[UK-CONTEST] 21/28mhz RSGB Contest

[Darrell G0HVQ]

I'm a big fan of the 21/28 contest and think it would be a shame for it to 
be scrapped. We are experiencing a particularly bad/extended solar minimum 
which has no doubt hit entries. Another good contest is the ARRL 10m, which 
must really be suffering, but thankfully that keeps going ready for the 
sunspots to return.

Condx are getting slightly better, I even worked a station on 10m in the 
CQWW RTTY last weekend, but it's a slow crawl. Next year should be better 
(hopefully....). In fact, the surge in RTTY contesting may have had an 
effect: many of us burned a lot of brownie points with the XYL last weekend.

I do think combining the CW and SSB legs was good, and I really had intended 
to enter this year, however.....

My primary reason for not entering this year was the weather: the seasons 
seem to have shifted a month to right this year (and the past few years). So 
I had the offer of a nice long run on the motorbike with a few mates in the 
sunhsine, or a day cooped up in the shack: I chose the former, probably the 
last chance this year. When I first started doing 21/28 is was generally 
cold and/or wet, we even had frosts in mid-Sept, not any more.

My point? Summer seems to be extending into Oct, so I'd vote for moving the 
contest a week or two into the month, or maybe aim for mid-Nov, obviously 
trying to avoid other contests and particularly CQWW. But I do think 21/28 
has a charm of it's own, it's less hectic than the major contests so more 
encouraging to the casual and/or inexperienced operator.

73
Darrell G0HVQ