Hello to Les and other VHF operators that read this reflector.
Especially, Hello and Welcome to Billy and Tor. I too hope that you
will enjoy VHF, VHF operations, and VHF contesting.
I do have to disagree with one point of Les' post....and that is a
rarity, as I usually agree with him.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A MANUFACTURED CONTACT!!! You either work
another station or you do not. So what we have is CONTACT or NO
CONTACT. If you exchange the proper information in the proper order,
then you have a valid contact.....and you get to put the other guy in
your log. If you don't get all of the information properly, then you do
not have a contact and no log entry and no points.
I have watched HF contesters click on a DX call on a band map and watch
the radio instantly be set to that frequency. They don't even have to
turn the VFO knob. Some even have the computer move their antenna to
the proper heading. Then they work the DX station and go back to what
they were doing. Is that a "manufactured contact"?? Those that operate
that way certainly don't seem to object and they certainly do log the
contact.
There are folks that believe that any QSO that is not completely random
is not valid. Maybe what Les meant to say was non-random instead of
"manufactured". I will certainly agree that if assistance is used, the
contact is not completely random. To me, random / non-random /
assistance / non-assistance is just all noise. You either work a given
station or you don't.....there is nothing else. How you found a station
to work is completely immaterial.
Les is right about the 6M conundrum. When 6M opens wide, single op
station MUST go to 6M and work everything that they possibly can in
order to boost their scores. Then when 6M dies out, they can resume
other bands. This is not a problem for me, as I operate as a Multi
operator station, so that the 6M op can go wild and the rest of the ops
can still work anyone that is not off on 6M.
Except when 6M goes wild, VHF contesting is just not the same as HF
contesting. I just finished operating NAQP as an operator at an HF
contest station. There is a never ending supply of HF stations to work
even in a modest contest such as NAQP. This is just not true in a VHF
contest. Rates are slow and contacts are dear. It is imperative that
you work everyone that it is possible for you to work. You cannot do
this if everyone is wandering around in the dark, hoping to bump into
another station to work. No amount of skill on your part can get
another station to point his laser beam antenna at you exactly when you
have your laser beam antenna pointed at him.
I do hope that I work both Billy and Tor.....I can work EM65 if we get a
tiny bit of enhancement(think Sun 7-9AM) and I can work EM53 almost any
time. Just point your laser beams down our way......HI....
GL to everyone this weekend.....
73 Marshall K5QE
On 1/21/2015 11:56 AM, Les Rayburn wrote:
First of all, I'd like to say "WELCOME" to both Billy and Tor. You're
both within range of my modest station in EM63, and I hope to work you
in the January contest this week. I had been active on HF for decades
before coming to VHF...and I can honestly say that it's been more fun
that anything I've ever done in amateur radio. I hope that your
experience will be the same.
Despite the best efforts of a lot of people, VHF operation and
contesting haven't really benefited from the popularity of "DC to
Daylight" rigs like you might expect. The only real growth in our
ranks has come via the migration from HF to 6 Meters as more operators
are discovering the fun to be had on the Magic Band.
But this creates a paradox of sorts. When 6 Meters is open during a
contest, operation on that band will dominate, to the near total
exclusion of higher bands. This makes sense. Grids and multipliers
come fast and easy on 6 Meters during an opening..and the band can
behave more like 10 Meters. But for those operators who have
considerable investment of time, money, and effort into the higher
bands, it can create a lonely world. During the Summer contests, I've
literally gone hours at a time without making a single contact on 2
Meters or higher as operators scramble to work stations on 6 Meters.
The January contest is usually a completely different animal. 6 Meter
openings do a occur, but they're usually weaker and short in duration.
Here in the Southeast, even well equipped stations can end up
listening to white noise for hours at a time, without a single QSO to
be had on any band. You quickly work all the locals, on as many bands
as you can...and then you CQ and listen to other locals CQ without
responses.
During an NFL playoff weekend (not this year, thank God!) many casual
operators just give up and switch on the TV. That can make it even
lonelier.
Now, if you're operating at 2 Meters or even higher, you have to add
in another factor. Narrow bandwidth antennas. You can be within range
of another station, who is only on for a brief time, and like two
ships that passed in the night, easily miss each other because your
beams were never in the same direction at the same time. This is why
many of us support the idea of Internet spotting. Yes, manufactured
QSO's could result, but in the end it's all about your personal sense
of honor. Manufactured QSO's have been a minor problem for contesting
since long before the invention of the Internet, and it can plague any
frequency range.
While I share and understand that concern, I see no reason to throw
the baby out with the bath water. Anything that generates more QSO's
during a contest also generates more fun.
Especially for those of us who live outside metropolitan areas, or
have modest stations, VHF contesting is completely different than HF
contests. Yet, most of our rules are heavily influenced by rules
developed on HF frequencies. My advice would be to get a few contests
under your belt, especially during the fall and winter and see if that
changes your mind.
I would be in favor of a 6 Meter only category. Like you, I believe
that anything that encourages HF operators to try VHF is a positive
step. Those who enjoy it will hopefully be encouraged to try the
higher bands. But even if they only remain on 6 Meters, that's fine too.
Looking forward to working EM65 and EM53 this weekend. Listen for the
weak one in EM63...that will be me!
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