[CQ-Contest] ARRL November Sweepstakes THIS weekend

[Jim Brown]

On 11/14/2025 6:03 PM, Tim Duffy wrote:
> George makes the case that Sweepstakes remains the most egalitarian contest on the calendar—favoring smart operators, not just big stations. He explains why the one-QSO-per-station rule levels the field, why a fan vertical in a park can still net 900 contacts, and how Sunday “begging” for casual operators becomes a strategic art.

Yes, and thanks for making that very important point, at a time when 
Sweepstakes participation is falling, as an increasing number of it's 
more active participants are aging out (health issues, moving to smaller 
housing, and becoming an SK. ARRL's Contest Advisory Committee has been 
soliciting input from our constituents (each member of the Committee is 
appointed by the Director off our ARRL Division), and one of the 
misguided inputs we've been getting is to allow QSOs with the same 
station on each band. Another proposal, which George has also shown to 
be a bad idea, is to shorten the contest -- that's another element that 
evens the playing field.

There have been other ideas put forth, two of which could be the most 
promising, are recruiting more operators to contesting, and for the 
League and the contest community to do a LOT more promotion. Please 
share any ideas you have with your representative. N6DE, the major force 
behind the success of CQP, has been very proactive, finding, 
encouraging, coordinating expeditions to our many counties with few if 
any active hams, and even arranging help with the portable setups, with 
the goal of making a sweep of California counties within reach of most 
serious competitors, and on both modes!

73, Jim K9YC