ARRL DX Offers New Categories; Assisted and Multi-Single Now Have Low Power Options

By Jamie Dupree NS3T  radio-sport.net 
Posted February 14, 2011

As operators prepare for the 2011 version of the ARRL DX CW Contest this weekend, ham radio contesters will have some new category choices to make thanks to some changes by the American Radio Relay League.

"The Single Operator Assisted and the Multioperator/Single Transmitter categories have been subdivided into High and Low Power," said ARRL Contest Manager Sean Kutzko KX9X on the ARRL web site.

"Those without amplifiers who want to use spotting assistance (information gathered from DX clusters, chat rooms or e-mail) can now do so in without having to compete with the high-power crowd," said Kutzko.

The move to open up the Assisted category to a specific low power competition follows a similar decision CQ WPX to do the same, as many low power contesters complained they were being unfairly thrown in with powerful stations in the Assisted ranks.

In the Multi-Single ranks, the ARRL DX is the only major contest with a low power option for that category, which is sometimes found in RTTY contests and state QSO parties.

As for the Single Operator competition, John Barcroft K6AM will be back at his post in the Cayman Islands as ZF2AM looking for a repeat overall victory in 2011.

"Last year's win in ARRL CW was the culmination of three years of trying to get it right," Barcroft told radio-sport.net.

"This year, the station has never been in better shape," he added.

As for who might give Barcroft a run for his money, the focus will certainly be on an invader from Russia, as Valery Komarov RD3AF will fly to the Carribean and be on the air as PJ4G from Bonaire.

Komarov, who has won CQ WW CW in recent years from EF8M in the Canary Islands off of Africa, will get to see if he can add the ARRL CW to his trophy case.

"I'm looking forward to the heightened level of competition," said K6AM. "Should make things fun."

The 2011 ARRL DX CW Contest begins at 0000z 19 February and ends at 2400z on 20 February.