[CQ-Contest] Re: SHORTEN CONTESTS?

[James Neiger]

Jan-Erik Holm wrote:
> 
> >It seems like it's time once again to regurgitate the silly notions of
> >micro-managing the rules of contests to suit our individual needs.
> >BETTER YET: If you're REALLY serious about maximizing your fun and
> >competitiveness, get on an airplane, plug your radio into a Caribbean
> >island tri-bander, and find-out what some of us learned many years ago.
> >Downside risk to this is, of course, you may not want to go home.
> >
> Very stupid indeed. Jim Neiger dont be so ignorant, not everybody has
> as much money as you. Wake up, open your eyes and hopefully you will
> discover the plain human being.
> >
> >I believe that KQ2M, NH7A, and K3ZO are right-on.  Shorten the WPX to 30
> >hours? Nah, I vote for 48 hours.  In fact, maybe we should go back to
> >the ARRL DX format of 30 years ago of 96 hours per mode?  Now THAT was
> >fun!  Four 48 hour weekends jammed into Feb/March.  Love it!
> >
> >If contests are such fun, why do we want to limit them?
> >
> Same again. It shouldnt be a playground just for the elite, it must
> be broad enough to be able to atract the plain ham.
> >
> >And may I apologize FOR my dear friend Trey Garlough?  He obviously has
> >temporarily taken leave of his senses. Trey knows that anything less
> >than 48 hours is quiche-ville.  Kids these days, they just don't seem to
> >want to learn.
> >
> Mr Trey Garlough is probably one of the few that still got the senses
> safe and sound.
> >
> >                Vy 73
> Stop monkey around and go back to the old format 30 hours.
> >
> >                  Jim Neiger
> >                  N6TJ/ZD8Z
> >
> 73 de Jim SM2EKM
> >
> 
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OUCH!
Normally I wouldn't dignify such pap with a response, but this is just
too much to allow to pass without taking great exception to SM2EKM's
assertion that contest expeditions are for the ELITE!!  NOTHING COULD BE
FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH and OM you ignorantly are doing erstwhile
fledgling expeditioners a dis-service in planting this notion.

(I can just see N6AA's reaction to this now that Jim Neiger has been
told he's among the "elite".  (Dick, I always told you I was special;
now maybe you'll believe it.  SM2EKM says I am, so it must be so!))

Seriously, I  have made contest expeditions when I virtually haven't had
the proverbial pot to pee in. And I can name  a few contest expeditioner
friends who have been from time-to-time in similar straits, but we have
NEVER let money get in the way of doing the right thing: when in doubt,
head for the boonies and fire up the radio in the CQ WW!!
Figure out how to pay for it later.  And I must say, looking back over
thirty plus years of contest expeditioning, plus another 13 years of
contesting before my first expedition in 1967, its all been worth it. I
would do it all again in a heartbeat, probably more and better. And when
I'm too old to "cut the mustard" anymore (likely soon), I'll be able to
sit back, read old radio magazines and remember how we used to do it. 
Great stuff.  And it's also great to see my friends W2GD, CT1BOH, OH2BH,
NH7A and others always on that contest expedition trail, year after
year.  Welcome to the ELITE CLUB, guys.

One can obviously spend alot of money on a contest expedition, but it
need not be that way.  For example, several of us (N6TJ, N6TR, N6AA,
N6AR, N6ND, K6NA, N6ZZ) drove across the border to Tijuana to fire up
XE2SI as a multi-multi in the 1983 CQ WW SSB contest.  Think we ended-up
in the world Top Five, had a great time, and if I spent $100 that
weekend, I'd be surprised.  

Earlier in 1983, I managed to win the ARRL DX CW test as 8P6J, from my
own little station (tribander and wires), more-or-less operated field
day, and I didn't even have a job!

And SM2EKM, may I suggest you read about the wonderful island hopping
radio expedition of your fellow Swede SM7PKK?  Mats almost had me
convinced to head for the Pacific islands again. And I didn't get the
feeling that Mats is among the wealthy either.

During my six expeditions to D44BC in the  80's/90's for the CQ WW CW
contests, it could get a little pricey at times, but not ridiculously
so.  For those of us who fly alot in our jobs, free airplane tickets are
often there (oops, sounds elite to me). Anyway, I was motivated to do
it, so I figured out the "how" and did it.  

It's all a matter of priorities: most of my radio friends and I like to
make contest expeditions and soon as one contest weekend ends, we're
already planning on the next year.  It's not important to many/most, and
that's obviously OK too.

SM2EKM, I fear you've lost sight of my over-all theme that I've been
trying to expound on in recent years.  And I apologize for not making it
clear enough for you to understand.

1.I believe that the trend to shorter contests is dangerous and will
ultimately be fatal to the sport and ham radio in general.  Many other
services have there sights set on our frequencies, and if we don't use
them, we lose them.

2.  Contest operating is getting easier and easier what with
enhancements in our technologies.  And thanks to the wonderful
operating/logging software created by K1EA, N6TR, and others, it's
almost an embarassment to send the log in as "unassisted"  I think that
any of us who use this great stuff should have an asterisk by our call
with a big thank you to Ken, Tree et al.

3.  I just don't understand WHY you guys want short contests??  If
they're FUN, then why LIMIT the fun?  I guess I must have missed
something there.  And if the whole idea is to mess with the rules so as
to create the so-called "even playing field", realize that it will NEVER
be even.  And as I once wrote in the NCJ (was that 1974?), if you don't
like your location, stop bitching about it and MOVE.

4.  Anyone of reasonable health, who's appropriately motivated, can do a
48-hour straight contest.  Although I'm obviously "elite", I'm hardly
superman, and I've been doing the 48-hour straight thing for 30 years. 
And although I don't consider myself young, I'm not "old" either. I'll
be 60 years young next March. 

5.  Again, I believe the key is the "appropriate motivation" part.  If
you guys want to "fool around" in a little casual 30 hour weekend, take
time to sit-down with the family at dinner, go to the beach, mow the
lawn, whatever, in my opinion it's time to take up something other than
radio sporting. (Bring on the flames!)  The CQ WPX contest is not
perfect (N6AA won't even operate it; calls it the "minor leagues"), but
I've thoroughly enjoyed those I've operated from Hawaii and Ascension. 
Will shortening it back to 30 hours REALLY save ham radio and cause
world peace to break out, I doubt it

      

                 Vy 73


                    Jim Neiger   N6TJ/ZD8Z


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