[VHFcontesting] Re: VHFcontesting rules - hmmmm!

[Eugene Zimmerman]

Donn has it right.  The changes in the rover rules have nothing to do with
the desires of the rovers but everything to do with the politics of club
scores.  If you all remember, there was a much more onerous rule in place
for a short time promulgated by the ARRL Awards Committee which has the
final say on contest rules, that was put in place with no input from either
the community or the CAC, as I remember it.  That resulted in a big and
justified uproar from the rovers. The current rule is a compromise crafted
by the CAC with constituent input but with the direction from the Awards
committee that going back to the old original rules was NOT an option.

73  Gene  W3ZZ


----- Original Message -----
From: "Donn Baker" <wa2voi at minnmicro.com>
To: "John Geiger" <johngeig at yahoo.com>; "paul goble" <goblefam at swbell.net>;
<vhf at w6yx.stanford.edu>; <vhfcontesting at contesting.com>
Cc: <vhf at w6yx.stanford.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 5:09 PM
Subject: [VHFcontesting] Re: VHFcontesting rules - hmmmm!


> At 09:17 03-09-02 -0700, John Geiger wrote:
> >Can anyone inform me as to why the rule change?
>
> In the early/mid 90's, a couple of Rovers in NE did a perfectly legal
thing
> in the January Contest:  they "grid circled."  That is, A was in grid 1,
> while B was in 1, 2, 3, and then 4.  A moved to grid 2, and B circled 1,
2,
> 3, 4.  A moved to grid 3; B went 1, 2, 3, and 4.  Finally, A went to grid
> 4, and B did it all again.
>
> They racked up HUGE scores (> 1.5 million each, if I remember correctly).
>
> Let me emphasise that it was (and still is) a perfectly legal way to
operate.
>
> What appears to have happend, however, is that one or more "contest
groups"
> got all bent out of shape because the Rovers had higer scores than they
> did.  NOTE that ROVERS do NOT compete with SINGLE OPS or MULTI-OPS: only
> other Rovers.  The Rovers also contributed to a Club score, so that Club
> won over other, much larger clubs.
>
> Bottom line is that the Contest Committe appears to have been bullied into
> making rules changes.  I cannot speak for all Rovers, of course, but I was
> adamently opposed to the rules changes, as was (at least) the majority of
> Rovers.  I do not recall a SINGLE ROVER who said, "This needs to be
> stopped. Please change the rules."
>
> Opinion, obviously, but the basics are a matter of record.
>
> Flame away.
>
> 73 Donn
> WA2VOI ex-/R
>
>
>