I have a solution that's probably easier to accomplish
than changing contest dates.
The U.S. should hold its Thanksgiving when we do -
mid-October...
73,
kelly
ve4xt
> From: "Scott R." <w4pa@yahoo.com>
> Date: 2004/03/31 Wed AM 10:14:23 CST
> To: cq-contest@contesting.com
> Subject: [CQ-Contest] The good old U.S. holiday
weekend contest debate
>
>
> Amuse me, can we rehash a tired old debate for a
little while on the
> reflector?
>
> Make sure to read all of this before flaming me,
because the status quo
> for CQ WW CW works for me at the moment. But I
don't think it works
> for a lot of other people. I would like to know the
reasoning involved
> behind why this can't be changed from the CQ
committee members, or why
> even considering it is not possible.
>
> In the aftermath of being gone for 3 days to do a
serious M/S operation
> for WPX SSB this weekend I started talking with my
XYL about plans for
> this year's contest season last night. My XYL is VERY
tolerant of all
> the time I put into station building and contesting. At
least at the
> moment. . .
>
> Last year, I missed Thanksgiving to operate CQ WW
CW at NT1Y. This was
> not a big deal. I haven't missed CQ WW CW since
1994, and last year
> was the FIRST time I wasn't home on T-Giving day.
Including a trip to
> the Caribbean once to do CQ WW CW - I was home
on turkey day.
>
> My XYL has noticed I wrote 'contest' on my calendar
across Memorial Day
> weekend for WPX CW. She pointed out that if I am
gone over
> Thanksgiving for CQ WW CW (possible) that I will give
up two holiday
> weekends - rare ones - to run radio contests this
year.
>
> True.
>
> I don't usually operate WPX CW. It's **"almost
always"** the weekend
> after Dayton, and ALWAYS Memorial Day weekend,
and that makes it
> IMPOSSIBLE. This year, I decided I might sneak in
and try it, for the
> first time **EVER** on Memorial Day weekend. My
XYL saw this on the
> calendar and (even though she is very supportive)
she was not too happy
> when faced with the prospect of me being gone for
two holiday weekends
> this year.
>
> She said: "How do they expect people to do them
when it's always a
> holiday weekend?" and I gave her the arguments that
I always hear - the
> United States isn't the whole world, we've always (or
most always) done
> it this way, there are people who it does work out for,
etc., etc.
> ...and her non-contester response was:
>
> "Couldn't they substitute the weekends every other
year?" - which is
> also a point I've seen made here many times before.
>
> I have heard the comments made that we (the United
States) are not the
> whole world, that the rest of the world doesn't have
these contests on
> a holiday weekend, blah blah blah. That's great,
except I might point
> out that there are A LOT of contesters, serious and
casual, that live
> here and we are DEPRESSING overall activity in WPX
CW and CQ WW CW by
> having these contests every single year on U.S.
holiday weekends. It's
> not a holiday weekend in Europe. And serious
European contesters are
> going to work less U.S. stations when these contests
are on a U.S.
> holiday weekend every year. The competition among
us is less from the
> U.S. side. I happen to like more competition, not
less. DXpeditions
> won't happen...because it's always a holiday
weekend. See where I am
> going with this?
>
> Don't get me wrong, the T-Giving day weekend for CQ
WW CW **WORKS FOR
> ME**, usually. But I am pretty sure I am not going to
operate both WPX
> CW and CQ WW CW this year, AGAIN, in deference to
my family EVEN
> THOUGH, I *could* do them both if I want to. It's
going likely going
> to be one or the other, or neither of them this year, just
because
> they're on a holiday weekend . . . .AGAIN, ad infinitum.
Repeat:
> I have NEVER operated WPX CW because it's always
Memorial Day weekend.
> That sucks, sports fans. I really would like to try it for
once.
>
> Tell me the rational argument for why these contests
cannot be inverted
> every other year to hold CQ WW CW the last weekend
of October and WPX
> CW this last weekend of March. Propagation is better
in November;
> you'd think the SSBers would want the chance to
enjoy this every so
> often. Conversely, March is generally better, us
CWers might like the
> opportunity to have the good prop then. . . .
>
> I don't want to hear "it's tradition, we've always done it
like this" -
> with that logic we'd be running AM phone, starting the
contest at
> 0200Z, 2 weekends for contests and have quota
systems for DX contacts.
>
>
> There was a MAJOR rule change made to WPX to
increase operating time
> from 30 to 36 hours (net effect: U.S. east coast wins
this contest,
> like all other DX contests, every time, too. How does
that stimulate
> activity? If we can do THAT, we can invert weekends.)
I want to hear
> the logical argument for why inverting the weekends
for WPX CW and CQ
> WW is not possible. Please note again (being
redundant) - I am not
> being hostile or antagonistic. I really want to know
what the logic is
> for why this is not possible to do. Isn't the point of
contests to
> stimulate amateur radio activity?
>
> Scott Robbins, W4PA
>
>
> =====
> Visit the Tennessee Contest Group -
www.k4ro.net/tcg.html
>
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