Declining JAs

[Robert A. Wilson]

WB4IUX asks if West Coast stations have worked more JAs on 10 meters
than on 15 or 20, in the last few years.  The answer is a resounding
YES.  I operated full bore single-op as N6TV in 1991, and as WA7NIN
in Nevada in 1992.  Here are the numbers.  I was really surprised to
work more Europeans than JAs.  That is unheard of during a sunspot
minimum, from the West Coast.

The big decline in JAs, especially on CW, appears to be caused by
a combination of:
  1) no code licensing
  2) top CW operators are getting older and less interested
  3) younger operators are more interested in VHF/packet than in HF CW
  4) money goes towards computers rather than towards ham radio
  5) big RFI problems, especially telephones
  6) land for antennas is extremely expensive
  7) poor QSLing practices by many U.S. stations (not answering a
     QSL is considered very impolite; an exchange of cards, usually business
     cards, is an important part of Japanese culture).
  8) it is not much fun for a JA station to run around and call Ws in
     the ARRL DX contest (it's boring)

Now, here are the backup numbers, courtesy of CT's ".CON" file:

                              Continent Statistics
         CONTEST: ARRL91CW       CALLSIGN: N6TV             MODE: CW

                 160   80   40   20   15   10  ALL    percent

North America      5   17   13   13   19   28   95     5.1
South America      0    4    5    5    7   11   32     1.7
       Europe      0    4   64  412  239  188  907    48.7
         Asia      0   54  247  110  146  202  759    40.7
       Africa      0    1    2    8    4    2   17     0.9
      Oceania      1    4   15    5    8   20   53     2.8

                              Continent Statistics
          WA7NIN   ARRL92CW    Single Operator     16 Feb 1992  2357z

                 160   80   40   20   15   10  ALL   percent

North America      5   15   13   15   20   21   89     3.6
South America      3    4   10    6    8    9   40     1.6
Europe             0    0   61  431  329  479 1300    52.9
Asia               0  103  359  153  159  161  935    38.0
Africa             0    1    3    7    9    6   26     1.1
Oceania            1    6   22    8   13   18   68     2.8

73,
Bob, N6TV