[CQ-Contest] Contest Conflict

[Kenneth E. Harker]

On Wed, Jan 07, 2004 at 10:52:45AM -0500, Jim Monahan wrote:
> I'm looking for some insight, NOT blame, regarding the ARRL VHF Sweepstakes 
> and CQ 160 CW contest occurring the same weekend - Jan 24 to 26.
> 
> My understanding is that the VHF contest occurs the weekend before the Super
> Bowl and the CQ160 contest is the last full weekend of the month. 

That is correct.  In previous years, the weekend before the Super Bowl
has usually been the third weekend of January, and the last full weekend of 
January has been the fourth full weekend.  This year, the weekend before 
the Super Bowl is the fourth full weekend, so there is a conflict.

I'm sure the algorithm for the January VHF contest was designed to maximize 
participation - the weekend of the Super Bowl would be very bad for a W/VE
contest, and the weekend before the Super Bowl (at least in recent years)
is a "bye" week in the NFL schedule, so there are no football playoff games 
even that weekend.  The CQ 160 CW contest is a world-wide contest, so if 
it is scheduled on the Super Bowl weekend (which it had been before this 
year) it's not such a big deal - and anyway, the Super Bowl is usually played
Sunday W/VE evening, after the contest is over.

> This year, the Super Bowl is the following weekend on Feb. 1st. I don't 
> recall that a February date for the Super Bowl has occurred before.

That is true.

-- 
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Kenneth E. Harker      "Vox Clamantis in Deserto"      kharker at cs.utexas.edu
University of Texas at Austin                   Amateur Radio Callsign: WM5R
Department of the Computer Sciences          Central Texas DX & Contest Club
Taylor Hall TAY 2.124                         Maintainer of Linux on Laptops
Austin, TX 78712-1188 USA            http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/kharker/
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