Some comments about the participation, history and situation of XE stations in
contest.
During the last ARRL 10 meter contest, as you all know, we were multipliers for
the first time. FMRE and Grupo DXXE worked for months promoting the event and
we estimate that nearly 100 Mexican stations participate from almost all the
states, an unseen number in the history of Amateur Radio in Mexico
(http://www.dxxe.org/arrl10m/xes-arrl-10-1.pdf). There was even an expedition
to the hard to get state of Tlaxcala east of Mexico City. All of this to work
on band with dubious conditions.
Needless to say everyone down here was exited. For some it was probably their
first contest and only made a few calls. Others clearly only S&P and never
call CQ. But we all have fun and we're waiting for December to do it again.
There is no collective long time contest tradition in Mexico as in the US.
With few exceptions Mexico's famous old timers are/were, first of all DXers:
XE1AE, XE1CI, XE1OE, XE1ZLW, XE1J, XE1ILI and many more of our honor rolls.
They got/get into contest to work DX. For the DXer there is no DX value in
working the US all over again in a contest. As you can imagine from here you
MOSTLY work stations from the US in any contest.
Serious contest operations from the past decades were mostly americans
operating here, legally or some say illegally. You can see some of the actual
records and 6D2X is still on top.
Few years ago things started to change. Radio Club Satelite with XE1VIC
leading started a CQ 160m SSB Multi Op contest station that eventually won the
world. Later Grupo DXXE was created and people start to exchange information
and techniques among them, something unseen in Mexico. People started to
compete amicably between other XEs and your previous year scores. XE2S and
some XE + AZ hams have been making multi efforts from the north. But there
were almost no locals teaching contest, you either read (in English, a foreign
language for us) something about it or have the chance to operate and/or learn
with US contesters as XE2K, XE2AC, XE1AY, XE2MX or XE1KK did (Gracias Señor
Trey!).
It is also important to consider that XEs usually don't have the perception to
being valuable in a contest. Any US station is expected to work an XE on most
contest. The same apply to VE, LU or PY but this in no true for the rest of
the world. During WRTC in Finland and old timer, with a modest station, told
me that the last time he has work Zone 6 in a contest was in 1959. I was
ashamed!
If the XEs feel that they are "valuable" and understand the mechanics of a
contest (and why working the same guys over and over again every year is really
fun) there will be more XEs active.
The NAQP is a great contest to do this. The exchange is better than most
contest, it is a shorter contest so you don't get too tired, your multipliers
are workable with a modest station, the big guns need to use 100 watts as you
do, you don't need to wait a year and you can participate with your favorite
mode, and you have propagation 24 hours to where your multipliers are. I hope
the rules commission evaluate this possibility.
73
Ramon, XE1KK
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