Topband: The East Coast Advantage

[Herb Schoenbohm]

Jim Brown wrote:
> Now that computing power makes it easy, it's long past time for contest rules to be changed to level the geographical playing field. The Boring Amateur Radio Club has shown one simple and effective way to do that with their Stew Perry event. It's time for CQ and ARRL to follow their lead.  
>
>   
Right on Jim!

And I don't mind the 2:1 advantage of VY1ZM who for propagation purposes 
is located in Western Europe!  But  my complaint is that when rules are 
skewed so you can never have a chance no matter how hard you try is just 
plain wrong and begs correction.

Here is one example:

The ARRL 160 meter contest rulers arbitrarily place, for the purpose of 
this contest only, all U.S. Territories as non-DX entities forcing 
competition with mainland big and little  guns.  The rules IMHO should 
have followed the ARRL DX listings at a minimum to make any reasonable 
sense, but no, someone got the idea in setting this up that what is DX 
most of the time is not DX some of the time.  Stations in the U.S. 
Territories (all of them) including Samoa, Swains, Kure, Guam, Midway, 
etc. are deemed not DX during this contest....yet if you work them they 
count for DXCC.  This contest structure seems to be typical HQ arrogance 
of we know whats best for you all and the actual operators should take 
what we hand out and not complain. I've been told that HQ wanted a 
version of SS for 160 meters.  If that is so why the DX inclusion at 
all.  If DX is included then it *is* a DX contest, right? And thus it 
should not be designed to discriminate against DX who happen to be under 
the U.S. flag.  Just does not seem to be fair nor patriotic if that 
makes a difference.

Yet, in direct contrast, look at the awesome attraction and overnight 
success of the Stew  put together by a few dedicated and never Boring 
top banders out west.  Their construction was always open looking 
outward to the participants to fine tune an already fine event.

I hope changes are coming but Isort of doubt it.

73

Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