I have been reading the posts for a few days, and I fell that I have a little
bit to add. I will try to make this as short as possible because enough space
has already been used on the subject. I have been operating in VHF contests
since I first got my ticket in 1956, and contests in general are a major part
of my interest in ham radio. The other part is in the improvement of my
station and antennas so I can be competitive. As in any contest there are
winners and there are those that place. There are no losers. Not everyone is
going to win a certificate, so why are more categories needed? I have, at last
count, 56 certificates and plaques to my name, but it was after many years of
contesting before I was awarded one. That didn't keep me from still getting on
for contests. I found out that I had to add more bands to be competitive, and
now after many years of evolution, I get to listen to nine different bands
during a contest.
Activity has definitely dropped off. I have added four new bands in the last
few years, but my QSO totals has dropped off significantly. This has not
occurred just since the ARRL dropped the line scores from QST! This got me to
thinking why has activity and submissions dropped off. Then I fell back to my
HF contest experience. For my average HF station, there seems to be endless
available contacts. Not everyone I work in a HF contest is a contester. A lot
of the contacts are just guys that got on the air, as they would any other day,
heard a large group of people having fun, and wanted to join in on the fun.
There I feel is the problem. On VHF and above, there is hardly any activity
during the average day or night. It's hard to find a contact if you just get
on any other time than during a contest. I work basically the same contesters
each contest, (not a bad thing) because the guy that has a multiband rig that
tuned it up to 50, 144, or 432 Mhz a few nights in a row anticipating a contact
never heard anyone, so he never returns. I remember a few years back that I
could listen on 144 Mhz and there was activity on SSB even during the day. As
I recall there was a QSO going on between Winchester,Va and New England very
frequently. So I think if we, as contesters, want to hear more activity during
contests and see more submissions, we have to be more active during other
periods. When we work other newbees during the year we have to talk up
contests with them and get them as excited about this activity within ham radio
as we are.
I could add more, but surely that is enough for now.
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