[UK-CONTEST] WAB Areas v Postal Regions

[Nigel Cawthorne]

Hullo UK Contesters,

The recent exchanges concerning (a) the RSGB Contest
Calendar in general and (b) WAB Areas in particular
reminds me that I have always felt slightly un-easy about the
current "UK Postal Regions" system used for some RSGB
Contests, because, as far as I know, there's no corresponding
series of awards for working UK Postal Regions (I am sure
someone will correct me soon enough, if there is one!).

It somehow seems 'tidier' when the Mults (or Bonus Pts) in a given
Contest correspond to elements of some reasonably
well-established Awards programme, rather than being Mults
contrived just for that Contest. eg : the REF Contests are
based on Departments, the ARRL on States/Provinces,
the Swiss H-26 on Cantons and BERU on Commonwealth
Call Areas; there are series of Awards for each of these
beyond the actual Contest. Awards chasers can 'use the
Contest' to collect new ones. This increases Contest activity.

In the dim and distant past there was a UK "Worked All
British Counties (WABC)" award, which, from memory, had a
total of 98 Counties. Top Band contests of that era were
a means of collecting Counties. Once the old UK County system
degenerated into the present day shambles (from an Amateur
Radio point of view, at least), Counties were not so easily
identified and tended to change. Postal Areas are certainly
more 'stable' than Counties/Metropolitain Areas etc. However
if there were a corresponding series of Awards (outside the Contest
itself) it could attract further activity for the Contest. Activity and
participation whether it be from ageing-G3's or M3-newcomers is
the common objective, after all. 

The use of WAB Areas in some RSGB Contests seems like
a good idea. The 'B' in WAB does, after all, stand for the
same thing as the 'B' in RSGB!

73 - Nigel OE9/G3TXF