The 2008 Oceania Contest is officially over and attention turns now to not only sifting through the sizeable number of logs already coming through and, of course, determining placegetters, but also to reflecting on the Contest’s performance in its 2nd year. Whilst I had initially intended to launch this forum topic without commentary on the successes and shortcomings of the event from a management angle, the opportunity to do so was just too attractive to pass up so please forgive me if I appear a little hedonistic at first…

As some of you may recall, the Oceania Contest concept was born from User apprehension on this site about the inclusion, appeal and exposure of OC DXers in modern times. It was felt by a large number of OC transmitting stations that much of the focus of our hobby, rightly or wrongly, tended to be on other regions of the world and that this was having a damaging influence on the involvement and satisfaction of 27MHz CBers and Freebanders, not only in 43 Division, but also on some of the smaller islands in the Pacific.

The aim of the Contest, therefore, was to cast both Australia and the Oceania region into the world 11m DX spotlight, to espouse more ‘air-time’ from rare island DXCC in OC and to highlight the abilities of OC Transmitting DXers in a competitive arena that was geared towards fairness and equality for all rather than northern hemispherical domination.

As it turned out, the staging of the OC Contest in 2008 and the improved participatory access to OC based stations once again provided a effective platform for many communications enthusiasts to practise the protocols of contest DXing and this was an actuality not lost on those who sought advice on various contest procedures during the event — particularly those working within the legal frequency allocation in Australia.

Inevitably, as the event unfolded, participation grew steadily as radio users listened in wonder at the sudden increase in band activity and the call of “CQ Oceania Contest” which hammered many of the frequencies on 27MHz, including both above the legal frequency allocation in Australia and within it.

Behind the scenes of the Contest and in the lead up to the actual event taking place, there is much that transpired that most people would not be aware of. Initially, draft guidelines containing many amendments and rule changes were put together and distributed to both existing and potential sponsors in the hope of maintaining/gaining corporate support and again offering alluring prizes as a reward for not only success, but also participation, in return for advertising and promotion of radio products on www.11mdxactivitiesoz.com.

The result was that both retail sponsors Yeti Communications and Syncro Australia respectively, as well as the Sugar Delta DX Group, Cluster dk and DXInfos, decided to continue their relationship with the Contest, while a number of new sponsors such as Wizard and SylRoy Web Designs also elected to come on board.

Not unlike the World Wide Radio Organisation’s (WWRO) new ‘Islands Festival’, given that this was to be an event conducted by an independent organisation, procuring the support of well known and influential partners again was always considered to be fundamental to our success. Once the draft guidelines were approved by key stakeholders, including Users of this site who recommended among others things a special QRP Category and changes to starting times, letters were sent out to all the major groups in the world, as well as a large number of fledgling groups, seeking the support of members, web masters and group administration.

Once again, the response from overseas based groups was overwhelming with most groups offering unreserved support from the outset. Here I would like to take the opportunity to offer our warmest thanks to Oscar Delta, Delta Xray, Lima Delta, Fox Radio, Charly Tango, Sierra Echo, November Yankee, Tango Delta Tango, India Whisky, Golf Tango and Sugar Papa groups for their support, as well as co-sponsors Sugar Delta and Wizard for their generous donation of prizes. Unfortunately, International Radio, Alfa Tango, Florida Alfa Tango, Delta Tango, Tweed Radio and Romeo Charlie did not return our emails however their HQ support is something we can aspire to in 2009!

I would also like to make special mention of both the Bendigo Sidebanders and Kilo Romeo Circle of Friends groups in Australia for their explicitly stated support. It is important for us to have the backing of local CB clubs like these, including the Australian Association of Citizens and Band Radio Operators Inc (ACBRO), not only to maximise participation in the Contest but also to feed the buzz of 27MHz radio communications locally in general. I guess all Australian radio operators long for a return to the good old CB boom days and we are no different!

Following the enlistment of the world’s radio groups and some of the major players in the 11m Community such as the WWRO, Cluster dk and DXQSM, copies of the Contest guidelines were distributed in great number and, as was hoped for, started appearing on a large number of websites almost instantaneously.

