[UK-CONTEST] Mines bigger than yours

[Tony]

Having done the "bandplan" issue I guess the other issue that needs dusting off is the question of power output.   Who wins the "I've got more power than you" contest this year?   I heard one leading Contest op commenting that another multi station might have beaten their effort as they had bigger linears....

I am not just beating a dead horse here, there is a lot of annoyance out there amongst active Contest ops who either won't or are unable to run the powers that some of you know you were using and its for their sake of these people that I've raised this question - I'll forward any responses on to a few of these ops.
To the "big guns" these folks may be just grumbling irrelevances but they do constitute the majority of points you pick up in UK contests, and for overseas stations without the "lil pistols" there would be a dearth of stations to work.     

I can fully appreciate that 

a)  You don't want to run a linear for perhaps 48 hours on the limit of its capability
b)  The chances of anyone "official" checking your actual output is virtually zero
c)   Other countries have much higher limits than our 400W
e)   You've spent a lot of time and expense assembling a station that will allow you to win a contest
in the high power section.
f)  There can be no "level playing field" in major HF contests as even if we all stuck to 400W max some stations would have vastly superior antennas and sites to others.
g) This is a typical "British" griping attitude, non of us can have it because not all of us can.

My other concern is for the level of participation in Contesting,  there is an element of "what's the point I can't get anywhere near to winning as I don't have the linears or antennas to compete"  - this does concern me.     On this issue I want to hand a bouquet to the HFCC for introducing the 80M Club Champs Contest which I consider is a great way to encourage participation - heck it even made me go up in the loft and find the microphone -  an I'm even trying to get on data modes for 2005.

I've been involved in Contest operation since 1971 at various stations and from my own QTH, so I understand something about the subject, I love Contesting, as well as DXing and ragchewing, and I want to see more people take up the challenge of contest operating... at its best it can provide the driving force for the honing of operating skills,  encourage an interest in antenna construction and experimentation and be a real boost to the hobby.

I'm sure that this email will make 400W observed at all times ( "All pigs fed and ready to fly sir")

73,  have fun,  
       Tony G3ZRJ