So instead of changing the contest date, just change the time. 0000z Saturday
until 1700z Sunday. This fixes a couple of things. It give two mornings for
tropo and the contest is over before the football games start. Yes, it's a bit
longer but look at the HF tests that are 48 hours!
Terry - W8ZN
----- Original Message -----
From: Zack Widup <w9sz.zack@gmail.com>
To: VHF Contesting Reflector <vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
Sent: Tue, 29 Jan 2013 14:24:49 -0000 (UTC)
Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] Yes -- Please Move the January Contest
It seems I always have other things going on just about every weekend
anymore, so it doesn't much matter to me. I work around them. It could
even be ON Superbowl Sunday for all I care.
I have been an entrant in almost all VHF contests as a Single-Op (QRP)
Portable including the January contest. Sometimes that takes some
doing around here. Not always. I've set up and taken down my antennas
in ice storms and blizzards. But a couple years ago it was sunny and
in the 40's that January weekend.
This last January contest I had some other commitments on Saturday. I
wanted to set up and participate on Sunday. We had a horrendous wind
on Saturday night and Sunday morning. I went to the hill where I've
operated lately (an hour from home) and the wind gusts were hitting 50
mph with wind chill probably in the minus 20's. I couldn't even get
the antennas up so I just went back home where it was warm. Hopefully
next year is better.
73, Zack W9SZ
On 1/29/13, Paul Kiesel <k7cw@yahoo.com> wrote:
> If we could get ARRL to change the date, I would vote for the 1st weekend. I
> think there is less than a zero-point-one percent chance of that occurring,
> though. I think they won't change the hours, either.
>
> I hate to say it, but it looks like this is going to boil down to whether a
> person wants to contest in a VHF contest in January, period - as opposed to
> whether the football games are a stronger draw for attention. I think there
> might be different levels of interest in the various areas of the country.
> In the Pacific Northwest, we had a fairly decent turnout for the January
> contest. Guys who participate in the contest will watch a football game and
> then come back on the air if they want to watch the game. Out here, I don't
> believe the football games affect participation in the VHF contest that much
> - and I suspect the same may be true in other areas of the country.
>
> Paul, K7CW
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Marshall-K5QE <k5qe@k5qe.com>
> To:
> Cc: vhfcontesting@contesting.com
> Sent: Monday, January 28, 2013 8:08 PM
> Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] Yes -- Please Move the January Contest
>
> Hello Tom and everyone else interested in this topic.....
>
> After reading all the posts on this topic and some private posts to me, the
> following two topics seem to be the most discussed. Most of the posts seem
> to be circling around these two objectives:
> 1)Make every effort to insure that there is 6M Es during the Jan contest
> and
> 2)Engineer the contest so that the various football games don't interfere.
>
> How to accomplish these two objectives is the question. As Tom has pointed
> out, there is an HF contest every weekend. However, IF we moved the Jan VHF
> contest to the FIRST weekend in January, the contest would fall in the
> Winter Es season. The chance of good Es in the Jan contest would be a great
> contest incentive....more contacts, more grids. What a deal!! We then
> would be opposite the ARRL RTTY contest. I don't know how big that contest
> really is AND I don't know how many VHF ops would be torn between the VHF
> contest and the RTTY contest(I do know one).
>
> It seems to me that the RTTY contest is less competition than NAQP or the CQ
> 160M contest. I know that there are several VHF ops that are quite nutty
> about 160M. So, the RTTY contest looks to me like the "lesser of evils".
>
> Someone will point out that there are football games on the first weekend in
> Jan. Assuming that is correct, is there any way to engineer the contest to
> avoid the football games completely? Frankly, I don't know. After trying to
> understand the NFL's scheduling my head is spinning and pounding at the same
> time. It appears that the first weekend in Jan is when the wild card games
> are played....one on Sat and one on Sun. So, this is doubly bad....two
> football games to try to avoid. However, the significance of these games is
> much less than the later games, so maybe we would not see a huge effect from
> them. Still, two games are twice as obnoxious as one game.
>
> I have been convinced that my previous idea of a longer contest with breaks,
> but on the same weekend, is not overly bright. I must have been smoking the
> "funny weed" when I came up with that particular idea. I was trying to find
> a way to keep the football game from hurting us. Hopefully, some better
> idea(s) will surface.
>
> Herb has told us that the ARRL will not listen to anything we have to say.
> If I understand his points, they are A)that the VHF contest has been held on
> the third weekend for decades and therefore cannot be moved and B)we are not
> HFers so we don't have the numbers and hence the Grand Poobahs in Newington
> are not interested in us. Unfortunately, he is most probably correct. The
> ARRL is not noted for careful coordination with its stakeholders.
>
> IF we are stuck with the third weekend date, then is there any way to avoid
> the football game?? When does this football game begin?? Not the pre-game
> blather, but the real game?? Let us assume that it starts at 7PM EST(0000Z
> on Monday). We could start the contest at 9AM EST(=1400Z) and end it at 6PM
> on Sunday(=2300Z). If I did my times right(which I often don't), then that
> would be the same 33 hours of contesting time. The rovers would not have to
> be out two nights....actually it would be good for the rovers to be able to
> get in earlier on Sunday--especially in the January weather. This idea does
> not change the date of the contest, it just changes the start and stop times
> to avoid the football game.
>
> Does any of this work?? Your ideas are most appreciated.....by me and by
> the others interested in this topic.
>
> 73 Marshall K5QE
>
>
> On 1/28/2013 6:18 PM, Tom Haavisto wrote:
>> I am a relative newbie to VHF contesting, so no problem moving it as far
>> as I am concerned.
>>
>> HOWEVER - take a look at the contest calender.
>>
>> First weekend - ARRL RTTY Roundup
>> Second weekend - ARRL NAQP CW
>> Third weekend - ARRL NAQP SSB
>> Fourth weekend - CQ 160 CW
>>
>> Keeping in it January means sharing with a major contest. Making it the
>> fourth weekend means sharing with the CQ 160 contest, and I think the hard
>> core contesters have already shown where their loyalties lie.
>>
>> I don't follow professional sports - I prefer RADIO sport :-)
>>
>> Tom - VE3CX
>>
>>
>
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