Topband: Use of Remote Receivers During 160 Meter Contests

[Mark van Wijk, PA5MW]

Hi Tree, all,

I believe there 's a third basic issue here:

3. The change of the leveling playing field

Adaptions of shortcuts introduces new opportunities within the rules.

***VERY TRUE


With the new Remote RX possibility, to be competitive I am forced to do
the allowed upgrade and add two RX sites:

***Some will challenge you on the "forced to", but you are very right here. 
Just wait and see it happening.

- One to the max west border right near the sea. This allows for easier
working of more QRP stations from the British Islands and secondly it
delivers a propagation advantage towards W/VE.
- The second one will be at the south border, up in the hills at a top
location which is even more quiet than my current QTH and offers the
right downslope to create superb take-off from an 8-circle or so.


***Clear
- Remote RX sites can be a strategic advantage
- One will need to add one or more remote RX sites after this to keep up
- Both the geographical and 'nearby sea' advantages apply more to European 
countries than USA
- Boundary limitations can and probably will be stretched


snip........... Other countries might have less available strategic 
geographical opportunities.

*** We call that an 'unbalance in the leveled playing field'


Now let's see how many  stations will (have to) upgrade in the next two
years...



*** I think this has happened often in the past after adoption of new 
techniques.


I do recognize the standpoints on "cheaters will always cheat no matter 
what"
And it is difficult here to avoid the tendency to suspect the devil after 
every corner or talk conspiracy etc.

But the implications allowing Remote RX during 160m Contesting is more than 
the somehow mutual agreed +3dB effect we see at other disciplines...

Please recognize the challenge of contesting on Topband.
It is difficult in noisy areas; you will have to find a way to work around 
it and still enjoy the contest from home (MY situation).
Going for gold involves you have to walk that extra mile...

73 Mark, PA5MW