[VHFcontesting] Notes on VHF Rules Revisions

[kevin kaufhold]

From:  Kevin Kaufhold, W9GKA, EM58

Enclosed are my comments on the various thoughts now
circulating on VHF contests.  Since the comments are
lengthy, I will break them into a multi-part approach,
with a new part popping onto the reflector every so
often.  For reasons that will become apparent in my
later parts, I loosely refer to my notes as the
“minimalist club oriented view”.  In general, I feel
that only a resurgence of VHF oriented clubs will
materially affect the state of VHF contesting
sufficiently enough to dramatically increase the
number of VHF log submissions. 

Part I – Impacts from regulatory and technological
changes.  

In my estimation, there is nothing per se wrong with
the VHF Contests.  A long tradition exists with the
present format, dating back to 1948 for the January
VHF SS and shortly thereafter for the other two VHF
QSO Parties. Anything with that much history, in spite
of all the technological changes that have occurred
over the years, must be doing something right. The
present contest format has survived the test of time,
and has been repeatedly experimented on and revised
over the years to meet changes in ham radio operator’s
interests and desires.  I believe that says a lot for
the current format.  

I suggest that the large ups and downs in contest log
submissions are related more to regulatory changes,
technological changes, and simple demographics than
anything else. I cite to the following items.  

First, in 1953, Novices were granted operating
privileges on 2 meters. Technicians received
privileges on 6 meters in 1955, and then on 2 meters
in 1959.  This led to a veritable explosion of VHF
contesting activity, and contest log entries of over
1000 per January VHF SS occurred for a ten year period
between 1957 and 1967.  The popularity of Heath
Twoer’s and Sixer’s led to tremendous amounts of lower
VHF band activity, as well. Weekly 2 meter AM check-in
and RACES nets of 50 or more hams were common
throughout the metropolitan areas of the US (I have
more to say about the SMSA’s later on in my comments).
This time period has been referred to as the “baby
boom” of VHF contesting (See, “A Brief History of
North American VHF Contesting” in the VHF-UHF
Contesting! Column, NCJ, Nov/Dec 1990, at p.21-22).

Second, another major boom in VHF contesting took
place in the late 1970’s, and this was largely due to
the introduction and mass usage of Japanese
manufactured multimode rigs. Log entries in the
January VHF SS again climbed toward 1000 in 1980. 
This boom was also noted in the above referenced
article in NCJ, and was referred to as a “second boom”
in VHF contesting.      

Third, by the early to mid 1990’s, the regulatory
granting of no-code technician licenses and their VHF
only operating privileges was making a dramatic impact
upon the VHF community. Within the span of a few short
years, the ham ranks went from virtually no newly
licensed technicians to over one-third of all amateur
radio licensees being VHF only technicians.
Additionally, technical advances in phase lock loop
technology and increased miniaturization of electronic
components allowed for the introduction of 100 watts,
multi-band, multi-mode VHF transceivers of a compact
nature. For instance, the original ICOM 706 was
considered a major breakthrough in HF and VHF
equipment capability, and was extraordinarily popular
among hams. The combined effect of the large increase
in newly licensed VHF only hams coupled with technical
innovations in radios produced another explosion of
VHF operating and contesting activities.  This era
should now be seen as being a third major boom in ham
related VHF activities.   

Fourth, even the ARRL itself has noted and commented
on some of these regulatory and technological changes
impacting VHF contesting.  The Heath-kit Lunch Boxes
and the liberalization of the Novice and Technician
rules were specifically mentioned as causative agents
for the explosion of VHF log submissions in the 1960’s
(see, “VHF Contesting”, by W1XX, QST, August, 1981, at
80).  

Fifth, adverse regulatory changes definitely caused a
downward trend in contesting activities, at least in
the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, with Novices losing
all 2 meter privileges by 1972. This effect was noted
and discussed in the article written by W1XX.  I also
believe that the most recent downturn in logs is
partly due to additional regulatory changes that have
effectively allowed many VHF only technicians access
to the HF bands via licensing upgrades. Additionally,
in each of the above three cited cases of enhanced VHF
activity, as the phenomenon generally wore off, log
submissions went back down to lower levels.  In fact,
the cyclical nature of VHF contesting activity, along
with pleas for reform in the contest rules with each
downward turn, was been widely discussed over the
years within both the VHF community and the pages of
QST itself.  In each instance of a downturn in logs,
arguments have been made that somehow the contest
rules were to blame, and thus the rules must be
changed and tinkered with.  Oddly enough, such pleas
for changes were made in spite of widespread knowledge
of the impacts of regulatory and technological changes
occurring.  

In my next part, I will discuss some implications to
be drawn from the above noted items.


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