[3830] ARRL 160 KV4FZ Single Op HP

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                    ARRL 160-Meter Contest

Call: KV4FZ
Operator(s): KV4FZ
Station: KV4FZ

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: U.S. Virgin Islands
Operating Time (hrs): 22.5

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 968  Sections = 79  Countries = 57  Total Score = 326,944

Club: 

Comments:

The band openings to Europe were in long duration and consistently strong
signals but because of the rules (and I will get to that) very few participants
compared to CQ WW a week before which had much poorer conditions.  The only
Africa I worked was a EA8 compared to a dozen mainland African entities in the
CQWWCW on 160. Only two South Americans were worked.(PV8DX and CE1/K7CA now
back in Chile)

I used to enjoy winning contests but those days are over even though my
equipment has improved with 12 Beverages on RX four of which are reversible and
some 900 footers all available on a self terminating push button panel from a
refurbished 12X1 Dynair 75 ohm video switch.  Today I enjoy improving the
operation and hoping for a new one now and then...but why can't the ARRL get it
right with this contest?  To be fair I should compete not with a W9 and a low
dipole, who will beat me every time, but rather compete with other DX stations.
 Even if the ARRL would consider that this is either a DX contest or a 160 meter
version of sweepstakes as it can't be both. Just compare the DX participation
with the Stew Perry later this month where a distant challenge scoring system
makes so much more sense in every regards.

Sorry to whine about this but only through the participants support can the CAC
bring about changes to make this a much more interesting contest for DX
participation. I have been talking about this for years but need to get to you,
the contest participant for some help.

This contest has rules that make me non-DX along with all the other U.S
Territories including some of the very rare spots like Navassa (KP1) which had
it been on the contest rules would have counted that as the VI section.  Can
someone please explain to me how this strange set of rules prevails in ther
modern contest environment.  It is patently unfair and discourages DX
participation.  Some locations can participate and even get a line in the short
QST write up which now lists only the mainland big guns.  Please tell me it is
fair when a station in Illinois with a low dipole can always make my log
submission complete embarrassment and why a VP2V which I can see from here is
DX and I am not.  The band ends up being a hornets nest of signals every 100 hz
and they could care less about working the Virgin Islands.  Of course there were
still replys from some DX stations to me "SRI NO DX" or "UR DX No QSO"  

To be honest the most fun I had was to stop banging my head against the wall of
mainland hornets nest stations, who could never hear me anyway, but to switch to
the NE and East phased beverages to Europe so all I could hear was the few
Europeans. At least they were 5 points and enjoyed the contacts.  The mainland
hornets nest would not care if I was on frequency or not as they most likely
could not even tell I was on the air. 

So what to do?  I plead with you to contact your buddies in the ARRL CAC to
make some adjustment to the rule.  They need to hear from those who take
contesting seriously and take the time and effort to try to do better each
year.
The ARRL 160 meter Contest rules from my view are just plain wrong and unfair
and in such discourage DX participation...which to me, as with you, is the
essence on being on 160 meters in the first place.

Thanks and 73,

Herb, KV4FZ
St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands


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