In line bellow:
--- On Wed, 6/18/08, Les Rayburn <les@highnoonfilm.com> wrote:
> B. I found the contest to be too "6 Meter"
> dominant. Let's face it, if
> you're interested in a high score, then it makes little
> sense to move
> someone up to 2 meters or higher, when your run rate is
> high on 6. It just
> takes too long to move someone, especially when you get
> into the higher
> bands. I was told before hand, "if six is open, stay
> on it".
There will be contests where 6M never opens, it those who can stick with it by
being on 2M and up who will score well. The fact that 6M is such a wild card is
precisely one of the things that I find fun about VHF contest and DX'ing.
>
> Like many casual contesters, I'm interested in logging
> new countrie----er, I
> mean new grids. So I spent more time on 2 Meters and up
> than a lot of folks
> in my section. My score reflects that.
A couple years ago I focused on 2M while 6M was hopping in the CQWW VHF
contest. My overall score might have been higher if I hadn't done that, but I
did get a top 10 spot for multipliers on 2M by partially sacrificing 6M. So for
me if both 6&2M are "equally open" I'll favor 2M. Others may not.
> At one point in the contest, 2 Meter E-Skip was really hot.
> I had been
> working six, and noticed that all the skip was getting
> shorter and shorter.
> A quick check of 2 Meters revealed that
> "bubbling" sound that I associate
> with e-skip. I started calling CQ, and was immediately
> rewarded with KC0TPP
> in EM48. This was followed by W0ETT booming in from the
> West. He worked me
> and then called CQ over and over, with no takers. We ended
> up almost
> ragchewing...both of us laughing and joking that everyone
> was on six.
I was looking and calling on 2M for Es las tSunday too, it just was not to be,
even though I heard stations ~100 miles away working it. Second time in the
last few years that's happened to me.
> I posted to the spotter networks, hoping that the multi-op
> big guns would at
> least start calling...nothing. Activated the local
> "phone tree" to give
> folks a chance to work e-skip. One local said, "Have
> fun, but there's no way
> I'm moving off six right now. It's wide open!"
> As a grid chaser, it was
> disappointing to know that many, many grids might be
> workable but the
> operators were not going to be there.
This sort of reflects my observation that in contests or during big band
openings the spotting networks aren't truly worth all that much on VHF. There
are lot of open paths that never get posted.
> C. Just as in daily operations, VHF operators are some of
> the best in
> amateur radio. They're certainly the nicest and most
> helpful. Time and again
> I was greeted by stations in the middle of good runs when
> they recognized my
> callsign. They took time to stop and encourage me to
> continue with VHF
> activity. Many also wished me Happy Father's Day. One
> or two offered advice
> about indoor antennas.
>
> Try finding that on HF! I think our ethics are well
> represented in general.
And I think VHF weak signal by and large is home to the more challenge oriented
vs. the just get on a gab crowd.
> D. Hogging the calling frequency. In an effort to "win
> something" I
> witnessed some folks who just got on the calling frequency
> (144.200) and
> called CQ non-stop. They would also complete their
> QSO's on the frequency
> and sometimes get into rag chews. That's fine when the
> band is dead, even
> during the contest, but when it's open, it's not in
> the spirit of the rules.
> Not sure what can be done about it.
>
> Obviously, we all wish folks would move off. I was very
> pleased to work
> W6AEI in EM63, who I heard calling CQ on 144.205! Maybe
> they'll start a
> trend.
A few years ago I did an analysis of all my 2M Q's. I found that 50% of them
were made more than 10 kHz away from the 144.200. Those who cling to .200
simply don't realize how many more Q's they could be making if they tune away
from there and make some calls away from there. Nobody minds people calling CQ
on .200 to stir up some action if there isn't any. But trying hold onto it like
an HF op would a run frequency is by and large counter productive. And surely
piling on when .200 is busy already will all but guarantee missed weak signal
Q's. I see first hand examples of this almost every contest. There usually
several Q's I could have made if the op on the other end wasn't glued to .200,
instead they never budged and they never heard me over the din of the more
local crowd. So they missed a Q and likely a mult and I missed a Q. So neither
of us benefited by them clinging to .200. It happened again this last Sunday.
And don't forget most antennas have rotors too, they also need some exercise.
> E. Big points for WSJT mode. These contacts take a lot of
> time, and that
> limits the number of stations who will attempt them. They
> usually just fill
> in the nighttime hours. It would be great to see the points
> changed to
> reward stations that use this mode.
>
> As someone else stated last week, the mode should become a
> standard part of
> the package for anyone planning a
> "grid-expedition". It is the only way to
> almost guarantee that you'll at least work a few folks
> beyond the adjacent
> grids. But for it to be the most successful, more stations
> have to be
> encourage to use it. One way to do that is to reward those
> who use it during
> contests.
I do not favor point differentiation for different Q modes, for one too many
Q's are cross mode. And two, the decision of what mode to use, and when really
needs to be part of the ops strategy. And that the decision be made on Q by Q
basis.
> F. In short, I think that contests have a unique role in
> the VHF/UHF world
> that they don't have on HF. That is to encourage hams
> to get on the air,
> invest in bands without a lot of activity, and build a
> sense of community.
> Let's face it, VHF can be a lonely place.
>
> I'd encourage the decision makers to keep that role in
> mind when contest
> rules and scoring are revised. Perhaps one of the smaller
> contests, such as
> the Sprints could consider allowing the use of spotter
> networks, and change
> the points structure a bit to encourage WSJT operation.
> It's got to be
> easier for them to avoid the politics associated with
> league events.
>
> Lastly, I know it's easy for me to say some of this.
> Limited to indoor
> antennas, I'm never going to win my section, a band, or
> anything of
> importance. If I was competing for a plaque, maybe I'd
> feel differently. And
> my lack of experience makes me unqualified to judge anyway.
> As I said, it's
> largely the viewpoint of an outsider at this point.
Everyone has to start somewhere. It is the desire to learn and improve the
station and your methods that is the most important.
> I had a complete blast, and can't wait to do it again.
> CQ VHF is just around
> the corner...and I'm already looking forward to it.
> Thanks to all who worked
> me, and especially those who offered encouragement. As
> I've told many of my
> ham friends, "Come on up, The Weather is Great Up
> Here".
I do get the sense from your various posts that you are indeed "one of us". And
you seem to enjoy the challenge of it all. It is just too bad that out of all
the newcomers to ham radio that there is that so few are able to recognize or
even want to explore the challenges of VHF weak signal.
Duane
N9DG
>
> 73,
>
> Les Rayburn, N1LF
> EM63nf
>
>
>
>
> Les Rayburn, director
> High Noon Film
> 100 Centerview Drive Suite 111
> Birmingham, AL 35216-3748
> 205.824.8930
> 205.824.8960 fax
> 205.253.4867 cell
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