[CQ-Contest] You want to move the CQWW CW Contest - are you nuts?

[Jim White, K4OJ]

Boy - I am amazed...

Talk about taking a wonderful opportunity and turning it to poo...ain't you
guys ever heard of if it ain't broke don't fix it - or are you the same guys
who wanted "New Coke"...........

There are always people who will somehow be inconvenienced by the selection
of any given weekend that a contest is held on...no matter what - so - there
are always problems - there are also MANY MORE people who have forewarned
their significant others about planning their activities around certain
weekends...I know one guy who got married to avoid a conflict with Dayton
and now has to miss it since they moved the weekend from April to May!  He
tried to avoid a potential problem by planning around that weekend...things
got moved and fizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt oh well.  I told my
wife from the gitgo that come the Contest Season I will be booked solid
every weekend til Christmas, and then it would lighten a little and be
slowest during Summer...you did do this, right?

There are few operating opportunities which fit SO well that the thought of
changing their weekend causes me to go nutz...CQWWCW movement is one of
those topics...I bet you money there are those contest organizers who kick
themselves for not selecting this weekend for their contest long ago....

Here is the largest participation CW DX Contest in the world and someone
wants to mess with it...HUH?

Why is it so popular...the weekend occurs at the right time of the year prop
wise AND it is a great weekend for those of US operators to leisurely
prepare for it...yeah it is good for the US ham.

The arguments about family are almost moot - you the operator are a member
of the family, too - and if something gives you great pleasure and you have
made that clear to your family I would want to hope you would be encouraged
and supported by them in your contesting endeavors...you support your kids
activities but they don't have to support yours...NOT!

What a great opportunity for you the contester in the USA - you do NOT have
to take a day or half day off work on Friday to be ready for 00Z Friday
night....as most businesses will either close early on Friday after
Thanksgiving or not open at all...you have Thursday AM free - and if
necessary can solder up those last few RG213 jumpers and double check the CT
network then (not late at night after putting the kids to bed and having a
rough day at the mines)....you can even do the family day on Thanksgiving -
have a day to decompress afterwards including getting ahead on sleep you
won't be getting during the contest weekend and then its time for THE
contest....this is so sweet!  And you want to move
it????????????????????????

As Ron, WD4AHZed accurately points out, there is a very good reason the 10
meter contest is when it is in December and that is the predictable meteor
showers...as a Floridian you are more aware of this because while we may be
pounding into your QTH up North in the states the rest of you guys are about
s0 to s1 and repeats are frequently required for fills (remember NOT TO SEND
SLOW ON FRIDAY NIGHT OF THE TEN METER CONTEST - FASTER IS BETTER - FINISH
QSOs BEFORE YOU FADE OUT!!!!!)  Don't mess with that one, either - OK?


AND OF COURSE, ONCE AGAIN


Here we are on an international forum (CQ Contest) talking as if the USA
were the only part of the world that matters...cannot speak for you West
Coast US folks but what makes WW fun on the Right Coast is that it has a
phenomenal following in the European countries making it a hoot with near
200 hours Saturday AM on CW not that uncommon, the past two years have been
awesome on 28 MHz SOLID EUROPEAN ACTIVITY from the bottom of the band to way
up over 28150...the USA's Thanksgiving Day is of little relevance to them...


Leave it alone...about the only thing I would favor is the possible
switching each year of the SSB and CW weekends...that way you guys who both
love CW and Thanksgiving will not always have to deal with it - personally I
am opposed to it as I always use mid November for last minute antenna
improvements in time for the biggie - CQ WW CW!

To the guy who likes the leftover turkey sandwiches - I can tell you are new
to this reflector as many times there have been postings about a chemical in
turkey that makes you sleepy - not a good choice for a contester (think its
name was triptophen or something like that)

The season rapidly approaches - lets do some serious operating and remind
the "new hams" of just what can be done at HF...even on an antiquated mode
like CW!



Long Live CW!


Jim, K4OJ


You will take my Bencher paddle away from me only after you peel my cold
dead fingers from it!


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