Bob,
It is true that the list of Canadian call areas is not the same in all
contests, but may I point out that exactly the same kinds of differences can
be found in the US multipliers for the "lower 48" as well? While you're at
it, why not mention the different treatment of AK and HI in different
contests?
For purposes of ARRL contests, the RAC sections are given at
http://www.arrl.org/contests/sections.abv.html . There are 9 of them. This
resolves the ambiguity you expressed about the contests that use ARRL/RAC
sections (Field Day, SS and ARRL 160). If you want to complain about the
list in those contests being different from the list of provinces, can I be
permitted to complain about having to work EMA and WMA in those contests,
instead of just MA? ;-)
The other contests you mentioned (ARRL 10, ARRL DX and RTTY Roundup - BTW,
you can add the CQ WW RTTY to this list) all use the same list of 14
Canadian area multipliers. The difference between this list and the list
used in NCJ and RAC contests is that NL is split into two call areas, VO1
(NF) and VO2 (LB). In those same ARRL contests (but NOT in the CQ WW RTTY),
DC is counted separately from Maryland, whereas in the NCJ contests and CQ
WW RTTY (as well as in the ARRL/RAC section list), DC counts as MD.
I won't bother to try to catalog the different ways of counting AK and HI
(or PAC) multipliers.
Yes, these contest rules are not all the same, but in my view that's not
necessarily a bad thing. To me, having a different challenge in each contest
is a more important goal than making the job of the software writers easier
(with apologies to K1EA, K8CC, N1MM, N3FJP, W5XD et al.!).
73,
Rich VE3IAY
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