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Re: [CQ-Contest] IARU HF zones

To: cq-contest@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] IARU HF zones
From: VR2BrettGraham <vr2bg@harts.org.hk>
Reply-to: vr2bg@harts.org.hk
Date: Fri, 09 Jul 2010 00:58:45 +0000
List-post: <cq-contest@contesting.com">mailto:cq-contest@contesting.com>
Root problem shown to us previously here: 
http://lists.contesting.com/_cq-contest/2002-09/msg00130.html

Where EI8IC shared this quote from then-IARU president W4RA:

 > Tim - you have to keep in mind that the ITU has one administrative 
purpose
 > for having zones that has nothing at all to do with amateur radio.
 > However, various amateur radio organisations decided to have both awards
 > and operating events on the air based on the idea of zones.
 > But, since this is not why the zones exist as far as ITU is 
concerned, the
 > sponsors of these amateur events are free to interpret the zone 
boundaries
 > any way they wish. So, there might not be a single "official amateur 
radio
 > zone list."
 > For the US & Canada, the interpretation by ARRL is found in The ARRL
 > Operating Manual, desk top reference, page 12 which defines the
 > boundaries between US States and Canadian provinces.
 > If you have more questions about any particular contest or award, they
 > should be directed to the sponsor.
 > 73
 > Larry, W4RA

IARU president said because they were created by ITU for a different 
purpose, the "ITU zones" that have been adopted for amateur radio use 
may be interpreted as need be.

It appears the ARRL has a different idea of where the zone boundaries 
lie within NA from IARU, because the "ITU zone" map on the IARU web page 
(but only linked to from the ARRL contest web page with the IARU contest 
rules - the IARU's contest web page recently had links to rules, results 
& the map removed) clearly doesn't match the ARRL's reinterpretation.

The map is clear & the reinterpretation of boundaries in NA has been 
never referred to in the rules.  Looking back to 1977 when the IARU 
Radiosport Championship first started, the map was part of the contest 
announcement published in QST.  Sometime before the contest changed into 
the HF Championship in 1986, published announcements replaced the map 
with a zone/prefix list that appears to include ARRL's reinterpretation 
of the boundaries in NA.

Perhaps the ARRL Awards Committee will soon be telling us that since the 
published announcements for the HF Championship never included the map, 
the list including the reinterpretation has always applied.  That then 
leaves IARU's map - if it were made to completely go away, then the 
sponsor will finally be toeing the line (link to this pesky map looks to 
have been on IARU web page since perhaps 2004-03-09).

Rule of man, I would think, works better if we're being told the same 
thing.  Sort it out, IRRU!

73, ex-VR2BG/p.

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