[VHFcontesting] Proposals to increase DX participation in VHFContests

["jon jones" <n0jk@hotmail.com>]

Proposed changes to the ARRL VHF Contests to increase DX station 
participation.

4) New categories in Jan/Jun/Sept

I recommend the establishment of a "DX Category" for the ARRL Jan/Jun/Sept 
VHF Contests.  In the DX Category, have sub-categories for DX High Power, 
Low Power, Single Op Portable (QRP) and Rover.  Awards such as Plaques for 
these, as well as certificates for the country winners. (Back in the mid 90s 
there was a DX Category in the ARRL VHF Contests, somehow it was dropped?)

Having a category for the DX stations would encourage more activity and log 
entries by DX. Could see a return of VHF Contest DXpeditions to rare 
countries like those by K6MYC, W6JKV and W7XU and others. This in turn will 
help W/VE activity. Many W/VE stations report working a DX station in the 
contest is often a contest "highlight" for them. I still recall working 
K6MYC/HR on 6M from a fire watch tower in Arkansas in the June 1983 VHF QSO 
Party using a ICOM-502 radio with a small yagi.

It will help to list top scoring DX stations in the QST Web contest write-up 
and QST print contest write-up. DX stations were conspicuously absent from 
the June and Sept. 2003 VHF Contest write-ups.


b)      Allow DX-to-DX contacts for QSO point and multiplier credit, but the 
DX
station must make at least one QSO
             with W/VE on each band for which QSOs are submitted.


I strongly support DX - DX QSOs in the ARRL VHF Contests. It was frustrating 
last June to hear KF2HC/KP2 and KP4s work Europeans on 6M (and count them in 
the contest) while my European QSOs from VP9 were "zero pointers."

The one W/VE QSO per band requiement for a DX entry in the VHF Contest may 
be problematic, however.

Consider the following:

DL1VHF works W7GJ on 50 and 144 MHz EME using JT-44 and K2UYH on 432 MHz EME 
in the June VHF Contest. A W/VE QSO, one per band on 50, 144 and 432 MHz. 
Now DL1VHF proceeds to work hundreds of Europeans on 50 MHz ES,  2,000 on 
144 and 300 on 432 MHz tropo.

TI5KD enters the June VHF contest from Costa Rica. Keko works 600 W/VE 
stations on 6M and two in Florida on 2M meteor scatter. He also works a 
handful of DX stations such as ZF1DC, CO8LY, FM5WD, etc on 6M.

TI5KD is beaten in the DX Category by DL1VHF, who made 3 W/VE QSOs via EME 
in the contest.  Is this a "level playing field" for the DX stations?  Does 
this encourage DX to work W/VE in the VHF contests?  Is there a way to 
create an incentive for DX to work W/VE?

Another model to consider for DX participation in the ARRL VHF Contests 
could be the NCJ North American QSO Party.

http://www.ncjweb.com/naqprules.php

- Jon N0JK

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