G'day all,
Greg ZL3IX hit the nail on the head exactly - my problem (and I think that
of others on this reflector) is with the fact that the playing field of the
CQ 160 is so far skewed (by its timing and rules) that it is virtually
vertical and makes this contest frequently a miserable experience for
southern hemisphere operators (and others outside Region 2 too).
The shame is that it could made so much more fun for everyone so easily. Is
the CQ 160 to truly become an international contest or is to stay faithful
to its roots as a primarily US domestic contest?
I operate contests for fun - and 160 for fun. 48 hours in the CQ 160 gives
EVERYONE wherever they are in the world two sunsets and sunrises to operate
- TWO cracks at some good DX, which as we know on 160 at least doubles your
chances.
I would like to put a different perspective on things for a moment. Bill,
W4ZV, as a US operator, has concerns about having to stay on during
daylight "working 5 - 10 guys per hour just to be competitive." For someone
operating from, say, ZS, KH2, VK, ZL, PY, or LU (i.e. in the southern
hemisphere) working 5 - 10 guys an hour DURING THE HOURS OF DARKNESS in a
160m contest is a good rate!
What is boring in the northern hemisphere just has to be fun in the southern.
Fantastic fun (and fantastic conditions) for me during a 24-hour period of
a 160m contest is when I can work 150 QSOs over this duration - an overall
rate of 6.25 stations an hour and about 13.7 stations an hour for the hours
of darkness when I actually operate. However, someone operating from ZS
for example would probably greatly envy me - they would be probably be able
to work substantially less stations, however good their set-up!
As for the hours of daylight, there is simply no one for us to work down
here in the southern hemisphere at all.
The hours of darkness in VK during the CQ 160 total about 11 hours, so from
my perspective 22 hours maximum operating is ideal (although I don't think
this would go down to well with my brothers and sisters in the northern
hemisphere, who get much more darkness - and consequently fun - than us in
the south, and wouldn't want to cut the operating time down this far).
Both the big 160m contests (the Stew Perry, CQ 160) occur during the
southern hemisphere summer, with all the joys of high levels of QRN.
Southern hemisphere stations have to get their fun operating in conditions
which are regarded as unpalatable by many keen northern hemisphere lowbanders.
One final point. W4ZV's idea of a poll on the CQ 160 duration is an
excellent one. However, in analysing the results, care should be taken to
see which parts of the globe are voting for what - and that the opinions of
the relatively few topband operators in the southern hemisphere are given
due weighting.
Unless, of course, northern hemisphere operators would rather us forget
operating on 160 all together.
Vy 73,
Steve, VK6VZ
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