As most of you know the new RAC Newfoundland & Labrador section(NL) will become
a new
multiplier for SS 97. The new section has been active within the Field
Organization system
since May 1996 and after a one year grace period, RAC asked ARRL to recognize
NL as
a new multiplier. This request was in response to a number of VO1 amateurs who
asked RAC
to have the section recognized as a multiplier in ARRL contests.
Several amateurs(VEs and US) have expressed concern that this new section will
be difficult
to work and in particular may impede one's ability to obtain a clean sweep in
SS. There is no
doubt NL will be one of the more difficult sections to work, but in response I
would point out the
most difficult section to work(NWT/YT-which is not a "section" but that is
another story) has
less than 200 amateurs with one active contester(VY1JA) while NL has in excess
of 1000
amateurs with 3 or 4 stations active in contests(VO1NA, VO1MP etc).
I have also been quoted as saying RAC is considering adding more sections. That
is true,
but there are no immediate plans to do so and I doubt anything will change in
the next two or
three years. When you consider the Canadian sections have not changed since
1949 and
given the huge increase in growth in the number of amateurs, I do not think
increasing the
number of VE sections will materially change the difficulty in obtaining a
"sweep". If RAC
adds any sections in the next few years I would think they would be in BC(VE7),
Ontario(VE3)
and Quebec(VE2)-all fairly easy provinces to work.
Tim VE6SH
RAC VP
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