[CQ-Contest] Why some Caribean Islands compete as South America at CQWW and other contests

[ve4xt at mymts.net]

It's pretty simple. Geography places certain islands in South America and certain other islands in North America. If the battle over Arctic territory is any indication, there are specific geographic rules regarding tectonic plates and undersea shelves that determine to which continent a landmass belongs.

It's not much different than why southern Spain is in Europe and northern Morocco is in Africa, yet you can see one from the other.

WW long ago decided that in a DX contest, contacts between different continents should be worth more than contacts between points of the same continent. Do we not like that distinction?

If we eliminated the distinction, it would certainly also eliminate a huge advantage enjoyed by the Eastern Seaboard, for which Europe can be like shooting fish in a barrel compared to stations inland, such as K7 or W0. 

If we accept the distinction, mustn't we also accept there are places where the dividing distance is pretty small? Where do we draw continental lines? If we moved, for WW purposes, the line between Europe and Asia further east or further west, doesn't that merely change where the bone of contention is located?

If we declare, for WW, Aruba is no longer part of SA, what do we do when a station figures out a way to set up in Colombia, just a few miles away? Declare Colombia part of NA?

Frankly, an all-Qs-are-the-same point system would be a boon for us landlocked types.

73, kelly, ve4xt, 

Sent from my iPad

> On Nov 6, 2015, at 3:13 AM, Herbert Schoenbohm <herbs at vitelcom.net> wrote:
> 
> In some contest this is patently unfair where a contact with some Caribbean Basin islands yield a higher point structure than others close by.  This is also why the big winners are always located in Aruba, Trinidad, and Curacao.  The islands only 100 miles away have a definite disadvantage. But this has and always be the case. There is the same issue in Europe where a station in Cyprus from a hotel with just a vertical can clean up.  I believe also that stations in Turkey in the European side are still counted as Asia.
> 
> 
> Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ
> 
>> On 11/5/2015 6:31 PM, Ron Notarius W3WN wrote:
>> If memory serves, Zone 8 stations are considered part of North America, Zone
>> 9 stations are considered part of South America.  And always have been. It's
>> that simple.
>> 
>> See
>> http://www.icomamerica.com/en/amateur/amateurtools/2013_ITU_CQ_WorldMaps.pdf
>> , and in particular, the insert part of the map on the Caribbean.
>> 
>> Considering the proximity of the former Netherlands Antilles islands, and
>> Trinidad & Tobago, to the coast of Colombia and Venezuela as compared to the
>> bulk of the remaining Caribbean islands, it's no wonder.  If anything, I'd
>> wonder why Grenada and other islands as far North of the zone line as
>> Barbados, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and maybe even St. Lucia wouldn't be
>> considered Zone 9 if the zones were ever reconfigured.
>> 
>> No big mystery here.  It has everything to do with the map.
>> 
>> 73, ron w3wn
>> 
>> On 11/05/15, Fernando PY2LED<py2led at fuertesind.com.br> wrote:
>> 
>> Hello Dear Contesters, good day!
>> 
>> I was analyzing results from CQWW, CQWPX and in some categories we can see
>> some nice records made by stations located in the Caribean Islands. Some of
>> this islands counts like South America.
>> 
>> It is extremelly difficult or impossible to beat their scores from South of
>> Brazil, Argentina, Uruguai, Paraguai and other south countries due to the
>> big distances to the main countries lime USA and some European countries.
>> Also during the main contests, we have only one station (one multiplier) in
>> some of this islands like Bonaire, Aruba etc and everybody will try the qso.
>> 
>> 
>> I would like to understand if's there an explanation or criteria why they
>> are located in South America for this contests. When we go to some Geography
>> books, some autors gives reason why they don't include such islands at South
>> America and they do like Caribean islands.
>> 
>> Maybe this example applies to other parts of the world. Why not to create an
>> Islands Category or Central America or so?
>> 
>> Would like to share and listen opinions about this issue.
>> 
>> Many thanks and best 73's
>> 
>> 
>>> Fernando Cordoba | PY2LED | PX2B
>>> Sao Caetano do Sul | SP | Brasil
>>> GG66rj
>>> py2led at fuertesind.com.br
>>> www.altodaserradx.com.br
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