TopBand: 160M Contests

[Bill Tippett]

Hello Carl,

        Any censorship has been to try to keep the reflector focused
on REAL information, and not become a bitch and gripe forum for every 
conceivable issue that happens to bother someone.  I think the whole
issue about the CQ 160 contests being "SS style" is ridiculous since
these have VERY high international participation (127 DXCC countries
in the CW and 119 in the SSB per results in December 96 CQ Magazine).
I think attempts by you or anyone to move the CQ 160 Contests to a
different time of year are very unlikely to produce any results, 
since this is THE most popular 160 contest with around 5000 stations
in the master logs for each weekend.  If WB9Z can work 1730 stations
in the CQ 160 SSB, that tells me that there are a lot of the "silent
majority" that like this contest.  Those 5000 stations are voting 
with their transmitters on the popularity of this contest.

        Personally, I think we would all be well advised to spend our
time working on better receiving antennas and we might be surprised
what could be heard in the CQ 160 SSB contest.  I was not seriously in
the CQ 160 SSB , but worked around 50 Europeans in an hour the first
night.  I did this because I've invested my time and energy in receiving
antennas that work and not griping about "SS contests", etc.

        Any attempt to restrict posts on the reflector to informational
content has been because of wanting to retain some of the really rare 
subscribers like ZS8IR, XV7SW, etc. that do not have cheap and good
Internet connections like you and I.  Unfortunately both of those have
now UNsubscribed.  I think you are being very parochial in viewing this
reflector as strictly a US forum and should be more considerate of the
many international subscribers who may not care about your gripes, etc.

        Finally, I would appreciate it if you and others can keep 
words like "ethnic cleansing", "Herr Administrator", etc. out of your
posts.  Maybe these are funny to you but please think about what
you are saying...it may not be so funny to some of our subscribers!

                                        73,  Bill  W4ZV


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