Don't forget a couple of hours off in the morning for church going, and an
hour off Sunday night for Downton Abbey.
Chet, N8RA
-----Original Message-----
From: VHFcontesting [mailto:vhfcontesting-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf
Of Rhinosix
Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 3:02 PM
To: k5qe@k5qe.com
Cc: vhfcontesting@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] Yes -- Please Move the January Contest
If you factor in the world wide socker play offs with the NFL action you
find a 2 hour window for our contests. Ok maybe a one hour window. If you
are a real VHFer who wants to run and gun the Es you will have no problem
with making a choice. E skip should determine when we have are contests.
Jerry W2JCN
-----Original Message-----
From: Marshall-K5QE <k5qe@k5qe.com>
Cc: vhfcontesting <vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
Sent: Mon, Jan 28, 2013 11:08 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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