[CQ-Contest] The good old U.S. holiday weekend contest debate

[Steve Root]

Two things on my wish list:

1) Get the Minnesota DNR to move the opening weekend of Deer Season away
from CW SS weekend.
2) Move the ARRL 10 Meter contest away from the darkest time of the year.
We get 16 hour of daylight that whole weekend.

73 Steve K0SR

----- Original Message -----
From: Scott R. <w4pa at yahoo.com>
To: <cq-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 31, 2004 5:14 PM
Subject: [CQ-Contest] The good old U.S. holiday weekend contest debate


>
> Amuse me, can we rehash a tired old debate for a little while on the
> reflector?
>
> Make sure to read all of this before flaming me, because the status quo
> for CQ WW CW works for me at the moment.  But I don't think it works
> for a lot of other people.  I would like to know the reasoning involved
> behind why this can't be changed from the CQ committee members, or why
> even considering it is not possible.
>
> In the aftermath of being gone for 3 days to do a serious M/S operation
> for WPX SSB this weekend I started talking with my XYL about plans for
> this year's contest season last night.  My XYL is VERY tolerant of all
> the time I put into station building and contesting.  At least at the
> moment. . .
>
> Last year, I missed Thanksgiving to operate CQ WW CW at NT1Y.  This was
> not a big deal.  I haven't missed CQ WW CW since 1994, and last year
> was the FIRST time I wasn't home on T-Giving day.  Including a trip to
> the Caribbean once to do CQ WW CW - I was home on turkey day.
>
> My XYL has noticed I wrote 'contest' on my calendar across Memorial Day
> weekend for WPX CW.  She pointed out that if I am gone over
> Thanksgiving for CQ WW CW (possible) that I will give up two holiday
> weekends - rare ones - to run radio contests this year.
>
> True.
>
> I don't usually operate WPX CW.  It's **"almost always"** the weekend
> after Dayton, and ALWAYS Memorial Day weekend, and that makes it
> IMPOSSIBLE.  This year, I decided I might sneak in and try it, for the
> first time **EVER** on Memorial Day weekend.  My XYL saw this on the
> calendar and (even though she is very supportive) she was not too happy
> when faced with the prospect of me being gone for two holiday weekends
> this year.
>
> She said: "How do they expect people to do them when it's always a
> holiday weekend?" and I gave her the arguments that I always hear - the
> United States isn't the whole world, we've always (or most always) done
> it this way, there are people who it does work out for, etc., etc.
> ...and her non-contester response was:
>
> "Couldn't they substitute the weekends every other year?" - which is
> also a point I've seen made here many times before.
>
> I have heard the comments made that we (the United States) are not the
> whole world, that the rest of the world doesn't have these contests on
> a holiday weekend, blah blah blah.  That's great, except I might point
> out that there are A LOT of contesters, serious and casual, that live
> here and we are DEPRESSING overall activity in WPX CW and CQ WW CW by
> having these contests every single year on U.S. holiday weekends.  It's
> not a holiday weekend in Europe.  And serious European contesters are
> going to work less U.S. stations when these contests are on a U.S.
> holiday weekend every year.  The competition among us is less from the
> U.S. side.  I happen to like more competition, not less.  DXpeditions
> won't happen...because it's always a holiday weekend.  See where I am
> going with this?
>
> Don't get me wrong, the T-Giving day weekend for CQ WW CW **WORKS FOR
> ME**, usually.  But I am pretty sure I am not going to operate both WPX
> CW and CQ WW CW this year, AGAIN, in deference to my family EVEN
> THOUGH, I *could* do them both if I want to.  It's going likely going
> to be one or the other, or neither of them this year, just because
> they're on a holiday weekend . . . .AGAIN, ad infinitum.  Repeat:
> I have NEVER operated WPX CW because it's always Memorial Day weekend.
> That sucks, sports fans.  I really would like to try it for once.
>
> Tell me the rational argument for why these contests cannot be inverted
> every other year to hold CQ WW CW the last weekend of October and WPX
> CW this last weekend of March.  Propagation is better in November;
> you'd think the SSBers would want the chance to enjoy this every so
> often.  Conversely, March is generally better, us CWers might like the
> opportunity to have the good prop then. . . .
>
> I don't want to hear "it's tradition, we've always done it like this" -
> with that logic we'd be running AM phone, starting the contest at
> 0200Z, 2 weekends for contests and have quota systems for DX contacts.
>
>
> There was a MAJOR rule change made to WPX to increase operating time
> from 30 to 36 hours (net effect: U.S. east coast wins this contest,
> like all other DX contests, every time, too.  How does that stimulate
> activity?  If we can do THAT, we can invert weekends.)  I want to hear
> the logical argument for why inverting the weekends for WPX CW and CQ
> WW is not possible.  Please note again (being redundant) - I am not
> being hostile or antagonistic.  I really want to know what the logic is
> for why this is not possible to do.  Isn't the point of contests to
> stimulate amateur radio activity?
>
> Scott Robbins, W4PA
>
>
> =====
> Visit the Tennessee Contest Group - www.k4ro.net/tcg.html
>
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