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Re: [CQ-Contest] Contest Activity from DC

To: cq-contest@contesting.com, Eric Rosenberg W3DQ <w3dq@arrl.net>
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Contest Activity from DC
From: "Bob, W3IDT" <w3idt@comcast.net>
Reply-to: w3idt@comcast.net
Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2012 18:57:07 -0500
List-post: <cq-contest@contesting.com">mailto:cq-contest@contesting.com>
Peter, others,

"435 multipliers": Interesting comment...

Hope you don't mind a little historical information...
The District of Columbia (DC) is NOT a Congressional District as are the "435 multipliers" to which you refer. In fact, the residents of DC are not fully represented in the US Congress: They have no representation in the US Senate at all and very limited - non-voting - representation in the US House of Representatives.

It is as if the residents of Berlin have no representation in the Bundesrat and limited representation in the Bundestag.

DC is a special "Federal District" created around 1800 from pretty useless swamp land on the both sides of the border - the Potomac River - between the American "northern" and "southern" states to help unify the country, and was initially expected to have no permanent residents, just transients working / serving the government for a few years. Hence, no provision for representation in the US Constitution.

DC is not part of Maryland nor Virginia, and its residents are not represented in or by the governments of those two states.

That is why DC hams resent being considered part of a Maryland multiplier (as the current part of DC is to the north of the river - the part to the south was given back to Virginia in the 1840s) in contests which use the 50 US States as multipliers.

[Note 1: That the multipliers in the ARRL sweepstakes contest are the now 83 ARRL and RAC administrative sections, and they include several groups of bundled geographies: MD and DC (MDC), the three Canadian Maritime provinces (MAR), Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), and the three northern Canadian Territories (NWT).] [Note 2: In the ARRL 10m and 160m and DX contests - which use States and Provinces, DC IS a separate multiplier.]

So, the DC hams' argument that DC should be a separate multiplier in contests using states is quite simple: DC is not part of MD (nor VA); it is a federal district quite separate from those states; is more similar in governmental structure to the territories of PR and VI than to a state (and PR and VI are contest multipliers!).

I agree with their argument.

Bob, w3idt
--
Former DC resident / contest participant as WA3UHO.

.............................
. Robert F. Teitel, W3IDT   .
.                           .
. W3IDT@arrl.net            .
. W3IDT@comcast.net         .
.............................

On 12/11/2012 10:58 PM, Peter Voelpel wrote:
What about the other districts? Would be nice to work 435 multipliers
in ARRL contests.. ;-))

73 Peter, DJ7WW

-----Original Message----- From: CQ-Contest
[mailto:cq-contest-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Eric
Rosenberg Sent: Mittwoch, 12. Dezember 2012 03:04 To:
cq-contest@contesting.com Subject: [CQ-Contest] 2012 10m Contest
Activity from DC

For the past umpteenth years, I've tried to persuade the managers of
those contests that count the 50 United States as separate, unique
multipliers... but refuse to include the District of Columbia.

One question asked every year is whether I would guarantee that there
would be participation from DC. I've not been foolish enough to say
yes. No can make that sort of guarantee, be it DC, SD, WY or another
QTH with a small number of contesters.

As it happens, the ARRL10 meter contestbrought out nine (9) DC
stations, from pea-pistols to the big-time ops:

KE3X, K2PS, NN3RP,KE3VV ,N8HM, N3ES,K6PFA, K0DI, and AB3UM.

Is that a good enough showing? I'd suggest it is and that it's time
to includethe District of Columbia as a separate mult to the CQ WW
RTTY, NAQP and other contests!

73, Eric W3DQ (still under doctors orders to lay low) Washington, DC


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