[UK-CONTEST] NFD Participation

[Jonathan G0DVJ]

On Aug 10, 2006, at 11:22 am, Chris Tran wrote:

> Interesting to look at participation in HF NFD (guess this gets  
> discussed
> every year) :
>
> Year      2002    2003    2004    2005    2006
>
> Open       15       21        19          17       13
> Restr.       19      26         26         27       27
> QRP          8        8         12           8       10
>
> Total        42      55        57          52       50
>
> Overall entries are reasonably similar, as are Restricted entries,  
> but it's
> the Open section that is declining - I guess the logistics of  
> entering this
> section under /P conditions are too much for some clubs nowadays.

What may be as interesting in future years is to compare the number  
of competent CW operators clubs have available.
Maybe someone would like to look up the total operators participating  
each year and add an extra row to the table?  I suspect it is  
declining at least at the rate of the Open section entries.

Many clubs are declining in membership, therefore it is likely that  
contesters will also decline in number, but the lack of CW learning  
and testing means high speed contest operating proficiency is surely  
bound to decline?

Our generator broke early on this year at G0RGH/P so we expected to  
be foot of the table - but there was only about 4 hours relief  
operating for me from one other operator during the whole event.   
This is then hardly a team/club event and the thought of setting up / 
P for one bod to operate himself to death is hardly inspiring.

We love NFD and indeed get a great club turnout for the BBQ we  
traditionally hold at the site on the Saturday evening but its  
becoming harder to justify the effort as the number of operators  
tends to zero.

73
Jonathan G0DVJ
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