If your 60 with a heart condition, you don't run a marathon like a 21
year old. If you only play radio to win, that is your decision. If everybody
took that position, there would be perhaps 500 operators because everybody
else knows that can't win anything and wouldn't bother to get on.
I am 50, Carl, my friend , AI6V, is 58. neither one of us are at the
same level we were 20 years ago.
Would you suggest shortening the 100 yard dash to 90 because the older
guys can't compete?
If a contest restricts operating time too greatly, then the rate goes
down for everybody.
In Hawaii, our dead time for QSO's is around 1400-1700 UTC. To
accommodate me, the WPX could shut down during that time. That would be
great for me! What do you mean that is prime Europe run time for most of the
US? As you can see, there is no solution that will please everybody.
Most stations do not have a 4 square on 80 and multiple 40 meter yagis
like I do. I can sit on these bands and get big scores. However, 95 % of the
rest of the world does not have this setup and they lose out because there
will be less operating time on the higher bands, which is where the younger
as well as the lesser equipped stations are. They lose out, the rate drops,
and when that happens, why contest?
Consider I have only 3 hours to spend on 10 each day of the contest. I
have great rate, 200/hr because I am a new station. When the 3 hours comes
up,.I am gone. A lot of other stations will also be on for a short period.
The folks with the big stations get in my log in the short period I am on,
but a lot of others with verticals and wires don't.
Remember that in WPX, I only need to work Europe once to get those
multipliers, so I will stay on 20 to get them and ignore perhaps 10-15 to
the USA.
I consider the guys with the modest stations the key to any contest. Cut
down their ability to work people because there are less stations on and
there will be less rate, less fun.
Contesting should not only be for people with lots of towers and
monobanders.
Enough said. Let's play radio.
Aloha, Al
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