On Tue, Nov 30, 2004 at 02:51:56PM -0500, Richard DiDonna NN3W wrote:
>
> --- Original Message ---
> From: "Kenneth E. Harker" <kenharker@kenharker.com>
> To: CQ Contest <cq-contest@contesting.com>
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Stimulating Participation
> was: Limited Antenna Height Category
>
> >On Tue, Nov 30, 2004 at 01:01:16PM -0500, Pete Smith
> wrote:
> >
> >> Doesn't mean it isn't still a
> good idea, particularly
> >> in the face of flat or declining participation in
> contests, which is why I
> >> have brought it up again.
> >
> >Can you back up that assertion that contest activity
> is "flat or declining"
> >with data? On HF, it is exactly the opposite of my
> personal observation.
> >
> I think there is a perception that activity on 10
> meters has decreased significantly - and not due to
> the sunspot cycle. As the number of novices and techs
> decreases, I've noticed that the wild 10 meter QSO
> counts of the early-mid 90s have not really been
> matched today. You could spend most all day on 10 in
> the NAQP, CQP, and SS contests - racking up unique Qs
> from Novices and techs.
The 2002 ARRL 10 Meter Contest had more log submissions
than any previous ARRL contest in history. The number of
submissions in the 10 Meter Contest in 2003 was slightly
down, but so was propagation. Even so, I made at least one
QSO in each of the 36 clock hours I operated last year in
the contest, and the top phone-only single operators made
in excess of 2500 QSOs (in 2001 and 2002 better propagation
enabled nearly 3000 QSOs!)
Yes, 10 meter activity will diminish as the solar cycle
wanes.
Japanese contest activity has diminished. But European
contest activity has exploded in the past five years,
and I believe that U.S. contest activity has been
gently increasing - or at least I have no reason to think
it's been declining, as naysayers will always assert.
--
Kenneth E. Harker WM5R
kenharker@kenharker.com
http://www.kenharker.com/
_______________________________________________
CQ-Contest mailing list
CQ-Contest@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
|