 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||
|
|
Contests. What comes to mind when you hear that word? A great opportunity to snag that rare one? Lots of signals on otherwise quiet portions of the bands? Or an interruption to your pleasant Sunday chat time? Whatever your response, contesting remains the most popular operating activity, and there's no letup in sight.
 Contest Branch Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, is responsible for administering the ARRL Contest Program. |
The Contest Branch at headquarters has a staff of just two full-time employees. But 12 volunteers around the country back them up. Contest Branch Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, and his assistant Kathy Allison, KA1RWY, annually administer 15 ARRL contests and the International Amateur Radio Union HF contest. They administer the rules--but don't make them. They process entries, coordinate with off-site log checkers and report contest results. Off-site volunteers perform log-checking services and provide computer-programming tasks. (See below for details of programming tasks under development.)
Winter is the busiest time of year for the Contest Branch. November through early March are the busiest months with 9 of the 16 events occurring during this period. December is the month for the ARRL 10 Meter Contest. In the years when propagation is favorable for 10 meters this contest generates the largest number of logs for a weekend-long contest. By contrast, August and September are relatively quiet and are the dates for the 10 GHz-and-Up Contest--the smallest in terms of entries.
Of course, the activity that generates the largest number of on-the-air contacts is ARRL Field Day, in June. This two-day activity is technically not a contest, but an operating event. Hams are not competing for an award although they will be recognized for their activity by being listed in the Field Day results.
Also in summer
is the July IARU HF World Championship. The contest is administered by ARRL on
behalf of the International Amateur Radio Union. A record number of participants submitted more than 1898 logs in 2000.
Stations from 53 IARU zones and 105 DXCC entities participated.
 Assistant to the Contest Branch Manager Kathy Allison, KA1RWY, prepares an ARRL RTTY Roundup plaque for shipping. Also shown is an ARRL November Sweepstakes Plaque and an International DX Contest Plaque. November Sweepstakes pins are in the small presentation boxes. Note the 2002 calendar on the wall. Purple boxes are ARRL contests; yellow dates are ARRL operating events. |
Rules, Rules, Rules
The Contest Branch is responsible for maintaining the integrity of contests it oversees. To that end every contest has specific rules of conduct expected of participants. Rules are published in QST well in advance of the contest--usually 1 month prior to the event. Contestants are thus obliged to understand and follow the rules. "One of my most difficult obligations," says Henderson, "is to tell a contestant that his logs will be considered check logs and not eligible for award credit because of a failure to follow the published rules." Any test of fairness must consider this contestant's non-compliance against submissions from his fellow contestants--who have taken the extra trouble to follow the rules precisely. Everyone's interests must be considered.
ARRL members, indirectly, write and adjudicate contest rules. The Membership Services Committee, appointed by--and composed of--members of the Board of Directors, is responsible for making rules.
They can call on the Contest Advisory Committee to study rules and make recommendations for additions or changes. Finally, the ARRL Awards Committee--ARRL staff appointed by the Membership Services Committee--handles the disposition of specific rules-violation situations. Authority for establishing, terminating, or modifying terms of reference of any Advisory Committee rests with the Board of Directors.
Then and Now
Contesting is not a new ARRL phenomenon. The first Sweepstakes, for instance, was held in January 1930. It moved to February in 1931 and to November in 1932. DX contesting began even earlier--in "early" 1928. In fact, QST for November 1919 contained an advertisement by the Thordason Electric Manufacturing Company announcing a contest to see who will be "the first ARRL member to transmit 1500 miles on 200 meters." [Hiram Percy Maxim, Electric Radio Press, ARRL order # 7016, $19.95--Ed]. The stimulus of this early contest was probably responsible for proving the worth of the amateur bands for long distance transmissions. By contrast, the most recent additions to the ARRL contest lineup are the ARRL 10 GHz Cumulative Contest (1986) and the ARRL UHF Contest (1978).
There are no
entry fees or membership requirements associated with ARRL contests.
Certificates are awarded, also at no cost, but if a participant wishes to have
a plaque in commemoration of his/her participation there is a nominal fee that
covers processing costs.
