[ADXA] ARRL Digital Contest

[w5zn at w5zn.org]

Thanks for the report, George.

I've never been active in digital contests but hoped this would be a 
good operating event. Hopefully after a couple of runs it will improve 
and folks will become comfortable with it.

73 Joel W5ZN

On 2022-06-04 15:30, WB5JJJ wrote:

> Of course I gave today's new ARRL International Digital contest the 
> "ole college try", but I found the operation by many operators to be 
> less than up to par.  Plus, 6m was not anything like Friday to boot.  
> Other bands were typical.
> 
> 1.  Many were not using the proper contest software for the DIGITAL  
> ONLY version of a long-existing DX contest.
> 2.  Some were just typing in "TEST" in the TX6 box and moving on with 
> normal digital mode responses, which won't work.
> 3.  It appeared that many were NOT using the NA VHF contest mode, even 
> though it sounds counter-productive.  It has the proper information 
> exchange for this contest no matter the band according to Joe Taylor 
> (WSJTx).
> 4.  And of course, some were not even using the proper contest 
> frequencies, instead they were on the main digital frequencies with a 
> myriad of formats.  Throwing confusion to the wind must have been their 
> motto.
> 5.  And some folks were on the contest frequencies but using regular 
> digital modes.
> 
> All I can say is, you can lead a horse to water, but ......
> 
> A lot of the problems can be traced back to ARRL (sorry guys), but the 
> naming of the contest is too similar to others, so a very unique name 
> is probably needed.  Publicity was out there, but apparently not read 
> by the masses.  It will take a couple of cycles for this to catch on, 
> but maybe less than a year apart would help out.  Perhaps a 24 hour 
> weekday version every few months to get the message out.
> 
> BTW, I did get a few more 6m grids worked on Friday and 4 of them are 
> confirmed already.  A few of the rare grid activators don't use LoTW, 
> so I don't even mess with them unless they are so strong that it will 
> be an easy contact.  I know, I'm a long way off, but I'm down to 91 
> left, not counting the outstanding ones, toward FFMA.
> 
> Today 6m was a freeway from New England to the Pacific Northwest.  
> South of that line was very sparse.  Right now, 1630 CDT, it's the NE 
> to SA.  Again the central USA is being somewhat left out.  Oh well, 
> there's always tomorrow.
> 
> 73's
> 
> George - WB5JJJ
> 
> 4
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