Hi Marshall and all, I thought for SURE you were mistaken and that a 2304
contact in January was worth only FOUR times a 2M contact, not 8, but then I
went and looked it up!! Wow... Guess I should be paying more attention!! Since
I'm not trying to WIN anything up here, it doesn't discourage me, oh yeah and
I'm also on 2304.. hee hee.. But, this is new right?? or is my memory REALLY
starting to fail me??
bill, k1DY
> Date: Sun, 4 Jan 2015 15:05:51 -0600
> From: k5qe@k5qe.com
> To: VHFcontesting@contesting.com
> Subject: [VHFcontesting] Distance Scoring.....
>
> Hello all.....The reason that the EU contests can be distance scored is
> because they prohibit EME contacts in EU contests.
>
> I make a very good percentage of all my grids via EME....that is the
> only way that I can even remotely be competitive as I don't live in the
> highly populated NE. Clearly, I do not believe that banning EME in VHF
> contesting is the right thing to do. I would just pull the plug on VHF
> contesting if EME were banned.....I would have no chance at all.
>
> Now, where is the problem?? Well, once I entered the 2M Sprint when it
> was distance scored. Guys on the East Coast made over 150 contacts and
> I only made 28. However, the shortest of my contacts was 4500+ miles
> and the longest was about 10,000 miles. Clearly, EME overwhelms any
> tropo efforts as long as the metric is distance. ASIDE: I never did
> get the certificate for that.....maybe just punishment??
>
> Another thought.....a few meteor scatter contacts would completely out
> distance a boatload of "local contacts". This would mean that, even if
> EME were disallowed, VHF contests would turn into a MS contests....and I
> don't think that is what we really want.
>
> The problem with the current scoring formula is that is VHF contests are
> actually "Microwave Contests". The QSO points for microwave contacts
> are ridiculously high, especially in the January contest. In January,
> one 2304 contact equals 8 2M contacts!!! I know that the original idea
> here was to encourage folks to go on up into the microwave bands....and
> that is a reasonable policy goal. However, the effect of this policy
> has been to discourage the Rookies.....and these are exactly the folks
> we are trying to attract.
>
> I don't know the answer to all this....there will always be "problems"
> with scoring and rules. In my opinion, the simplest rules are the best
> rules. I believe that the Ad-Hoc Committee is moving in the right
> direction and hopefully, will be able to implement their ideas. Someone
> mentioned that a complete re-write of the VHF rules would be extremely
> helpful....I agree with that completely.
>
> 73 Marshall K5QE
>
> On 1/4/2015 10:22 AM, Keith Morehouse wrote:
> > Distance scoring has been tried in various VHF Springs. It shows....a
> > benefit to the normal high-population areas of the US (surprise !), except
> > maybe on 6...
> >
> > Jay W9RM
> >
> > Keith Morehouse
> > via Droid Inc2
> > On Jan 3, 2015 8:56 PM, "Dave Olean" <k1whs@metrocast.net> wrote:
> >
> >> Hi Herb,
> >> I worked you in my first VHF contest in 1962. It was the September VHF
> >> QSO party. Actually my brother worked you. (We had to share our station, so
> >> we took turns using different calls for each contest.) You had 327 QSOs in
> >> 25 sections. Arn K1WHT had 48 QSOs in 5 sections all on 144 MHz. We had
> >> just gotten our licenses about a month earlier. I remember the rig. We had
> >> a 6360 transmitter at about 8 watts on AM, and a war surplus receiver that
> >> had a 24 volt dynamotor for the B+. The antenna was an 8 element Telrex
> >> yagi at about 30 ft fed with RG-59 surplus coax that looked a tad green
> >> inside.
> >> I would have to agree with you and K1DY. The last thing we need is more
> >> categories. Beyond that, I am unsure of what should be done. I am really
> >> torn as to the right direction to take. After 52 years, I still love the
> >> idea of VHF contests, as they build activity. I think all the rule changes
> >> over the years has possibly diminished activity rather than helped it.
> >> I would want to encourage activity in the more remote areas of the
> >> country. Possibly distance scoring is a good idea. That coupled with
> >> announcing rover locations and similar ideas could help those guys who
> >> travel to the hinterlands. I also think that entirely new contests might
> >> be organized to build activity. Surely, what we have been doing the last
> >> decade has not worked. Maybe a cumulative effort over many weekends for
> >> shorter time periods each weekend might be a possibility. That might
> >> discourage big mountaintop efforts in favor of more streamlined
> >> operations. How about scoring stations in certain areas with a higher
> >> point value? As an example, draw a circle 200 miles from the center of
> >> major metro areas and assign a higher point value to those stations beyond
> >> that circle. If I earned 1 point for a close in contact and 10 points for
> >> working VE1SKY 350 miles away, you can bet I would be looking for VE1SKY.
> >> Then imagine VE1SKY's score if he could work a pile of 10 point contacts.
> >> He could be competitive. Scoring could be done by utilizing 6 digit grid
> >> squares in software. That would encourage people to aim their antennas away
> >> from the normal VHF activity centers. I am just throwing out crazy half
> >> baked ideas. We need to shake things up.What we have now is broken. For my
> >> part, I try to get on and have fun each time.
> >> I hope you don't quit VHF Herb. HF stinks in the summertime.
> >>
> >> 73
> >> Dave K1WHS
> >>
> >> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Herb Krumich via VHFcontesting" <
> >> vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
> >> To: "VHF Contesting Reflector" <vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
> >> Sent: Saturday, January 03, 2015 10:46 PM
> >> Subject: [VHFcontesting] My 2 cents
> >>
> >>
> >> As far as I am concerned, VHF contesting went down hill when the ARRL
> >>> caved and started having limited multi.Once that was done, small units of
> >>> stations, started leaving their microwave equipment at home.Little by
> >>> little it started the microwave downfall. It was a very bad idea.There are
> >>> far to many categories for so few stations availableI have depleted my
> >>> very
> >>> large contest station after working VHF contest's for nearly 50 years.The
> >>> only available bands I can now use are 144 and 432 which will mainly be
> >>> used for EMEJust my 2 centsHerb K2LNSMy spring antenna work will be
> >>> putting
> >>> up a very large low band system
> >>> _______________________________________________
> >>> VHFcontesting mailing list
> >>> VHFcontesting@contesting.com
> >>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
> >>>
> >>>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> VHFcontesting mailing list
> >> VHFcontesting@contesting.com
> >> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
> >>
> > _______________________________________________
> > VHFcontesting mailing list
> > VHFcontesting@contesting.com
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
> >
>
> _______________________________________________
> VHFcontesting mailing list
> VHFcontesting@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
_______________________________________________
VHFcontesting mailing list
VHFcontesting@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
|