[VHFcontesting] Re: captive rovers

[Dennis Hudson]

On Tuesday, Jul 29, 2003, at 09:55 US/Eastern, dpease at adams.net wrote:

> My limited experience here in the "Black Hole" (even worse in VHF 
> test) with rovers is limited, but all I have heard on are not 
> "captive" and many times provide the only contact in several grids on 
> many bands.  I am thankful to have them out there.
>
> Danny  NG9R
>

Amen


Tree, Jim, Warren etc, what do you guys have against roving? Why are 
you constantly trying to destroy one of the most enjoyable aspects of 
my HOBBY. What you may not realize is all this rover bashing has the 
potential to kill VHF contesting for many of us. We have already been 
assaulted by the new rover rules, for which I replied, "fine I won't 
turn in logs anymore then". Now you want to tell me who I can and can't 
work during a contest? Who the hell do you people think you are? Mind 
you own darn business and work on your own stations. If there are any 
more rover rule changes, we the rovers should be suggesting them. Not a 
bunch of bellyaching good-ole-boys who are too lazy to support the 
growth of this hobby.

Try taking a positive attitude at this contesting thing instead of this 
constant bitching. Look at what some of the large VHF groups have done 
for the hobby. W2SZ, K8GP, N2WK, W3CCX, K3YTL etc. Populated relatively 
unused bands, taught microwave station construction, repair and 
operating practices to new hams, old hams and even potential hams. I 
now own and operate a very capable VHF-SHF station that I have amassed 
over the years, but it all started out by learning from a local VHF 
group, that has continued to guide me and offer help when needed. This 
type of activity is savior of VHF contesting, not the dinosaur 
attitudes that spews out of this reflector.

I try to contact anyone willing to put an effort to make a station 
capable of working me. I've personally handed out some of the final 
microwave VUCC cards to stations like KH6CP(W1VT), VE2JWH, WA1AIM. I 
try to publish my schedule on this reflector and my capabilities are 
listed with VE2PIJ's VHF resource page.

If one were to examine some of my logs you might find only a handful of 
different stations in my log, and quite possibly a large percentage of 
exotics would come from one station.  Usually it's because no one is 
pointed where I am, or no one else has a station capable of working me. 
So, should I stop activating rare grids because you don't like it? It's 
bad enough the new rover rules favor a fast rover that uses fixed 
mobile antennas driving through populated areas. Maybe there should be 
a rule that every single or multi op within 200 miles must work me on 
all the bands I have. Maybe we should subtract points from your score 
for every rover you don't work. How's that sound? These suggested rule 
changes are getting ridiculous and I don't believe reflect the feelings 
of the actual people who are operating or even the spirit of VHF 
contesting. Where is ND3F, W3IY, N2JHM, N2MH on this issue? In my 
opinion these are the people you should be asking, not telling.



-- 
Dennis Hudson, N2LBT
N2OJY-N2LBT/VE2/R
FN32,FN33,FN34,FN35,FN36,FN45,FN46,FN47
http://www.n2lbt.com/