[UK-CONTEST] Decline in 2m contest activity

[Ray James]

--- On Sat, 13/9/08, gm4fam at tiscali.co.uk <gm4fam at tiscali.co.uk> wrote:

> Ray (CXM)
> 
> First off, I applaud and admire your passion on this subject - a few >hundred more like you and VHF contesting in the UK would be in a very >healthy state.

Thanks Cris,
I wouldn't exactly call it a passion but I certainly have strong feelings about the decline in VHF/UHF and Microwave activity on a national scale in the UK, hopefully thousands feel the same. Contesting for me is a very enjoyable activity, be it HF or higher up the spectrum. For VHF/UHF and the Microwave bands it has always held an air of experimentation with paths, propagation and ever changing anomalies due to weather, air temperature and terrain. HF has it's own different propagation attributes but that is not the subject of this discussion.
Historically, and to the present day in Europe but now excluding the UK, this experimentation of paths has been facilitated by what is commonly known as "talkback", usually on a lower frequency band to arrange a schedule for tests on a higher frequency band. The basis of this is that we are not only dealing with different weather, air temperature and paths but ever sharper directive antennas, be they yagis or dishes.
In the days that it brings a tear to a glass eye, it could have been 4m to 2m or 70cm, 2m to 70cm and 23cm etc, etc. All contact information was passed on the new band but the callsign, locator and frequency would be then known in advance so in reality, the report and serial number was the only unknown quantity to exchange.
With the advent of the internet came the DX-Cluster and Converse.
Newer still is the now very popular ON4KST chatrooms covering interests as diverse as Microwaves, UHF, VHF, EME and LF bands.
A couple of years ago the UK Microwave Group presented Alain ON4KST with an award for helping further the development of activity and progress of microwave communication with the availability of his system.
With these new facilities come responsibilities, fair play, no cheating.
Banning UK amateurs using them has been blamed on abuse. Fortunately, both the DX-Cluster and ON4KST can be checked for historical information and numerous individuals and contest groups carried out research and found very little or no grounds for a unilateral ban by our contest committee whilst the rest of European carries on as normal. As no proof has ever been provided then contesters like myself can only scratch our heads and theorise. The ban came in force after the 2007 contest season started and thus far no assisted/unassisted rule has appeared.
One only has to visit the "claimed scores" pages on the VHFCC website and read the comments box for submissions on all the various contests and without doubt the most common refer to low activity. This is not something to be dismissive about when considered in relation to activity what is happening in the rest of Europe. My feelings are that we should all be doing more to try and turn this around but as individuals that is a mammoth task. As contest co-ordination and rule making in the UK falls on the shoulders of the Chairman and members of the CC, it should in reality be a top down led scenario and we do our bit individually or as contest groups to be active and to encourage new operators.
One of the biggest implications to the unilateral ban was not felt in the areas of highest activity but in the furthest parts of the UK. It's nothing to do with winning but participating and experimenting on exactly the same basis as the rest of Europe despite the challenge of distance.
 

> The comparison you made to operating GM7V in CQWW and using
> cluster spots is a red herring ): 
> first, it is an American-organised HF contest not a British
> VHF one second, GM7V was a multi-multi operation where cluster use
> is entirely within the rules

Sorry Cris but you've miss-understood.
I could have used any HF contest in the world.
The point I was making was equated to the fact that even on HF, schedules can be made or appeared to be made by somebody spotting you and asking for you to listen for them and a contact taking place. 


> I don't believe it is right for anyone (whether HF or
> VHF biased) to poor scorn on the opposite end of their spectrum interest 
> it is just not healthy for the hobby. 
 
Cris, please don't let me read that again because I haven't and I wouldn't and I take offence to being accused of doing so.
I enjoy my HF, I just like VHF/UHF/Microwaves a bit more.
Okay, the quads are history, the 3el SteppIR is packed away, the W3DZZ continues to be used occasionally, but my main activity happens elsewhere. 


> I for one am very glad the 2 committees have combined - a
> pooling of ideas (including optimising the VHF/HF contest calendar)
> can only be a good thing and I believe Don G3XTT and his team deserve our
> full ongoing support, not least on the above subject (which we
> were originally addressing).

OMG.