[VHFcontesting] Re: CQ WW VHF Contest

[Mark S. Adams, P.E.]

Hi John and Gang,

I am a rabid qrp guy, HF and VHF, mostly out of necessity. I 
wholeheartedlyt support this idea and agree that 10W should be the max. 
This would foster more interest as guys like me figure that QRO'ers will go 
out with their top notch gear turned down a bit and win. I understand that 
you only had 2 entries above 10W, but from the QTHs I have operated, I 
think that running 25W vs. my 5W would be a huge difference.

As for the 6 hour blocks. I love it!  I never have been able to mount an 
overnight expedition and take it ALL along. Knowing that I had a pair of 6 
hour sessions would make more ops want to play.

Lastly, I suggest that there not be a limit on number of operator for qrp. 
I could easily entice other hams who are not into vhf to come and help me 
out, make setup/teardown go easier along with handling the 10-20 people who 
show up asking questions during band openings!  They won't show up to just 
watch, they would want to operate. The load of equipment is large enough 
that an extra hand would be FB.

There is a HUGE amount of VHF gear on (or maybe not on) the air. You 
mentioned the Icoms that are sitting around waiting to be used, there are 
the FT817s and the TT Transverter kits too.  But wait, there is a HUGE 
untapped population of would-be VHFers on HPACK, the FT817 Yahoo Group, 
Adventure Radio Societyt and QRP-L!! These guys must be shown the WA5JVB 
cheappie beams and how to find good QTHs.  If just 10% of the these 6000+ 
guys on the lists that have 6 or 2 would work a couple hours apiece, welll 
the math is OBVIOUS! You wouldn't be able to find a font big enough to 
spell SUCCESS.

Just my $0.02 es 73,
Mark K2QO


> Re QRP -- I operated QRP @25 w out of necessity during the 2002 contest
> and frankly noticed little difference in my score from running my usual
> several hundred watts.  True, especially on 6 m, I may have missed the
> 2nd and 3rd layers of callers that would have been attracted to my QRO
> signal.  But I have also operated in ARRL contests with the ARRL defined
> 10 watts from mountaintop locations...and that will beat almost any QRO
> home station any time.  Also, so far in processing QRP entries  for the
> 2002 contest, all are at 10 watts or less, except two [mine is one] at 25
> w.  Therefore, for consistancy between contests...and recognizing radios
> like the FT-817 and even the old Icom 502, 202, and 402 still much in use
> at lower power levels...that QRP be defined on VHF at 10 watts.  This
> segways nicely to a related concept.