[UK-CONTEST] 80M CC Contests

[Lee Volante]

Hello Ian,

> I guess I hadn't realised that contests were supposed to be easy.
>
> 73 Ian G3WVG

You're completely right - contests are not meant to be easy.  However, as 
one of the supporters of this particular change in the 80m CCs,  I hope I 
can explain a little of my personal reasoning for why I'm happy to see the 
change. To quote yourself from January this year....

> Happy New Year...
>
> 80 was very noisy with me (in Surrey) and UK Stations were , with a few
> exceptions, weak and watery.  But activity  seemed high with most of the
> usual suspects wkd.
> Finished with  100Q's using a TS930 running 100W and a dipole at 60ft.
>
> 73  Ian G3WVG

What might your post have read if you were running 10 watts, to a dipole at 
around 20 feet ?  If the prime focus of this contest is to motivate new 
entrants, everyday radio club members, running average stations, then 
removing the risk of poor propagation should remove frustration and bring 
more people 'into the running.'   Most people can work the 'usual suspects', 
but the many summary sheet comments mention not being able to work folks 
through lack of useful propagation.  There are plenty of other events in the 
calendar where entrants are need to operate in challenging conditions.

If I'm wrong, then I'm wrong, and after next year's events the overall 
feedback might suggest we change things back to the way they were, or to try 
yet another variant. But from the number of negative comments concerning 
propagation from most of the six January 2004/5 CW/Data/SSB events, the 
change will hopefully be preferred by the majority.  I admit at least one of 
these events was coincident with an aurora which exacerbated the problem.

e.g. "If all contest were as hard as this was I would give up radio 
tommorow. Conditions were terrible"
"Got the feeling that many gave up by 21:00 hrs as condx bad."
"Never had so many stations who couldn't hear me!"
"About the kindest description of inter-G conditions was 'dire'! Several 
were unprintable"

There are plenty more to read on rsgbhfcc.org - they don't exactly inspire 
running the event the same way next year - or perhaps for entrants to carry 
on for the rest of the season.

Also if propagation is favouring skip into Europe, then there's possibility 
of upsetting the other band users who could be forgiven for hoping that the 
band segments would be free of contest activity and QRM outside of the 
weekends.

The above comments are all my own and not representative of any committees 
etc. etc.

73,

Lee G0MTN