[UK-CONTEST] Re 21/28MHZ Contest

[Bob Henderson]

I have some sympathy with your view Jim.  There is little more irritating
when you want to spend time on the bands, than a contest in which you don't
wish to participate.  All those signals you don't wish to receive surely
constitute the very definition of QRM :-)

However, I'm not sure that a world wide cut back in contests would be a good
idea.  Listening around the bands outside of contests confirms a remarkable
lack of activity.  DXpeditions do stimulate activity of course but the days
when the bands were full of folks chewing the rag are long gone.  All who
read this are probably guilty in this regard, as the internet has made it so
easy and attractive to chew the rag using keyboard and monitor instead of
paddle/mic and headphones.  I have no doubt if all radio amateurs spent the
time they spend on the internet, on the air instead, the bands would sound
altogether different.  Of course, that isn't going to happen.  The internet
is here to stay and anyway, I enjoy the time I spend using it as much as I'm
sure you all do.

"Use it or lose it" is an expression long associated with our access to the
spectrum.  When I listen around during the week I often feel surprised we
still have amateur bands at all.  What we need is an increase in use of the
frequencies available to us not a decrease.

I will feel very disappointed if the HFCC fail to rise to the challenge to
turn the 21/28 MHz contest into something worthwhile.  I previously threw
down the gauntlet with respect to the 7 MHz contest, saying "fix it or kill
it" and we know what happened there.  The gauntlet is on the ground again
fellas.  For goodness sake, at least make an attempt to turn this blot on
the calendar into a contest.

We are at the bottom of the sunspot cycle and that doesn't help, but make no
mistake, this is not the cause of the malaise.  I haven't seen anyone
comment that they had a good time, enjoyed the fierce competition or indeed
say anything positive about the event.  The talk is all about boredom and
four course meals between contacts.  Whosoever wins this thing will get no
more than a certificate confirming attendance.

Successful contests become successful because they are attractive to a large
enough segment of the contesting population to achieve critical mass.  On a
scale of attractiveness ranging from the hunchback of Notre Dame through to
Elle McPherson these 21/28 events really toll the bells.

Several good suggestions have been made already.  I very much hope the HFCC
will adopt them.  Activity levels need to be boosted dramatically to make
participation an enjoyable experience.  These are supposed to be DX events
but everyone complains about how little DX there is to work.  Does anyone
wonder why DX stations aren't queuing up to work 70 or so G stations over a
12 hour period.  Watching paint dry is a much more rewarding experience.
That's why!

I propose:

These contests be merged into one dual mode 21/28 MHz event held in the
calendar slot currently allocated to the 21/28 SSB test.  This would avoid
the clash with WAG.  Yes, yes I know we have prior claim to the weekend but
so did the red Indians to North America.

The event should immediately become an "everyone works everyone" event.
Multipliers should be DXCC countries and UK districts.

There should be sections for dual mode, CW and SSB and perhaps single/multi
op.

The newly formatted event should be actively marketed ASAP and contest
software vendors encouraged to support the event.

Is anyone on the HFCC prepared to pick up the gauntlet?

Bob, 5B4AGN



----- Original Message -----
From: "j kellaway" <jkellaway at btinternet.com>
To: <UK-Contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Sunday, October 23, 2005 8:50 AM
Subject: [UK-CONTEST] Re 21/28MHZ Contest


> I think I would have to agree with Tom on his ideas.  I would go even
further and suggest a world wide cut back of contests.  Far too many and
they just clutter up the bands.  Keep CQWW, ARRL, WAE and the IARU. Do we
need every country to have it's own contest?
>
> 73 de Jim G3RTE
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