In the days after the release of new Contest dates and details, ‘11m DX Activities Oz’ was bombarded with hits, and contest article reads blew out to astronomical levels under the pressure of new exposure. In the first 4 days of January 2008, for instance, www.11mdxactivitiesoz.com received 7 thousand hits.

The occasioning of any event, be it associated with radio or otherwise, provides not just positive experiences but negative ones as well; and while it is easy to get caught up in the ‘feel good’ outcomes of the Contest’s second year, for the occasion to remain on the DX Calendar and for participation to swell in 2009, perceived problems or issues should also be reflected upon in order to inform future promotion of the event, formatting, as well as Contest management.

Two of the biggest challenges coming out of last year’s contest were the absence of support by Australian based clubs, as well as a perceived lack of participation by some of Australia’s more experienced and well known DXers. Fortunately, attitudes towards this year’s Contest, however, saw a dramatic shift with a couple of Aussie CB Club icons climbing on board and a large number of DXers from the major groups (IR, SD and AT) participating also. Perhaps the realisation that this event provided them with a real chance of triumph in a world recognised event following years of exclusion from some of Europe’s big DX Contests provided the motivation for involvement… Perhaps it was the ‘pack mentality’ mindset which kicked in and they just couldn’t resist a call or two to support their mates… Which ever the motivation, the team and I suspect that all who participated in last year’s event are grateful for the influx of Contesters in 2008 as more ops means more contacts which transpires of course into moreeee points!

Format wise, there was some justifiable criticism of last year’s Contest guidelines providing limited scope for participation on the citizens band frequencies; also of the difficulties the point scoring system posed for operators based outside of Oceania. On this matter, we reworked the rules and scoring system for 2008 based on some ideas presented to us by Users via forum topics and while some arguments could be put forward about different models being more effective, the end result with a number of different DXCC (OC and Non-OC) certain to feature in the top 10 placegetters, justifies the flexible model we put forward. It goes without saying that there will be some finetuning for next year’s event, but this will be carried out not so much due to any flaws in the current system, but more to reflect cyclical conditions at the time.

One of those features sure to come under the microscope is the 3 Part Model introduced this year. Obviously, the decision to add another weekend to the mix was made at the bottom of Cycle 23 but one wonders if it will be necessary in 2009… Perhaps other aspects which should be contemplated are the points value of contacts made between OC transmitting stations (3) and also the doubling up of contacts… I’m sure these will all be examined in due time but they are something to reflect on as we roll into the New Year and start looking forward to early 2009 for some more Oceania Contesting.

In wrapping up, if we evaluate this year’s Contest against our primary aim of “promoting the OC region as an attractive DX entity” then, without doubt, we have again succeeded. If we also judge the Contest against our stated objective of “encouraging OC DXers to have more of a band presence” then going by the massive amount of contact spots of OC transmitting stations on Cluster dk then once again our success is unquestioned.

Furthermore, if we determine the degree of success based on the participation of Oceania DXCC stations then we only have to look to contacts made with Cocos Keeling Islands, Norfolk Island, Philippines, New Caledonia, Micronesia, New Zealand, Australia, Hawaiian Islands, Western and Eastern Kiribati, as well as OC-022 Bali Island and OC-143 Sumatra in Indonesia, to see its broad appeal.

With improving band conditions on the horizon thanks to Cycle 24 and awareness of the event certain to intensify in the future, predicting an even more successful Oceania Contest in 2009 is made without risk. What is necessary is for all of us to go away and reflect on the positives and negatives of the event, and then discuss them in an honest and open forum, so as to ensure it operates even BETTER next year!

On behalf of major retail sponsors Yeti Communications and Syncro Australia, thank you for your support of this year’s Contest. We trust you enjoyed the event as much as we did and already look forward to an even better event next year.

73 de Darren
43SD054/43FR010
OC Contest Manager
Admin Team
11m DX Activities Oz