[CQ-Contest] Level playong field

[Carol Richards]

Hi....

I have been reading the discussions about "leveling the playing field" I am not a big gun, no stacks, no 150ft+ towers, and no OWA 5-6 element yagis; just someone who likes to contest. Granted, the NE seems to have a decided advantage in both the ARRL DX  and WAE contests....but that's all. The playing field is skewed towards the south, west,  and mid west in SS, WPX, 10M, and definitely skewed to the west in AA and Oceana contests. Even 160m contests are not necessarilly dominated by one call area over another. I, on the east coast may work 200+ eu, but the west coast may work an equal number of oceana and Far East stations. That's life!!!! Knowing that I have little chance to win it all doesn't change my attitude. My goal is to finish in the top 10 or top 5 of my category and maybe add a few band countries. Contesters make up a very small fraction of the ham population and die-hard contesters with super stations even a smaller percentage. Most contesters are the average hams who prefer to get on for a small amount of time to work some DX  and give out some points. I do the same thing in the OK, CQ-M, etc. contests. I wonder if  "Leveling the playing field" is really going to have the impact its proponents suggest for the majority of hams. 

Yes it will have an impact on the elite contesters who are disadvantaged. It will also have an impact on me, I may no longer score in the top 10. Woe is me !!! Will I give up contesting then? Perhaps when I am over 100...and then. maybe not.

If we had the same conditions as during the solar cycles in the 50's and 60's, I doubt that this discussion would be occurring. Everyone forgets when the w6's and w0's and w5's used to dominate DX contests. No one then cried foul.


Just my 2 cents .


Carol