[VHFcontesting] Preventing grid circling.

Dan Evans n9rla at yahoo.com
Thu Feb 26 11:58:47 EST 2004


I wouldn't want to place a limit on the time a Rover has to wait before
leaving a grid.  That would be to restrictive on normal Roving.

For example, if you place a 15 minute rule before activating the next grid
when I get to a 4 grid corner it's going to take a full hour for me to work
that corner.  That's too restrictive on 'run and gun' type Rovers.

However, a key to grid circling is for each Rover to BACKTRACK through each
of the grids to make sure that each of the Rovers has worked the others in
and FROM every grid.  This means that each Rover has to make multiple trips
through the grids.

So, if instead of a minimum time in grid rule, we go with a minimum time
before RE-ENTERING a grid, we have stopped circling without being overly
restrictive to normal Rovers.  For example, placing a 1 hour time limit
before you can re-enter a grid would allow a 'run and gun' Rover to work a
grid corner without slowing him down.  However, a pack of circling Rovers
would only get the 4 mults and 4 QSO's per band, instead of the current 16.
Unless they want to take the 4 hours it would take to go back through each
grid.  Which would efficiently slow them down as well.

I know there are a lot of Rovers that would object to this because it is
still restrictive of normal Rovers.  For example, when I travel up I465
through Indianapolis I pass from EM69 into EM79 and back again within a few
miles as the road curves across the grid boundary.  I usually try to pick up
some contacts on 2m FM while going through the different grids.  The
re-entry rule would prevent me from working some of them.  So this is not a
perfect solution, but it seems to be the LEAST restrictive.  And I'm afraid
if we want to come up with a hard and fast rule to prevent grid circling,
then we are likely to have endure some restrictions.  If someone would can
come up with better solution, I would certainly like to see it.  Or do we
need a solution?  Rovers?

P.S.  I think it's time to drop the 146.52 rule...

73
Dan
Dan Evans K9ZF
Scottsburg, IN 47170
{EM78}
K9ZF /R no budget Rover
ex-N9RLA
Check out the Rover Resource Page at:
http://www.qsl.net/n9rla
QRP-l #1269
Central States VHF Society
IN-Ham list administrator




More information about the VHFcontesting mailing list