[CQ-Contest] WARC band contesting is a thing now !

[Mike Smith VE9AA]

All:

 

I find that very disappointing that folks would support contesting (of any
kind) on a WARC band, as the WARC bands have always been "contest free
zones".  A refuge for non contesters.

 

  

 

I'm as active contester as anyone (maybe more than some!) and I would never
dream to invade the space of those good folks who retreat to the WARC bands
to get away from those "loud contesters",  fellas. 

 

  

 

Today it's the VT QSO Party, tomorrow Maine, next week the New England QSO
Party, next month the Florida QSO party, after that, let's also allow
RTTY.......then CW.........then SSB 

 

  

 

Where does it end? 

 

A friend sent me some solid info on the WARC bands as it relates to
contesting:

".The IARU Region 1 Bandplan explicitly states:

Contest activity shall not take place on the 5, 10, 18 and 24 MHz bands.

https://www.iaru-r1.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/hf_r1_bandplan.pdf page 3

 

The IARU Region 2 Bandplan explicitly states:

Contest activity shall not take place on: 2200 m (136 kHz), 630 m (472 kHz),
60 m (5.3 MHz), 30 m (10 MHz), 17 m (18 MHz) and 12 m (24 MHz). 

https://secureservercdn.net/166.62.112.193/o7i.02a.myftpupload.com/wp-conten
t/uploads/2020/01/R2-Band-Plan-2016.pdf page 2

 

The IARU Region 3 Bandplan explicitly states:

Contest activity below 30 MHz should be restricted to the 160 m, 80 m, 40 m,
20 m, 15 m and 10 m bands. 

https://secureservercdn.net/166.62.112.193/o7i.02a.myftpupload.com/wp-conten
t/uploads/2020/01/R3-004-IARU-Region-3-Bandplan-rev.2.pdf page 4

 

There is no other organisation on the planet which organises contests of any
kind on 30, 17 or 12 metres.  

 

The issue has been discussed thoroughly within IARU member societies, and
among IARU regional councils all over the world.  They have come to a
universal decision that contests should not be organised on these three
bands. ."

 

Anyways...I am not looking for a fight, but I think we as contesters at
large ought to respect 40+ years of contest free WARC bands and not upset
the apple cart.  You know something large can grow from a seed.  A VT QSO
party FTx mode is so tiny, yet the ramifications down the road could very
well be large. 

 

  Mike VE9AA

 

--  

 

  

 

Mike VE9AA