[Fourlanders] Grid Circling

[Jim Worsham]

Thanks for your additional input Robin,  it is very helpful.  Sorry about
the whole rovering, roving thing.

73
Jim, W4KXY

-----Original Message-----
From: fourlanders-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:fourlanders-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Robin Midgett
Sent: Monday, May 14, 2007 2:36 PM
To: fourlanders at contesting.com
Cc: ND2X at ARRL.net; Mike Wechsler; N4FLM at comcast.net; Rover at wireco.net
Subject: [Fourlanders] Grid Circling

Hi Jim, et al,
As with any creation, someone will seek the path of least resistance and
thereby reveal the loop holes in the creation. This is one way improvements
come to pass. Sadly, the ARRL lags severely in making improvements to the
creation (the rover category in this case).
Concerning grid circling and the task afoot of defining it, I offer
this: it would be a mistake to omit from the definition & future rules what
grid circling is NOT. While reading the comments offered so far, and the
posting on grid circling at wikipedia, it appears that grid circling is NOT
a rover (single or multiple) who targets operating positions near the
intersection of grid boundaries and contacts as many other stations as
possible from each of the four grids.

I believe the controversy is over the situation of several rover stations
who make circling grid corners a prime focus of their operation, and who
don't try to operate as many other stations as possible while in a given
grid.

Scenario: Multiple rover stations coordinate to arrive in separate but
intersecting grids during a contest and contact as many stations as possible
(including each other) from each of the grids, then rotate positions so that
each rover station moves one grid and repeats the process. Is this grid
circling? I think not.
If this process is played out to the exclusion of other stations not in the
rover organization, then that is grid circling, and it only serves to
inflate the rover's scores. For this reason, I like the notion of a separate
category for pack rovers and rovers who circle grids. I believe the original
intent of the rover category is to promote activity and add elements of
challenge to the overall contest. Putting those who exclude contacting as
many other stations as possible in a separate category will ultimately cause
a lack of interest in the that category of "competition" (quotes because
circling & pack roving in the context discussed isn't competing at all).
Hopefully, those who take part in circling will then graduate to compete in
a more constructive, challenging and significant sense.

Also, while I'm on the soap box...the term is ROVING...NOT ROVERING. 
Rover is a noun, roving is a verb. A rover goes roving...not
"rovering"...there just can't be such a word because it is grammatically
illegitimate.
If one rows a boat, he/she is a rower, not a "rowinger", and he/she goes
rowing, not "rowering". If one drives a car, he/she is the driver, not the
drivinger, and he/she goes driving, not drivering.

Hey..that's it...put the pack rovers and grid circling teams in an
illegitimate category called Rovering!

Thanks,
Robin Midgett K4IDC
615-322-5836 office - rolls to pager
615-835-7699 pager
615-301-1642 home
K4IDC at comcast.net
http://www.people.vanderbilt.edu/~robin.midgett/index.htm 

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