[VHFcontesting] Pre-contest skeds

[Eugene Zimmerman]

Ken Harker wrote:

> On Thu, May 23, 2002 at 01:59:23AM -0700, Tim Marek wrote:
> > Skeds BEFORE a contest are what make or brake a top contest effort,
>
> I'm not sure this is always true.  In 2000, W5KFT finished second in
> the limited multi-operator category in the ARRL June VHF QSO Party,
> and they had no pre-arranged skeds.

I went back to look at the June 2000 results.  W5KFT was second to W2ODH/6
but had 369 more Q's and 52 more grids on 6 than ODH, historically one of
the best performances ever recorded on 6.  Admittedly the population density
in southern California is higher but the Es conditions strongly favored
Texas as they usually do.  If one looks at the 2, 222 and 432 results from
ODH their numbers are impressive for an area known for its mediocre amounts
of weak signal activity.  My *guess* is that 2-432 includes lots of FM
contacts and lots of schedules.  Some of those stations scheduled probably
made contacts with stations other than ODH and so everyone benefitted.
Certainly ODH never worked 35 grids on 222 from there without the benefit of
schedules. They also may have had help from some rovers whose schedules they
knew in advance.  In other words ODH made good use of all the opportunities
that most VHF contest stations are allowed.

It is possible that if KFT had made schedules and even sucked up to the
locals on FM in advance of the contest ["get on and work us on 146.55 during
the contest"], KFT might have WON the L/M category.  There are LOTS of grids
available but many of the ops are inactive unless prodded to get on or never
look out towards EM10.  They are pointed at the Dallas metroplex or Houston.
Better yet had you convinced 4 friends to become 4 band rovers and cover 11
grids apiece [really easy in Texas] and knew their schedules in advance you
would have gotten 264 additional Q points and perhaps 20 more band grids
[since you had only about 25 grids per band on 2-432, that would not have
been too difficult either].  Not only would these rovers provided other
Texas stations with Q's but KFT would have wound up with 613k points, 8k
more than ODH.

My point is that VHF contests ARE different than HF contests for the many
reasons that others have already stated.  6 meters is a lot like 10 in
operating practice but as Bill K1DY notes, even 2 meters is quite different
and the UHF/microwave bands suffer mightily from the antenna "searchlight"
effect.  If both stations are not pointed at each other, they often cannot
hear each other and if either of them are not in the direction of a
population center, the chances they will point at each other are slim.

A discussion like what has been going on here is a good thing.  Each
operator has to make his own choices.  On HF no one forces you to use 2
radios but if you don't you put yourself at a distinct disadvantage.  You
don't like using two radios and growing an extra head [I don't], only you
can decide whether it is worth the reduction in fun to have a chance to win.
On VHF no one forces you to make schedules in advance if you choose not to.
But unlike HF contests where there are unlimited numbers of Q's/mults to be
had and you can never work them all, increasing the amount of activity and
variety of grids and pushing the propagation envelop to new distances always
has been part of the VHF contests and should remain so IMHO.  In fact a case
can be made such as Clarke Greene has stated that internet/telephone/packet
skeds DURING the contest might also be a valuable addition.

73  Gene  W3ZZ