W7RH:
>The 1st major key change is the contest start time of 2200Z Jan 23rd as
compared to 0000Z in the past. I admit I have no idea why this changed, but I
have to ask what benefit it is to myself or others on the left coast in the
only Topband US sponsored DX contest? This time change will certainly skew the
contest records and increase scores for the guns in Zone 5.
N5IA:
>If you will think about it, the change to 0000Z actually
provided a 3rd evening for a chance at the 10 point EUs for the central and
eastern time zones whereas it added nothing for the western 3rd of the
country.
I disagree with both of you. Every area in the world still only has
30 hours operating time, two sunsets and two sunrises spread over a 48
hour period. Most propagation enhancement takes place around sunset
and sunrise, and the rules don't magically create more of those. :-)
So it really makes no difference at all. I say this from the
perspective of winning both Zones 4 (CO) and 5 (NC and PEI) several
times, and using both time formats. The argument about the 3rd
evening doesn't hold water because you don't magically get 3 sunsets
out of the 0000z format. By the time the new format started at 00z,
most sunset DX enhancement was long gone since sunset on the east
coast is ~22z (and this was even true from VY2ZM last January) .
The change from the original 42 hour format (2200 Fri - 1600 Sun) was
made as a result of a survey in 2001 (below). A 48 hour format was
chosen to allow all areas of the world an equal shot at propagation
(which 42 hours did not allow). The time change from 22z to 00z was
made simply to be consistent with other 48 hour contests. Another
change was to limit operating time to 30 hours for single ops. This
meant not CQ-ing in daylight at very low (and boring) rates to have a
competitive score.
http://www.contesting.com/survey/38 (original March 2001 survey)
The only real difference the change back to 22z makes is convenience
of starting and ending. Actually I like the 22z ending better myself
since that's before my sunset on Sunday and I can quit and do other
things after finishing Sunday morning. I think all the changes made
by Andy N2NT are excellent and make this contest the best 160 contest
on the planet.
73, Bill W4ZV
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