[CQ-Contest] brief reply

[Richard Boyd]

I'll save my full reply to Bill's criticism of KP4 and KP2 operations for
the NCJ article (hi).

In brief, Bill has made it clear he isn't singling me out from the other
guys who've done the same.  I accept the apology and understand he's not
retracting the non-personal aspect of the criticism.  I know Bill is an
outspoken person, speaks his mind when he has something to say, and not just
on this subject but others.  Frankly, I think free speech is good, in
general, and an open airing of issues is good.

As far as characterizing such comments...if we want to put a negative light
on it, a similar thing has come up within PVRC when voting on prospective
new members, and it's been noted (by W3LPL for one, as I recall) that if we
didn't vote in folks who are rude, obnoxious, or outspoken, we wouldn't have
any members.  (hi)  And contesting does attract competitive, ego-driven
folks, to some extent, and that's a fact of life -- that's who we are.

When I first signed on to op at WP3R I told WA3FET to be prepared for
inevitable criticism.  I noted the comment by N5KO in his 10 years of SS top
10 article in NCJ a couple years ago that doing SS from the Caribbean had
gone out of favor.  After discussing it, Jim and I concluded, "Tough."  I
also noted that I had heard comments by the "usual suspects" near 3830 after
SS '98 that were derogatory of doing SS from the Caribbean.  Well, I think
those comments are/were knowingly done on the air so others can hear.

Frankly, I think being one of the "usual suspects" --should-- entail some
responsibility in comments made, etc.  I don't think there's an obligation
to be responsible, but I do think it's the best approach and, in the long
run, will reflect best on you.  That would mean taking the high road, being
circumspect in criticisms and other comments made publicly -or- privately,
and not being so quick to criticism someone doing it some other way or from
some other geographical location than you are.

In general, I think the geographical advantage of being in an arc from
Georgia, Florida, Gulf Coast, SW, and West, is well known in SS -- anywhere
to put a big signal into the northeast.  We're all aware of the geographical
advantage, within the U.S., of being in W1 (and to some extent W2 as well --
and to a decreasing extent in W3, etc.) in DX contests.  While we all know
of these advantages, the ops operating within these favored places tend to
take their advantage for granted.  Most of the "usual suspect" in SS operate
from the best geographical locations in SS and, while they recognize they do
have a geographical advantage over other locations, that fact tends to
subside in their consciousness over time.  I find it interesting when I hear
sour grapes about someone else's BETTER geographical advantage, from guys
who take for granted their own geographical advantage.

I have heard of examples of folks who actually took one job change over
another because it would put them in a better geographical location for
contesting.  I guess you can think of some of the same examples yourself.

Picking up on someone's comment, starting with Bill's that I could go to
Louisiana or Texas for SS and that would mean something (uh-huh, right)...I
guess the idea is to get a geographical advantage over Maryland but not too
good an advantage.  Is that it?

We can look at the long list of fine ops who go to geographically
advantageous locations for contests -- from north or northwest Africa (CN8WW
is crushing records MM in CQWW from Morocco -- of course, they have no
competition -- obviously -- since they are breaking the old records by many
millions of points, so it's obviously not fair -- sorry, I'm being sarcastic
and I once broke up with a girlfriend because I hate sarcasm and she was
sarcastic all the time -- hi).  How about N5TJ at EA8BH -- it doesn't mean
much if he has to go so far away to get a geographical advantage, right?
How about the HC8 boys?  Wouldn't Mexico be a lot closer and that'd be a lot
fairer?  And maybe building a big station isn't fair to the guys who can
only build a little station.  How popular would be a new rule that in SS we
all must op from our own QTH, and there'll be no more guest opping or
traveling to Texas, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, VY1, or
anywhere else any more?

I've occasionally heard comments that guest opping and placing high isn't as
significant an accomplishment as opping your own home station.  Then there
are the guys from their own home stations who don't do any climbing and thus
hire out the antenna work?  Is that as significant as someone who does all
their own work?  Then there's criticism we've heard of guys with the bucks
who just buy the fancy gear and accessories off the shelf -- not as great an
accomplishment as scrouging for AB-105, doing tower takedowns (I've down my
share), and, I suppose the ultimate, homebrewing your own transceiver and
amps.  How many of you are homebrewing your own transceiver these days?  hi.
Well, I guess we can draw the line on what's an accomplishment and what's
not anywhere we want to.

Well, there's a lot of "leveling the playing field" stuff we've heard over
the years in contesting and that's just not the way things are folks.  Part
of contesting -IS- being the one most motivated to buy acreage and build a
big station, or travel to faraway places (all of which costs a lot of money
that the XYL might rather have spent for something else), etc.  If I build a
big station on acreage and kick the butt of some guy using an A-3 at 35'
does it mean I'm better in any way?  No, but it may be a measure of my
greater motivation to achieve something bigger in contests.

Anyway, you'll note that the sour grapes on this and similar subjects tends
to always come from those who take for granted their own geographical,
station, and superior QTH advantages.  They just don't like it when someone
has out-competed them (if you will) on these factors -- kind of "I've got
mine...you can't have yours."

Bottom line, winning Sweepstakes from W1 or anywhere that's geographically
disadvantaged (in Sweepstakes anyway) isn't much of an accomplishment -- I
mean not very meaningful in the bigger picture of life, really, either (to
take the other extreme).  This is an extremely esoteric game we play and the
meaning of it is highly subjective and personal (and not much beyond that)
to each one of us.  As lawyers I've associated with are fond of saying, "It
means what it means."

QRX for the NCJ article that goes into greater detail, if K7BV still wants
it.  I'll dig it out.

73 - Rich, KE3Q (WP3R op and proud of it -- yes, I could go to Louisiana --
think W5WMU is available for SS CW next year or do you think someone else
already has dibs on it? -- or Texas -- if all the usual suspect guest ops
don't already have all the dibs, but then again, why don't you come on down
to Puerto Rico?  Bring it on.  Or...to make it really challenging, come op
from Maryland or W2 or W1 -- we'll see if we can find you a really mediocre
station so your accomplishments can be meaningful -- hi).




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