[UK-CONTEST] Encouraging Contesting

[don.field at gmail.com]

The simple answer of course, is that ARRL have a full-time paid team to 
adjudicate and manage contests. RSGB does not. The Contest Committee spend 
much of their (unpaid) spare time adjudicating contests and don't 
necessarily have either the time or the skills to do "marketing-style" 
write-ups. Of course, if Richard CWI or any others on here would like to 
volunteer, my email address is in RadCom each month!!!!!!!!

 Don G3XTT
Contest Committee Chairman and Board Member for Sport Radio



> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Darrell G0HVQ
> Sent: 30/06/08 08:24 am
> To: uk-contest at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [UK-CONTEST] Encouraging Contesting
> 
> Richard
> 
> You've hit the nail on the head - for me anyway.
> 
> Many years ago, I got inspired to try contesting after picking up a 
> couple 
> of US ham publications on holiday and reading them on the beach. As you 
> say, 
> it came across as exciting.
> 
> Generally though, I think the US publications are much more positive in 
> their approach to amateur radio than the UK press, both Radcom and PW 
> come 
> across (to me anyway) as pretty negative at times, as though we're 
> fighting 
> a losing battle against time. How about some good news stories e.g. 'TXF 
> jetting off round the world on a regular basis giving us all those new 
> countries.
> 
> I think part of the problem is trying to be too factual - the US mags 
> give 
> you more of a flavour of the event e.g. for Field Day, they publish 
> recipes 
> (a bit corny), lots of photos, stuff about the preparation and team, etc. 
> As 
> we all know, it's not just turning on the radio, doing the contest, then 
> switching off....it's all in the preparation and organisation. How about 
> sharing some lessons learned - contesters tend to be at the peak of the 
> hobby, so what may seem obvious to us may not be obvious to the general 
> radio community.
> 
> Just my thoughts
> 
> 73
> Darrell G0HVQ
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Richard Newstead" <g3cwi at btconnect.com>
> To: <uk-contest at contesting.com>
> Sent: Sunday, June 29, 2008 11:49 PM
> Subject: [UK-CONTEST] Encouraging Contesting
> 
> 
> >A recurring theme in this group is "how to encourage contesting?". 
> Perhaps
> > one way is to improve the way in which contests are reported in the UK? 
> I
> > have been reading the ARRL's reports on a minority contest recently and
> > have been impressed by the inspirational quality of the writing.
> >
> > Check out:
> >
> > http://www.arrl.org/contests/results/99/10ghz.pdf
> >
> > and
> >
> > http://www.arrl.org/contests/results/2004/10GHz.pdf (change year to 
> pick
> > up more recent commentaries - they are all good)
> >
> > These are well-written, inspirational pieces, carefully designed to
> > encourage contesting. I can recall nothing of similar quality here in 
> the
> > UK.
> >
> > Amateur radio should be exciting, and contesting should be especially 
> so -
> > and yet so many contest reports here are dull, often poorly written,
> > factual accounts.
> >
> > How could we raise the standards?
> >
> > 73
> >
> > Richard
> > G3CWI
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
> >
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> 
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