.
Ian G3KZR