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General => Ancestral Family Tree DNA Testing => Topic started by: TonyV on Wednesday 04 June 25 19:47 BST (UK)
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A few weeks ago I started to see something odd about my Ancestry matches (I have several thousands each of paternal and maternal matches). The total for the Paternal and Maternal matches had the same last three numbers i.e. the hundreds. Coincidence I thought, but the following day I had exactly the same number of new matches for both sides and the hundreds were again identical. Ever since then I've checked and the hundreds have increased by exactly the same amount for paternal and maternal sides and therefore the hundreds are still identical. This even includes a couple of days when I had no new matches.
I am not a statistician but I refuse to believe that this could be happening by fluke or chance. It appears that Ancestry is doling out the same number of matches for the two categories deliberately. Has anyone else noticed this or have an opinion about what is going on?
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In the last couple of weeks I've had a day where every match had no matches followed by a day where every match was the parent/child of an existing tester, yesterday just four matches, each with an icon suggesting one gender yet the name suggesting the other.
The numbers are still steady but they seem to be one type per day. Pre protools I had matches every day but since I can go 10-15 days without, it feels like it happens when some new 'feature' is being rolled out, as if that's the priority they have above all others.
Edit; I don't usually check the totals by parent but my figures just say updated March 2024, I'll post them here and check in a few days to update
Pat 8,995 matches
7,253 matches
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I do not look daily.
25, 35, 28, 36, 6
These are the new matches in the last 7 days that have been received for each of the DNA tests that I manage.
Paternal and Maternal mix of each set of new matches for each DNA test is all over the place
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Ancestry has also stopped you from viewing your hints , unless you are subscribed!
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I have no access to Ancestry's systems so this is just conjecture, but I work in IT and quite often we run "batch processes" overnight. These will, for instance, scour through new or changed data sets to look for matches which they'll then present to users once the batch is run. I imagine they have a lot of these processes running and maybe they run ones relevant to your ancestors every other night.
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Thanks for the comments everyone. I have no doubt that some kind of batch process occurs every day at Ancestry but it seemed to me that Ancestry might also be rationing matches and that the process included some kind of identical limit on each side matches. However, from your comments it seems that mine have been a massive fluke. I'll keep looking and update you if things remain the same.
We know that Ancestry is about to release a new automatic clustering tool for Pro subscribers and some have already seen new 'buttons' appearing then disappearing again. I guess that it's possible that they've diverted staff to that project and taken them off the "new match desks".
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I've had just 3 matches since the original post, two of them at 9cM with no shared matches. I've never struggled for matches in quite the way I am doing right now.
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That seems very low. I have had around 20 new matches each update, as has one of the other kits I manage. My full blood sister always seems to get many more matches each time than I get. Currently her total matches stand at 33,318 whereas mine are 18,656.
Pheno
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It only started when protools came along, I went from just 5 days without a match in 3 years to stints lasting 3 weeks without a single match coming along. My renewal is due on Friday and if I don't bother renewing I expect a massive drop of matches within an hour of the features ceasing to work. It wouldn't be the first time it's happened.
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There's certainly something going on. I've noticed a distinct drop in matches and shared matches for a few weeks.
Whatever they are playing at it needs sorting. After all its not a free service!
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There's certainly something going on. I've noticed a distinct drop in matches and shared matches for a few weeks.
Whatever they are playing at it needs sorting. After all its not a free service!
Quietest time of the year in the northern hemisphere, kit sales slow down as the nights get longer and results appearing now are probably kits ordered in Apr/May. What few I'm seeing are mostly Australian with the odd low end US result that is managed by an existing tester and possibly be a target tester.
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What I observe is (as example) .
Mutual match is Lesley D ( between me and my 1/2 sister). (4th or thereabouts cousin)
I then look at matches between myself and Lesley D, my half sister isn't there!
I do not have Pro tools at the moment, that may account for it.
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At that genetic distance match lists aren't consistent for siblings and half siblings and the 20cM threshold for shared match status can have an impact.
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I have 17 new matches in a week.
I still have Pro Tools which gives viewing Shared Matches with all Matches irrespective of the cM that I “share” with them.
An 8cM match gives me 12 Shared Matches with them.
Of those 12, none are greater than 20cM and 9 of them are 10cM and below.
Yet with the 8cM match all the 12 Shared Matches share over 20cM with them.
All the above are Maternal and will not add value to that side of my tree.
On my Paternal side applying the Paternal filter there are 12 new matches in the last seven days so something does not add up with the filtering given that the 17 matches quoted at the start only had a 7 day filter applied.
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Matches seem very thin at the moment. I don't know if this has been less than previous summers. Though I did get a 2C2R pop up, on the same generational level as my grandmother. Was able to get full access to the test. Very useful. As I was suspicious about this line as it just appeared to have no matches at all that looked like they could remotely be on the paper-trial. But this match threw up a few shared matches for very disparate matches that show the line is correct back a further generation. Presuming it's just one of those lines where there's not many shared matches for whatever reason.
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For about 10 weeks now, I have had a steady increase in matches below 20cM but none above 20cM.
It seems that something has changed, as previously the number of matches over 20cM has reasonably followed a Poisson distribution with a mean of 2 per 100 new matches.
Gordon
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No new matches or Common Ancestors for some time. I suspect Common Ancestors may have been replaced by Clusters, which since I don't have pro tools I don't get.
Actually I have a whole 2 new matches just arrived
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No new matches or Common Ancestors for some time. I suspect Common Ancestors may have been replaced by Clusters, which since I don't have pro tools I don't get.
I got a new Common Ancestor only yesterday. I have Clusters, but not enough close matches for it to work, apparently.
Can't wait for them to expand it - I'm hoping it might solve (probably a forlorn hope) a mystery or two. My great grandfather was an only child (possibly illegitimate), and he married an only child (possibly adopted). I'm the only descendant who has tested. It doesn't make for a lot of obvious matches! Such matches that have the same surname in their trees are very small.