Part V - The Development of a SMSA hit-list, and the
cultivation of new clubs. I know that the League
provides some levels of support to their affiliated
clubs. But what about the League itself simply
pulling out a map of the country, and plotting out the
location of all currently active VHF clubs? That would
be a fascinating map to review, indeed! Possibly, the
entire North-East, Chicago, Southern California, and
parts of Texas would be well represented. But what
about the rest of the country? There would be lots of
empty spaces and Standard Metropolitan Statistical
Areas (SMSA?s) devoid of any activity.
Once the empty versus filled spaces are determined,
then why can?t the League send out invitations to
specific individuals active on VHF in the open areas
of the country to start a local VHF club? The League
would need to keep in close contact with someone in
each SMSA to develop VHF related activities in that
location. The League could offer assistance in the
organization and development of the club.
I know I am essentially asking for the League to spend
additional, precious and limited financial resources
on a position that could quite easily expand to a full
time job by itself. And I know that many of the above
items are already being done by the League. But, what
is needed is an intense, systematic, and persistent
effort to build and maintain VHF clubs in every major
SMSA in the country. I do not know of a SMSA
designated ?hit list? that is currently in existence,
in spite of the many and varied club level activities
the League is engaged in.
There are literally hundreds of clubs listed on the
League?s web-site as ?contest active?. And yet, how
many are truly participating in either HF or VHF tests
on a regular basis? Most of the clubs listed as being
contest active may, in reality, be Field Day groups.
Let us start new clubs to cover each SMSA in the
country and revitalize older clubs that may still be
in existence, albeit in a diminished capacity of some
type.
The job could be shipped out to an outside volunteer,
but it would then be missing the essential firepower
of the League doing the job itself. If the League
can?t or just won?t do the job however, then perhaps a
volunteer committee of several VHF contesters from
around the nation could pull together to develop and
maintain an SMSA hit list. I feel this is a second
best situation however. If the League is truly
concerned about the current state of VHF contesting,
then I suggest they do something about it. Instead of
revising the rules in a mistaken belief that different
rules and a varied format will automatically bring
extra activity, the League should leave the rules
alone and instead, simply run with an SMSA hit list.
All the concern by the League will not change the
demographic nature of VHF operating activity, as I
outlined in Part I of this series. Only action to
jump-start the clubs will push the VHF contests onto
new heights from here, in my estimation.
I envision a much more intense and pro-active approach
as to both HF and VHF club formation and retention
than what presently exists. Mere affiliation of the
clubs to the League simply will not suffice - that is
far too much of an autopilot, passive type of approach
to take. In order for the clubs to be effectively
utilized in the creation of new log submissions for
both HF and VHF contests, someone must become
extraordinarily devoted to club formation and
retention. The benefits of such a devotion to the
clubs could be immense, as the following items
suggest.
According to the US Department of Census?s web-site,
there are 245 metropolitan statistical areas (MSA?s)
in the country. I believe that a pitifully few of
these are adequately covered by VHF activity. In my
area, I know that 2 large SMSAs and at least 9 small
to medium SMSAs are within range of my VHF
transmitters and antennas. Some of those 11
communities may have some VHF clubs underway, but I do
not know about them. Even if affiliated clubs exist
in areas close to me, I do not hear any contest
related activity emanating from nearby locales.
Contrast this with Chicago. The closest area from me
with a significant VHF population center that I do
know of lies 300 miles to my north, in and around the
Chicago area. There are several VHF oriented clubs,
multis, rovers, and SO big guns in the Chicago
environs. Chicago and Milwaukee area hams have even
been known to activate less active sections and/or
categories in Iowa and Missouri, that?s how active the
Lake Michigan corridor is. In the 2003 January VHF SS,
I pointed my QRP powered antennas towards the north to
Chicago, and presto, I believe that my score doubled
as a result. Chicago is my kind of town, as Frank
Sinatra sang so many years ago!
Out of the 245 SMSA?s, let?s assume for the moment
that a methodical effort at developing VHF clubs were
to actually generate 50 to 100 new or reinvigorated
clubs with even very small numbers. Also assume that
these small clubs were to only manage anywhere between
5 to 10 entries in the club competition of the January
VHF SS. What would be the results? Well, that would be
250 to 1000 new entries, for starters. Who knows how
far things could be pushed from there. Given the fact
that we are currently down to roughly 350 or so
entries, that would represent a huge increase! At 1000
new entries (plus existing entries), that would rival
the greatest number of log submissions at the peak of
any of three historical cycles of VHF contesting
activity. These new entries would not be generated by
contest rules revisions, regulatory changes, or
technology jumps, just by an ARRL led good
old-fashioned organization of clubs. Imagine the
possibilities. This would all take a multi-year
effort, but over the stretch of several years, the
simple but methodical development of a SMSA ?hit list?
could do far more good for contest submissions than
any rules changes possibly would.
I will conclude with a few more thoughts in my next
part.
Kevin Kaufhold
W9GKA
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