[SECC] (no subject)

[John Laney]

Second weekend in October is a bad idea.  Pa QSO Party is a really big
one and has been on that weekend forever.  It is both Sat and Sun.

Third weekend in October, if Saturday only, wouldn't conflict with IQP,
but would conflict with WAG, which would take all the Europeans out on
Saturday.

Second weekend in April may be a very good idea.  It still has the
QRPARCI Spring contest (third weekend in Oct has the Fall contest), so
we lose most of the QRP guys either way.  The only major international
contest is the annual CW JIDXC, with Japan working the world.  We almost
never have any entries from Japan or otherwise in Asia.  Very few of us
here in GA work the JIDXC.

The European contests on that weekend are minor ones.  The DIG CW Club
(Germany) has one 12-17Z on Saturday and that wouldn't conflict with our
hours at all.  Same for their low band contests that weekend and the UBA
(Belgium) contests.  All during hours that our contest isn't in
operation.  The European SSB Sprint does conflict, but it is on only 80,
40, and 20 meters and runs from 15 to 19Z.  The only possibility of
contacts is on 20 meters.  I have managed a handful of contacts in a CW
European Sprint, but have never been able to hear any on SSB well enough
to get a QSO  (the QSY rule makes it really hard in fringe propagation
areas).  So, basically it seems to me that the published contests on the
SM3CER contest page show NO conflicts of any significance except for the
QRP contest that weekend.  It would mean that we should be planning
three months sooner and getting out the publicity that much sooner, as
well as the results from GQP 2002.  Of course, we could skip 2003 and go
right to 2004, but that would invite someone else to step in and take
that weekend.  I vote strongly in favor of the second weekend in April.

73,


John, K4BAI.