Hi....
I have been reading the discussions about "leveling the playing field" I am not
a big gun, no stacks, no 150ft+ towers, and no OWA 5-6 element yagis; just
someone who likes to contest. Granted, the NE seems to have a decided advantage
in both the ARRL DX and WAE contests....but that's all. The playing field is
skewed towards the south, west, and mid west in SS, WPX, 10M, and definitely
skewed to the west in AA and Oceana contests. Even 160m contests are not
necessarilly dominated by one call area over another. I, on the east coast may
work 200+ eu, but the west coast may work an equal number of oceana and Far
East stations. That's life!!!! Knowing that I have little chance to win it all
doesn't change my attitude. My goal is to finish in the top 10 or top 5 of my
category and maybe add a few band countries. Contesters make up a very small
fraction of the ham population and die-hard contesters with super stations even
a smaller percentage. Most contesters are the average ham
s who prefer to get on for a small amount of time to work some DX and give
out some points. I do the same thing in the OK, CQ-M, etc. contests. I wonder
if "Leveling the playing field" is really going to have the impact its
proponents suggest for the majority of hams.
Yes it will have an impact on the elite contesters who are disadvantaged. It
will also have an impact on me, I may no longer score in the top 10. Woe is me
!!! Will I give up contesting then? Perhaps when I am over 100...and then.
maybe not.
If we had the same conditions as during the solar cycles in the 50's and 60's,
I doubt that this discussion would be occurring. Everyone forgets when the w6's
and w0's and w5's used to dominate DX contests. No one then cried foul.
Just my 2 cents .
Carol
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