EAST vs. WEST in ARRL Sweepstakes de N4KG
IMHO, the eastern contesters hand victory to the western
stations by moving the the high bands as soon as they
open on Sunday mornings. This places the more numerous
eastern stations on bands which SKIP OVER the most
populous regions where they then work the lesser
populated regions in pursuit of multipliers.
Rates are highest when stations are concentrated on
one or two bands. When everyone is spread out over
three or more bands, rates drop, especially for eastern
operators.
Overlooked is the fact that 40 meters blankets the whole
country well after eastern sunrise, often as late as local
NOON. This is especially beneficial on SSB where the
bothersome European broadcast stations disappear
after the early morning hours.
If more eastern USA contesters stayed on the low bands
later in the mornings, I believe they would be rewarded
with higher rates, higher contact totals, and still work all
(or nearly all) sections.
BTW, when you DO go to the higher bands, it is VERY
beneficial to have a LOW tribander or monobaners
(preferably 35 to 40 ft) to provide coverage to the closer
skip regions. For example, from north Alabama, my
TH7 at 40 ft is 20 dB stronger into W1 on 20 meters
than my TH6 at 80 ft due to the pattern null of an 80 ft
high antenna at 800+ miles.
FWIW,
de Tom N4KG ( retired contester :-)
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