[NLRS] An EN37 perspective on the ARRL 222 contest

[Bill Davis]

  FIRST -- I DO NOT WANT TO OFFEND ANYONE IN ANY WAY!!
  I have been "contesting" for many decades in the VHF and UHF contests. At first I was only getting on to "support" less than a half dozen friends that were serious about the contests and activity. In those days I operated only 2 and 432. Being a 2 band station 160 miles distant from the vast majority of the activity and having a young family trying to enjoy a short summer, my activity was quite limited. In those days I was all about ragchewing during the summer nights on 144.100 SSB with friends all over the upper midwest. In those days many were running power and had multiple yagis. Great great fun. It was this kind of activity that lead to the CSVHF conferences. The conferences were a chance for in person visits and families to meet each other and socialize. 
  After retirement (2020 for me) I added bands where I could better support friends in the contests and explore the bands that I had only heard about before. Being located in northern MN there was NEVER A CHANCE to be "completive" in ANY contest. It was a chance to say "Hi" to old friends and support THEM in their quest for ranking (If they were within close proximity to metro areas). A chance to use our stations and enjoy operating. This was always the motivation for ALL of of us up here. 
  The vast majority of those operators are now SKs, there is no opportunity to visit with those friends during the contests any longer. With them being gone there are fewer stations for the survivors to work. What is the motivation for any station geography isolated from the metros? ONLY the enjoyment of operating our stations. We can only "compete" with our previous scores. Than has to be ALL WE "NEED" to be active.
  Spring forward to the new rules for the Aug UHF contest. A DISTANCE based contest. Now so many stations that operated before in an environment where density of stations in the metro locations allowed geographic advantage for multipliers and contacts no longer have the huge advantage, they decide they don't like being at an distance based disadvantage and don't want to play. 
 Here was a chance for the geographic isolated stations to operate for a SCORE, yes maybe even "compete". What is the result? Those stations (those that are left) now have almost no one to work.
  You don't like digital??? If you don't operate because you can't be completive based upon your geographic proximity to a metro area in this ONE contest, you drive operators to go digital. Digital greatly improves the chance to make a "contact" (not visit or say "Hi") the weak signal and channelized operation provides that.
  I have family company this weekend from CA. This is the time they can be here. I will be as active as I can to support others. I will enjoy what operation time I have. I will use equipment and bands that I only use to support others during contest and I will enjoy it WITHOUT worrying about being COMPETIVE.
73 Bill  K0AWU   (VHF active since Nov 28 1958 for my first 2m contact)
  If you are offended .. sorry .. delete the message and forget it.No off the see the doctor.
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