[CQ-Contest] Contest Activity from DC

[Bob, W3IDT]

Peter, others,

"435 multipliers": Interesting comment...

Hope you don't mind a little historical information...
The District of Columbia (DC) is NOT a Congressional District as are the 
"435 multipliers" to which you refer. In fact, the residents of DC are 
not fully represented in the US Congress: They have no representation in 
the US Senate at all and very limited - non-voting - representation in 
the US House of Representatives.

It is as if the residents of Berlin have no representation in the 
Bundesrat and limited representation in the Bundestag.

DC is a special "Federal District" created around 1800 from pretty 
useless swamp land on the both sides of the border - the Potomac River - 
between the American "northern" and "southern" states to help unify the 
country, and was initially expected to have no permanent residents, just 
transients working / serving the government for a few years. Hence, no 
provision for representation in the US Constitution.

DC is not part of Maryland nor Virginia, and its residents are not 
represented in or by the governments of those two states.

That is why DC hams resent being considered part of a Maryland 
multiplier (as the current part of DC is to the north of the river - the 
part to the south was given back to Virginia in the 1840s) in contests 
which use the 50 US States as multipliers.

[Note 1: That the multipliers in the ARRL sweepstakes contest are the 
now 83 ARRL and RAC administrative sections, and they include several 
groups of bundled geographies: MD and DC (MDC), the three Canadian 
Maritime provinces (MAR), Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), and the three 
northern Canadian Territories (NWT).]
[Note 2: In the ARRL 10m and 160m and DX contests - which use States and 
Provinces, DC IS a separate multiplier.]

So, the DC hams' argument that DC should be a separate multiplier in 
contests using states is quite simple: DC is not part of MD (nor VA); it 
is a federal district quite separate from those states; is more similar 
in governmental structure to the territories of PR and VI than to a 
state (and PR and VI are contest multipliers!).

I agree with their argument.

Bob, w3idt
-- 
Former DC resident / contest participant as WA3UHO.

.............................
. Robert F. Teitel, W3IDT   .
.                           .
. W3IDT at arrl.net            .
. W3IDT at comcast.net         .
.............................

On 12/11/2012 10:58 PM, Peter Voelpel wrote:
> What about the other districts? Would be nice to work 435 multipliers
> in ARRL contests.. ;-))
>
> 73 Peter, DJ7WW
>
> -----Original Message----- From: CQ-Contest
> [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Eric
> Rosenberg Sent: Mittwoch, 12. Dezember 2012 03:04 To:
> cq-contest at contesting.com Subject: [CQ-Contest] 2012 10m Contest
> Activity from DC
>
> For the past umpteenth years, I've tried to persuade the managers of
> those contests that count the 50 United States as separate, unique
> multipliers... but refuse to include the District of Columbia.
>
> One question asked every year is whether I would guarantee that there
> would be participation from DC. I've not been foolish enough to say
> yes. No can make that sort of guarantee, be it DC, SD, WY or another
> QTH with a small number of contesters.
>
> As it happens, the ARRL10 meter contestbrought out nine (9) DC
> stations, from pea-pistols to the big-time ops:
>
> KE3X, K2PS, NN3RP,KE3VV ,N8HM, N3ES,K6PFA, K0DI, and AB3UM.
>
> Is that a good enough showing? I'd suggest it is and that it's time
> to includethe District of Columbia as a separate mult to the CQ WW
> RTTY, NAQP and other contests!
>
> 73, Eric W3DQ (still under doctors orders to lay low) Washington, DC
>
>
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