Thanks All,
I shall once again proudly renew my RAC membership and WILL play in the ARRL
SS contest this weekend (as time allows) sending MAR per the rules.
I, too, hope some kind of communication can take place between MCC, RAC and our
good friends at the ARRL to better reflect current needs and conditions for
modern contesters.
Gerry – your level head is refreshing. I just gave myself a kick in the pants.
-ouch
Mike VE9AA
Mike, Coreen & Corey
Keswick Ridge, NB
From: Gerry Hull [mailto:gerry@yccc.org]
Sent: October 30, 2014 9:36 PM
To: Mike & Coreen Smith VE9AA
Cc: Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ; ghbawden@gmail.com; Craigie, Kay, N3KN; Marcel LeBlanc;
morgakl@nb.sympatico.ca; Bill Glydon; CQ-Contest; ve5sf@rac.ca; alan; Scott
Nichols
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Move to disband MAR section in Canada (for contesting)
Mike,
I think Dave's point is that you change the system by being part of it. Just
saying that RAC doesn't respond is a cop out. If you don't like how things are
going, join, interact, or offer your services as a Contest Advisory Committee
member.
You are looking at this issue from a contenting point of view. ARRL SS has a
rich history. That history is bound to the politics of ARRL and RAC. This ship
CAN be changed, but it will certainly take work. The reasons for making
separate sections for the maritime provinces will not center on contesting, but
of course contesting will benefit. If they do not become sections, I think the
road to getting separate multipliers will be a hard one.
Any member organization will eventually fail if it does not reflect the needs
and wants of it's members; it can't know what those needs and wants are if you
are not participating.
The 100 years of tradition in ARRL and CRRL/RAC brings along with it process to
make change. It you work within these processes you'll have a much better
chance of success.
The Contest Advisory Committee member for RAC is Sam, VE6SF. He's the best
place to start with this.
Here's hoping we get to a happy medium with Maritime Provincial Multipliers!
73 es cu in SS,
Gerry Hull, W1VE / VE1RM
On Thu, Oct 30, 2014 at 6:07 PM, Mike & Coreen Smith VE9AA <ve9aa@nbnet.nb.ca>
wrote:
My apologies Dave. I made the assumption they were "ARRL sponsored"...I
knew you published them, so jumped to conclusios and was mistaken. Sorry
about that. I certainly know when to say I am wrong.
As I said, I certainly have been a RAC member off and on since 1978.
Currently I am not. (also rec'd QST for many yrs, but not currently)
Lack of response of any kind from RAC kind of suggests that I won't be
renewing any time soon and goes to prove my point.
I would be glad in this case to be embarrassed and proven wrong however.
What would it take to even initiate some kind of conversation with RAC?
Thanks Dave.
Mike VE9AA
Mike, Coreen & Corey
Keswick Ridge, NB
-----Original Message-----
From: Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ [mailto:dsumner@arrl.org]
Sent: October 30, 2014 6:59 PM
To: Mike & Coreen Smith VE9AA; w1ve@yccc.org; ghbawden@gmail.com; Craigie,
Kay, N3KN; Marcel LeBlanc; morgakl@nb.sympatico.ca; 'Bill Glydon'
Cc: 'CQ-Contest'; ve5sf@rac.ca; alan; 'Scott Nichols'
Subject: RE: [CQ-Contest] Move to disband MAR section in Canada (for
contesting)
Mike, the NCJ contests are not sponsored by the ARRL. The ARRL took on the
role of NCJ publisher some years ago but the ARRL plays no role in managing
the NCJ-sponsored contests.
If you want to have influence in the RAC, first be a member. The
organization deserves your support and that of every Canadian amateur.
73,
Dave Sumner, K1ZZ
________________________________________
From: Mike & Coreen Smith VE9AA [ve9aa@nbnet.nb.ca]
Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2014 5:43 PM
To: w1ve@yccc.org; ghbawden@gmail.com; Craigie, Kay, N3KN; Sumner, Dave,
K1ZZ; Marcel LeBlanc; morgakl@nb.sympatico.ca; 'Bill Glydon'
Cc: 'CQ-Contest'; ve5sf@rac.ca; alan; 'Scott Nichols'
Subject: RE: [CQ-Contest] Move to disband MAR section in Canada (for
contesting)
The ARRL sponsored NCJ sprints require MAR, whereas the ARRL NCJ NA QSO
parties allow Provinces.
Some ARRL contests require MAR, whereas some require NB, NS & PEI. There
seems to be little in the way of consistency.
Thankfully, the overwhelming majority of worldwide contests, including 90%
of state run QSO parties allow "NB, NS or PEI."
(The California QSO party being the holdout)...folks are usually tickled
when they work VE9 for a new mult.
The continuous staunch retort from (my good friends at) the ARRL seems to
say "We follow RAC sections", and apparently that's that-end of discussion.
. .however if you look down the list of ARRL contests very carefully, you'll
see only a percentage of them do. (50%?) I don't know - I would have to
count them. Does it matter if I said 40% or 65% really?
Even the hugely popular RAC contests here at home say "send your
province"..I have sent "NB" in every Canada Day or Canada Winter contest
that I have entered since "RAC" was the CARF. I live in NB not a
fictitious "Maritime Province".
By saying "we follow RAC"..no, you really don't. You only follow RAC
sections for *S-O-M-E* of the ARRL sponsored contests. ( I reckon not even
most of them)
I still also stand by the fact that no other States or Provinces are lumped
together with other States or Provinces to create a section. (DC is the
exception, but it is not a State ) I have new information given to me today
that once upon a time Georgia, SC and Cuba (of all places) was a section,
but that must surely been before I was born, or at least the Bay of Pigs
affair.
