I don't quite qualify to respond to this thread, since I did submit a log in
the January VHF Sweepstakes. My XYL and I did put in a fairly big effort, and
although it looks like we'll be taking last place in our section, we did
submit a log for a little recognition or something.
On the other hand, I still haven't gotten around to sending in my log for the
1974 Novice Roundup, so I'm not a real avid submitter.
The January VHF SS was really the first VHF contest I had participated in,
since I just got a new FT-817, and since I finally had something for VHF, I
wanted to give it a try. Submitting the log didn't seem like a really big
deal, but we went ahead and did so since it wasn't too much bother. Since
we've run into a lot of nice people from the local VHF club, we'll probably
pay our dues before the next contest, and submit a log for that one to help
them out with the club score.
For a casual contester, submitting an electronic log is not (or is not
perceived as) a very user-friendly proposition. I did have to poke around the
'net for quite a while to figure out exactly what Cabrillo format was, and
then I just went ahead and did our logs manually using Notepad. That seemed
to be the easiest way to do it (with a couple hundred QSO's). I suspect most
newbies would not take the time to do so.
What would make the process easier is some free software, not for *logging*,
but for typing in the information from our scribbled logbook, and putting it
in the proper format.
On the other hand, I don't really see the importance of getting a lot of logs
submitted. It seems to me that the most critical issue is encourage a lot of
newbies (with rigs like FT-817's, FT-100's, etc.) to get on the air during
contests.
As a relative newbie, I don't think any of the changes in scoring would have
much impact on my decision to participate. It was just a matter of having a
new rig, and wanting to try out a new feature (VHF) that I had never had the
opportunity to use in the past. (We did a QRP rover operation, using
horizontal dipoles hooked to the FT-817, and a quarter-wave mag mount hooked
to a 2 meter HT. The horizontal dipoles were made out of PVC pipe and steel
rod, and set me back a total of about $10.) It was very minimalist, but we
made quite a few contacts and had a lot of fun.
I do not think that having an ABD category would really affect our
participation that much. As newbies, we didn't really participate with the
idea of beating anyone--we just did it for fun.
On the other hand, I have been looking at cheap and easy ways to increase our
score. For example, I have my eyes open for a cheap 220 FM rig (probably just
an HT), to add a few multipliers. Other possibilities are 1296 FM, or even
adding some laser capability (it looks like a laser pointer can be modulated
pretty easily).
My main point is that I don't think most of us VHF newbies are really too
concerned about the rules and using them to get a high score. It's just a lot
of fun to have a lot of activity. It was a lot of fun driving through a town
and generating a pileup as we worked stations a few miles away from us. And
even though we only made a couple of QSO's of over a hundred miles, it was a
thrill to work a little DX with QRP and such a minimal antenna.
Anyway, I have discovered that VHF contests are fun, and I will be back!
73,
Rick W0IS
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