[CQ-Contest] ARRL v. contesters

[Kenneth E. Harker]

     There seems to be a lot of ARRL-bashing on the list recently.  While
I was very disappointed at the decision to remove line scores from QST myself
(and made sure my Division Director understood my point of view,) ARRL is
by no means anti-contesting, as some have suggested.

* ARRL supports more major HF contests than any organization other 
  than CQ Magazine.  This includes domestic contests, DX contests, and
  two of the most popular single-band contests.

* The ARRL is the only major North American group supporting multiple 
  contests on UHF or the microwaves.  Six of the seven most popular VHF+ 
  contests in North America are ARRL-sponsored.

* The ARRL is the only organization that actually pays to have an employee 
  whose primary responsibility is the efficient management and promotion 
  of radio contests.  The ARRL is willing to financially support this, even 
  though the Contest Branch at ARRL runs at a significant deficit every year.

* About half of those who participate in ARRL HF contests are DX stations,
  which generally-speaking are non-monetary contributors to the ARRL.  The
  ARRL bears the cost of this participation (computers, bandwidth, labor, 
  QST page space, etc.) despite the fact that very few DX stations are ARRL 
  members.

* The ARRL has done a remarkable job of publishing contest results on the 
  web.  Anyone, ARRL member or no, W/VE or DX, can go and examine ARRL 
  contest results online back eight calendar years.

* The ARRL's online scores database is unique in capability and scope.
  No other contest sponsor gives you the ability to play with the contest 
  results data in the same way that the ARRL does.

* The ARRL is willing to publish and provide professional services for 
  the National Contest Journal, the only contest-specific magazine I 
  know of intended for the general North American contester audience.

* The ARRL is one of the two major contest sponsors committed to developing
  a consistent, understandable log checking process, and providing Log 
  Checking Reports to competitors as feedback.

* The ARRL publishes a FREE weekly contesting-specific newsletter 
  distributed by email to something like 10,000 contesters worldwide.

* Etc., etc....

-- 
Kenneth E. Harker WM5R
kenharker at kenharker.com
http://www.kenharker.com/