If it comes to pass, even though I'm not in favor of it, I don't think
that this new "sub-contest" should be 24 contiguous hours for reasons
cited earlier like family commitments etc. In theory it's a great way
for those of us who can't seem to pacify the XYL objections etc. to have
a chance to compete for an award without totally alienating their
families. Fortunately for me, my XYL knew exactly what this contest
business meant long before we got married.
I think that the problem that is fostered this idea for a 24 within a
48 hour contest is not really going to be solved by it. The problem is
that the same operators are always winning and no matter what, some
people cannot win. Whether the reason is geography, family conflicts,
jobs, or whatever, some people will never be able to win. Unfortunately,
this is a fact. As we've seen here in recent discussions, living
anywhere besides the northeast pretty much keeps you out of the winning
in DX contests. It seems that if you don't live out west (the west
starts in Texas) you can't win a domestic contest either. There are some
aberrations, but these are few to be sure. Those of us that live in the
northeast can't beat those that live further to the northeast. What
should we do ? Throw in the towel if K1AR is going to be operating in the
same class as us ? Of course not. Contesting, like life, is not always
FAIR. No matter how many categories we come up with, there will always
be people who will feel slighted. In this particular case, I predict
that some guy with a big station, who could operate 48 hours if he wanted
to, is going to plan to win this 24 hour category and do so. He'll get
the trophy. None of the guys who has to take his kids to "Chuck E.
Cheese" for a birthday party or go to his mother-in-laws' Sunday
afternoon, or whatever the reason, is going to win this category. That
is the harsh reality. Those who cannot be one of the winners should set
personal goals to better themselves regardless of what others do. Local
clubs could set up these sub-contests but the sponsors should not. All
these different classes dilute the prestige of and significance of
winning the contest. If everyone wins something, why bother?
Re: QRL, .. . , ..__.. , etc:
Not only should you do one of the above, you should listen above and
below your newly found "clear" frequency at least +/- 500 hz. Not that
you should necessarily give that wide a margin, but you should check to
see if there's anyone that close to you. I know that sometimes I'm
pressing my headphones against my ears trying to copy a weak station and
hear a dididadadidit that's almost zero beat and don't respond to it
immediately and sure enough here comes a CQ. Then a battle begins.
Nobody really wins in this situation. Maybe switch out your filter for a
second and see if there's anyone that close to you. This especially
applies to those of you that like 250hz filters. If you are using sharp
filters when calling CQ you are going to miss many stations that are
calling you. ( I wish that they'd all call within 250hz! ) You will also
get a false sense of "clearness" of your frequency.
73, Bob KR2J
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