My point is that VHF contests ARE different than HF contests for the many
reasons that others have already stated. 6 meters is a lot like 10 in
operating practice but as Bill K1DY notes, even 2 meters is quite different
and the UHF/microwave bands suffer mightily from the antenna "searchlight"
effect. If both stations are not pointed at each other, they often cannot
hear each other and if either of them are not in the direction of a
population center, the chances they will point at each other are slim.
Does having a stack that can be switched by a relay to being a single
yagi help with this? And or using omnidirectional antennas?
A discussion like what has been going on here is a good thing. Each
operator has to make his own choices. On HF no one forces you to use 2
radios but if you don't you put yourself at a distinct disadvantage. You
don't like using two radios and growing an extra head [I don't], only you
can decide whether it is worth the reduction in fun to have a chance to win.
On VHF no one forces you to make schedules in advance if you choose not to.
But unlike HF contests where there are unlimited numbers of Q's/mults to be
had and you can never work them all, increasing the amount of activity and
variety of grids and pushing the propagation envelop to new distances always
has been part of the VHF contests and should remain so IMHO. In fact a case
can be made such as Clarke Greene has stated that internet/telephone/packet
skeds DURING the contest might also be a valuable addition.
What strikes me as possibly sensible would be to allow the August UHF
contest to use internet/telephone/packet skeds, but not allow it for
the January/June/September VHF contest. I think that good arguments
can be made in favor of both ways of doing things, and providing
opportunities for each approach strikes me as worthwhile.
On the other hand, there's also no reason why people who want to do
propagation experiments or whatever can't do internet/telephone/packet
skeds during a non-contest time.
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