Well, somebody is not attached to reality.
The packet category (Assisted) has NOT grown AT ALL in the last
3 years of the CQWW. It started in 1989. Assisted is like QRP.
There is a core of dedicated people and that core has not grown.
In the top 10 all time USA SSB records only WM5G with KR0Y at the
mike in 1992 challenged the top REAL single operators. He and K3WW
are the only members of the USA all time top ten list.
For CW it is the same story. K1DG and K3WW.
The secret to winning the ASSISTED category after you have all the
rest set up is: Do not use packet except very occasionally.
Using packet is not single operator. All the major contests have
assisted categories.
As for the WAE, well after winning it several times, I found
that they had changed the rules to the present ones where mults on
80 and 40 count more. That ruined it for anyone except NE NE New
England. Even operating in Wash DC with a station 2 x as big as
anyone in NE left me in the dust (and gave me an appreciation for
the propagationally disadvantaged [ProD]). Now that packet = single
operator (you can do anything with the right translator) it makes
it totally impossible to compete unless you watch a CRT screen.
After talking around in Germany this summer I discovered that maybe
one guy made the decision on dropping UN from the WAE list. All the
DL's I talked to were not happy with this at all. So maybe one guy
made that packet rule change. If enough people complain we can get
rid of that rule. But first we must find who to contact. Not the
DARC.
Bob Cox, K3EST
1816 Poplar Lane
Davis, CA 95616 USA
FAX at home (six rings):916-758-9062
Home Tel#:916-758-9062
Email : CMSCHONEWALDCOX@ucdavis.edu
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