It's called the CQWW 160 Meter DX Contest.
The CW version is my second favorite contest behind the CQWW DX CW. In the
last one we worked 400+ DX stations. While people bitch about the QRM in
that one, if you have a 250Hz filter you can find a slice of the spectrum.
Let's not kid ourselves about the Phone version. It is not a DX contest as
hardly anyone can work much DX through all that QRM. This year's top
entrants were working maybe 70 DX stations out of 1400-1600 QSOs. This is
also the worst contest I am aware of in terms of it's monopolization of
spectrum. In other contests the non-contestants can usually find some haven
to retreat to.
Casual operators might find it annoying that stations call CQ endlessly in
this contest but if you are not calling CQ 90 percent of the time in this
contest, you are not working as many people as you can.
Let's cut the CQWW 160 Phone DX Contest out completely and see what we can do
to improve the code version.
The DX window has been controversial at best. What it means is that a EU
station who can monopolize a frequency in it has an advantage over the rest
of EU in terms of working USA. Do they ignore the EU stations calling them?
The rules would require them to but I doubt it. The function of the DX
window is for stations in S. America, Asia, Africa to get a better shot at
being heard throught the QRM. Why don't we make a W/VE/EU-free window for
these other areas to run in. No station in W/VE/EU shall call CQ between
1830 and 1835. It shouldn't take any more than peer pressure to enforce.
Let's make this contest 48 hours so that the contest period doesn't favor NA
so much and add mandatory off time so we don't have to struggle through dull
daylight hours.
73, Rob K2WI
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