Arrl September VHF Contest comment

[klimas%uhavax.dnet at ipgate.hartford.edu]

                   << From Ron WZ1V, FN31 Connecticut >>
All right, all you former Rover-rule whiners!  Here's a new podium on
which to stand: Consider that this past September VHF contest, a certain
K3 limited-multiop station claims over 900 QSO's on 2 meters! Do we now
have a new all-time record? I am sure you serious VHF'ers are aware of the
effort required to even work half of that. What's more, this K3 group
claims a 4 band score rivaling W2SZ/1's all-out 50MHz thru light effort !
    A couple nights ago, I chatted with a ham friend who attended the
Gaithersburg MD Hamfest (which coincided w/ the contest). He was evidently
eyewitness to the fact that there were many large signs at the Hamfest
that all said something to the effect: PLEASE WORK K3U-NO-WHO ON 146.5 !
So I guess it's all fine and well to use advertising to fabricate QSOs !
Fine. Next thing this hamfester sees is another large sign on a tower
with a vertical beam pointed in a strategic direction: the Sign indicates
HEY EVERYONE - PLUG YOUR HT INTO OUR BEAM AND WORK K3U-NO-WHO ON 146.5 ! 
Wait a minute: Specific advertisement instructing all passerbys to
provide contacts to a specific multi-op station using the same antenna?
    Is this in the true spirit of ham radio?  Is it even legal?
I mean give me a break! What are these guys going to attempt to get away
with next year? -maybe pass out modified 900 MHz cordless phones to work
900 QSOs on 903 ?  Is the ARRL CAC going to idly stand by until the
unscrupulous minority completely take all the fun out of VHF Contesting
for the rest of us ?
    Next: Am I crazy, or do the ARRL rules require a complete exchange of
both callsigns and reports for a valid contact ?  I overheard many,
and I mean MANY instances of stations running strings of "contacts"
on "their" frequency, which may have started out fine enough with a
guy calling "CQ CONTEST FROM W1WXYZ, W1WXYZ, FN62, OVER!"
10 minutes later all I hear repeatedly are exchanges such as:
"ROGER. FN62 ALSO, 73. QRZ?" (K1ABCD answers next).
"K1ABCD, PLEASE COPY OUR FN62, QSL?" (K1ABCD replies "ROGER, FN52 HERE!")
"ROGER YOUR FN52, 73. QRZ?" (next station answers, and so on). -Hmmm !
    A friend of mine from New Jersey told me a great true story:
He was calling "CQ CONTEST FROM K2SMNZ FN20 OVER". A station comes in
and just drops their call by itself, say, "K3WXYZ".
K2SMNZ replies "OK, K3WXYZ PLEASE COPY FN20, QSL?"
K3WXYX replies "QSL, FN20 ALSO, GOOD LUCK IN THE CONTEST AND 73".
K2SMNZ replies "WAIT A MINUTE, K3WXYZ, WHAT'S MY CALL?"
K3WXYZ replies "HUH? , WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"
K2SMNZ replies I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE MY CALL. WHAT'S MY CALL?
K3WXYZ replies "I DON'T KNOW" !!!
 -Enough said !
                  _\\///_
   co-founder:   (' O O ')    North East Weak Signal group, ARRL affil.
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|  73 de Ron WZ1V,     email: klimas%uhavax.dnet at ipgate.hartford.edu   |
|  Grid FN31mp         BBS:   203-768-4758 (weeknights/weekends only)  |
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