[VHFcontesting] comments from non-submitters?

Tom Frenaye frenaye at direcway.com
Sat Apr 12 19:18:27 EDT 2003


At 05:41 PM 4/12/2003 -0400, Ev Tupis (W2EV) wrote:
>Tom Carney wrote:
>> 
>> I believe Ev was proposing we search the logs of the top 10 stations for
>> people who did not submit logs.  We would then contact those stations to
>> determine why they did not submit logs.  (Did I get that right Ev?)  I think
>> this is an excellent idea and am willing to help.
>
>Yes, Tom.  You've got it.  This can't be difficult to do (identifying who
>participated but didn't submit).  The tough part is reaching them to ask them
>why.  If done with tact, there's no reason in the world they shouldn't tell us.

Sounds like it might be useful information to have.  Rather than making it into a research project that no one has the time to do, a simpler (do-it-now) solution might for each person on the reflector to look at their own logs and compare it with the results in QST for the last VHF/UHF contest.  Contact the people in your local area that you worked and who did not send in logs.  

I suspect there will be a pretty good variety of reasons for not sending in logs (no time, problems with file format, never forgave ARRL for XXX, my score was too small, etc).   See what you can do to encourage them to get on more, to send in a log, etc.      Of course, it isn't the number of logs that matters the most - it is the number of participants, that's the real goal.   Everyone has more fun when there are more people to work!

There is an ARRL Membership Services Committee effort going on to seriously review VHF/UHF contests and see what might be done to encourage more activity.  It started with a survey last October to gather some preliminary comments and ideas.    The group was expanded several weeks ago and is hard at work tossing ideas around - and most are also QRV on this reflector and I'm sure quite appreciative of the comments.   Those on the sub-committee are K1JX K2UA W3ZZ W5ZN AA7A N7NG/1 KM0T N0AX/7 and me[chair] (along with N1ND who runs the contest program in Newington).

Some comments on previous messages:

There is no long term data on ARRL contests (HF or V/UHF) except what is in the published articles.  The process has been to hold onto the logs until the next year's contest and then toss them.   I suspect that has changed a little in the last year or two as the majority of logs have come in electronically but there really is no long term data that can be extracted.

A recent message asked about VHF contest logs and the soon to be released Logbook of the World.   It won't happen initially.   You'll be able to take your Cabrillo output contest file and run it through a utility program to create the format necessary for LOTW.   Some contest software writers will probably incorporate that utility within their programs.  A log will not automatically be added to LOTW, each individual will have to decide to submit the data to LOTW.   LOTW will track grids and will be able to handle QSOs for VHF awards like VUCC.

                -- Tom


=====
e-mail: k1ki at arrl.org   ARRL New England Division Director  http://www.arrl.org/
Tom Frenaye, K1KI, P O Box J, West Suffield CT 06093 Phone: 860-668-5444 




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