At the very last minute Friday, I decided to go ahead and support the NCCC
WPX club effort by entering WPX SSB. I tried to access the rules on the
web page, but everything there was a .pdf file and I cannot read .pdf files
on the little computer I'm using at the moment. Thus I had no way of
knowing the precise definition of the different entry categories, but
charged into the contest anyway.
This contest seems to have taken the process of splitting off new
categories to its logical extreme, so now practically everybody can have
his own category! I had thought of entering the SOSB 80m QRP (Assisted)
(Rookie) (Tribander and Wires) category, but then decided the rate might be
a little slow that way. So instead I went on all bands and used the
amplifier. Now that the contest is over, I think there are four different
ways I can enter:
(a) SOAB/HP. This is what I would normally have thought would be the
correct category, but in the case of this contest I'm not so sure. I can't
see the final scores from last year, since that's also a .pdf file and I
don't get CQ mag, but I see from the claimed scores last April that this
was not really THE competitive category.
(b) SOAB/HP Tribander & Wires. Yes, all I have is a tribander and wires,
plus a couple of verticals. Thus I would assume I meet the definition
here, but don't know. This category seemed to be the big one last year,
the one with the biggest scores. Curious, no?
(c) SOAB/HP Assisted. I guess this is the easy one for trophy collectors,
since the scores here usually aren't that big. I don't know exactly what
you have to do in order to claim "assisted", though. The guys at Cayman
Brac Power & Light did keep the electricity going all weekend. Is that
good enough?
(d) SOAB/HP Rookie. I've never entered WPX before, so does that mean I
can be a "rookie"?
I do wonder how many "winners" this contest will generate. The
combinatorics on category definitions in this contest are mind-boggling.
Small wonder all I ever hear about WPX is people never getting their pretty
certificates in the mail!
Bruce, ZF2NT
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