Fellow Topband DX-ers:
Again this weekend the ARRL presents the worst and most unfair 160 meter
competition ever devised. I must sound like a broken record on this
problem but I have sent letters and e mail to members of the CAC to
asked them to allow the US Territories to be what they are "DX" as it is
impossible to even get listed for an effort that if I was treat like
VP2V which I can see from my house, I would at least have a chance, in
fact i would have come in first lace in the past few years as a DX
station. The CAC, the few who will write me back, say that any changes
to rectify a totally unfair contest, is out of their hands and decided
by a special secretive group inside the ARRL, who are not contesters at
all. BTW for the purpose of this contest KP2 is counted the same as
Navassa and Puerto Rico counts as Desecheo. Now how is that for a
totally nonsensical approach. Maybe you could demand Navassa credit on
160 after working me, but I really doubt that the DX desk will be
amused. In the Pacific, Guam and Hawaii all count the same as KH8 and
KH8S in the vast Pacific region thousands of miles apart. None have
even a chance to do well with the decks stacked against them. So they
just don't participate at all.
I had thought that in protest this year I would phase my Beverages on
Europe and only listen to help out those who need the Virgin islands on
160. Yet out of my concern for showing good sportsmanship I will work
anyone I can hear. But there is a request I have in return: If I work
you and give you the rare VI section, please take a few minutes after
the contest to send an E mail to your division Director and copy the
members of the CAC about fixing this long lingering unfairness. The E
mail addresses are available on the ARRL website. The message is simple
DX must be counted as DX as the VI, PR and all the other U.S.
Territories are in their other DX contests.
Also Gary, KD9SV has a great write up in QST but only is given two pages
and can't mention the efforts of only a few east coast big guns. No
matter how hard I try there is no way a station outside of the 48 states
can even get mentioned. ARRL Field Day has a write up that is 13 pages
long. So one can think that 160 meters is still an after thought and
those I try to reach out to at HQ really don't care. Maybe i should get
a bigger thrill out of working someone in SJV or SB or whatever but DX
is DX and if the ARRL whats to have a 160 meter DX contest, this is not
a good example of one. It never has been.
Cheers, Good luck and I will reluctantly see you in the contest.
Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ
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Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
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