Amateur radio contesting began 100 years ago with the September 1920
announcement in "Everyday Engineering Magazine" of the rules for
the February 1921 "Experimental Transatlantic Sending Tests."
Among other things the rules stated: "Those connected with radio companies
may enter if they carry on as individuals apart from the organizations in
which they are employed." The contest included prizes to be awarded
to successful competitors.
The leadership of the Transatlantic tests switched to the ARRL as documented
on page 20 of February 1921 QST: "Everyday Engineering very unfortunately
has been obliged to suspend publication, and its radio department editor,
Mr. M. B. Sleeper, has asked the A.R.R.L. to take over the tests and see
them thru." T hat the February 1921 TransAtlantic Test was a failure has long
been forgotten because no American signals were heard across the Atlantic.
Under ARRL's leadership the Second TransAtlantic Test was scheduled for
December 7-16, 1921. This contest was a big success with many American
signals copied in Europe -- including signals from powerful amateur station
1BCG specifically built and operated for the Transatlantic Test by amateurs
who were also highly skilled and experienced employees of RCA Corporation.
In very recent years competitors in amateur radio contests have found
themselves in direct competition with infrastructure built by owners of
commercial profit making companies in the amateur radio market for
-- among things -- the purpose of competing in amateur radio contests.
In some cases the commercial profit making infrastructure was operated by
the owners of these very same commercial profit making companies to
win highly competitive single operator DX contests. In the latter case its
impossible to separate their legitimate interests as amateurs competing in
amateur radio contests from their commercial profit making motives as
owners of profit making companies in the amateur radio marketplace.
This commercial infrastructure owned and in some cases operated by
owners of theses companies is seriously impacting other competitors in
DX contests and especially American competitors seeking to qualify for
WRTC 2022. For example, l ast weekend the owner of a commercial
profit making company not only used his commercial profit making
station but he also employed his company's sophisticated information
technology infrastructure to compete in the ARRL SSB DX Contest.
Amateur radio contesters and contest sponsors are now at a cross-roads:
- should amateur competitors continue to compete with increasingly
sophisticated c ommercial for-profit stations and their directly associated
commercial profit making sophisticated information technology infrastructure?
- or should commercial for-profit stations and their dedicated information
technology infrastructure compete in a new category dedicated to for-profit
stations and not competing directly with amateur competitors?
If you're passionate about the future of amateur radio contesting -- as I know
you are -- this is an excellent time to contact your ARRL Director and
your CAC member and to energize your contest club in helping sustain
the competitiveness of amateur contesters in an environment where
we find increasing participation by commercial for-profit entities.
73
Frank
W3LPL
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