[CQ-Contest] ARRL v. contesters

[RiC]

Dave Sumner says your check is in the mail.  (Just my lame attempt at being 
funny...)

What you've assembled is a good argument for the ARRL concerning their 
support of contesting and the facts should speak for themselves -- but some 
believe ignorance is bliss  -- always good to have a preponderance of the 
evidence and I think you've done well by your compilation.)  We can't have 
everything, nor should we expect it.  It can be worthwhile to put up a good 
fight for what you think you need but one should pick battles carefully.  I 
don't want to die on just any hill.

73
Ric
Wo4o

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kenneth E. Harker" <kenharker at kenharker.com>
To: "CQ Contest" <cq-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Monday, December 06, 2004 3:47 PM
Subject: [CQ-Contest] ARRL v. contesters


>     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/
>
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