The ARRL says:
> An additional 100 bonus points can be earned by qualified
> participants in Field Day for completing at least ten VHF/UHF QSOs
> (excluding packet contacts).
N2IC says:
> I know that the intent of the rule change is to bring no-coders into
> contesting, and other parts of "mainstream" ham radio, but this change is
> of no value outside of the densely populated areas. Out here, after the
> first 15 minutes of the contest, the VHF/UHF operators will be bored out
> of their minds.
(Much whining about the East Coast deleted)
Anyone who cares about where their score in FD falls is missing the point.
Anyone who would plan on having VHF/UHF "operators" for FD, ditto. There are a
lot of people missing the point, but the rules should be changed or kept to
improve Field Day as the event it is, not to worry about scoring inequities.
FD is the about the best way this hobby, and the contesting subset, has of
getting new blood in. Amateur radio as a whole has done little to integrate
no-coders into the hobby, and contesting has done even less. I was against the
no-code license but since it is here, we should make sure it works.
I think the idea of bonus points to encourage VHF/UHF QSOs is a fantastic idea,
but it will need some boundaries: no repeater QSOs, simplex frequencies only,
etc. Hogging .52 doesn't particulary bother me, but why not use whatever rules
the the VHF contest currently used. Doesn't seem like rocket science to me.
Maybe there can be an additional 100 bonus points for prairie dog sighting, or
for certifying that you have never touched an ocean, or for sending in low SNR
tapes of what Europe sounded like on 80 meters. This should nullify yet another
East Coast advantage.
Of course, another way would be to make 10 VHF/UHF QSOs and then turn off the
radio.
John WB2EKK
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