With the advent of ARRL's enhanced on-line contest
reporting,
constraints on the number of contest categories
imposed by available QST space
are removed, or at least reduced. Computerized
log-checking has also reduced
the need to minimize the number of categories in
contests, since the administrative
overhead has been reduced.
I'd like to see the High Band (10, 15, 20) and Low
Band (40, 80, 160) categories
restored in the ARRL DX Test. There are a number
of reasons why I think this move
would enhance the contest world-wide:
1. Declining JA activity has made it much more
difficult for western USA
stations to compete in all categories, but
especially the all-band category,
where absorption on 40, 80, and 160 precludes big
European runs.
2. There are a lot of stations around the world
who have a small tower and tribander
in the back yard, and an assortment of low,
seriously compromised antennas for 40,
80, and 160. There is not much incentive for these
stations to get on the air in the
all band category, since they know that they
cannot turn in a competitive score. On the
other hand, a tribander can do a quite creditable
job on the high bands, which would
encourage activity.
3. The single-band category, while enabling
disadvantaged stations to be more competitive
on one single band, rapidly gets to be pretty
boring.
4. The High band/ low band categories would enable
SO2R operation, making the contest much
more interesting than single band category, where
SO2R is impracticable for most people.
To me, the payoff in any contest is to enjoy the
contest experience itself, and, afterward, to
to see how I ranked, with the data arranged the
way I like to see it presented. I
really don't care about QST listings or
certificates. By the time QST and the certificates
come out, the contest is old news. Coupled with
the ARRL's growing accent on Internet
score reporting, I think the additional categories
would add a spark of growth and an
interesting new dimension to the ARRL DX Test.
Respectfully,
Dave Hachadorian, K6LL
Yuma, Arizona
K6LL@despammed.com
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