Hey, I don't expect anyone to jump right up and change things overnight, but
look, I've been a VE9 for 21 years (and a ham much longer than that). I am
not CURRENTLY a RAC member, but have been in the past. I was even a
volunteer for the RAC VHF frequency committee for VE3DS and certainly do my
part to represent VE9 (NB) in the RAC contests out of an unwritten devotion
to RAC even though admittedly they are not my favorite contests.
Usually I feel my voice is never heard and over time I will let my RAC
membership lapse.
All I am saying is that (for whatever reason) we have multiple sections in
Ontario and every other Province has their own section. Isn't it time for
the ARRL to get onboard with 95% of other worldwide contests and recognize
that it's time to recognize that ALL contests under the ARRL banner should
treat us equally out here?
It sure would be nice to hear from Geoff Bowden on this issue. I have RAC
folks (VE9MY and VY2LI) who've heard our concerns. We have RAC
representation in every province including NB, NS and PEI (and
Newfoundland/Labrador). I am not entirely certain where they stand, but if
it takes someone from RAC to initiate a change or someone from the ARRL like
N3KN or K1ZZ to pick up the phone and call Manitoba and speak with VE4BAW,
to see what needs to be done I'd gladly pay the long distance charges. I
see people at ARRL and RAC nodding, but nobody is even CONSIDERING our
request and nobody is even talking.
Thanks for your time.
Mike VE9AA "NB"
Mike, Coreen & Corey
Keswick Ridge, NB
From: Gerry Hull [mailto:gerry@yccc.org]
Sent: October 30, 2014 4:31 PM
To: Mike & Coreen Smith VE9AA
Cc: CQ-Contest; ve5sf@rac.ca
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Move to disband MAR section in Canada (for
contesting)
As a ex-pat Maritimer, I'd agree, from a contest perspective, it would be
wonderful to have the individual provinces as multipliers.
I'd hazard to guess, though, that the decision that drove Ontario to have
separate sections was not driven by contesting, but by the size of the
amateur population and administrative needs.
I'd say that boycotting contests that use MAR as the multiplier will hurt
your cause -- IF those in power were to consider contest activity one of the
factors in breaking up MAR into provinces, boycotting current contests would
definitely hurt!
So, count me in support of the effort, but let me counsel you to PARTICIPATE
in ARRL contests!
Here's hoping I work a bunch of MARs in SS CW -- I'll be VE1RM/3 or CG1RM/3
from ONE. (Ottawa is a closer drive than even St. John!)
73, Gerry W1VE
Also: VE1RM, VY2CDX, VE9XDX, VO1WIN
On Wed, Oct 29, 2014 at 4:09 PM, Mike & Coreen Smith VE9AA
<ve9aa@nbnet.nb.ca<mailto:ve9aa@nbnet.nb.ca>> wrote:
The following is from Al, VA1MM but I 100% support him. See my own (VE9AA)
comments below his:
VA1MM:
A group of us contesters here in the "MAR" section feel the time has come to
announce the end of the MAR section in not only ARRL contests but all
contests. When our Department of Communications (now Industry Canada)
granted us separate prefixes for New Brunswick (VE9), Nova Scotia (VE1) and
Prince Edward Island (VY2), they recognized they we were distinct Provinces
with enough Amateur Radio operators to support a distinct call sign. And as
multipliers go, why wouldn't you want to have three new districts to work
when multiplied by six bands you have a substantial increase in your scores.
We have tried to weigh the pros and cons, the only con would be the contest
software not keeping up with the change or the operator not downloading the
newest version, but do we wait forever? Ontario (VE3) lead the way with
their divisional split, now it's time for the Maritimes to be recognized as
NS, NB and PEI
Thank-you, Al VA1MM/ VE1AWP (NS) Maritime Contest Club Member
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
VE9AA, Mike says:
I've been moaning and groaning about this very thing for years and years.
SOME ARRL contests force us to send MAR (a very antiquated section) and some
permit us to send NB, NS and PEI (the provinces where we are)
Meanwhile, places like Ontario recently get 4 (count them) FOUR sections?
What the??? Do we not exist out here or what????
What if we were to combine RI, DE and ME? Who in W1 would go for that
section>? \RIDEME\
Prior to 1993, all NB, NS and PEI's were VE1's...*BUT*, News Flash> In 1993
us "VE1's" all got NEW distinct callsign prefixes
ie: NB=VE9, NS=VE1 and PEI=VY2...there are very few left that kept their
original VE1 calls in NB or PEI. (the NS guys got to keep their VE1's)...
We are distinct provinces, (have been for eons.) just as Maine, Rhode Island
and Delaware are. Maybe it made sense in the old days or whatever to have
us as one section as there are fewer hams here (and we were all VE1's) , but
I think you'll see as a fellow member of MCC also, that we are well
represented these days. As a point of interest, there are so many VE1's that
they also have a VA1 prefix to choose from. If it's based on activity (I
know it's not) there are certainly ARRL and RAC sections with less activity
than NB, NS and PEI.
Even in the RAC contests we send "NB,NS and PE" so saying you "follow RAC"
does not hold water, nor does it even make sense 2+ decades later.
I normally try to boycott most contests that force us to send "MAR" as a
silent protest. Probably nobody notices but there are others like me out
here.
Get with the times ARRL, CQP and a very select few others.
I don't know who's attention we need to get, but help us out. Rattle some
chains. Send emails to those you know,
"RAC" is not contest oriented. Why we have to follow that structure (but
only for some contests) is beyond me !?!?
Respectfully,
Mike VE9AA (proudly in NB)
Mike, Coreen & Corey
Keswick Ridge, NB
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