[VHFcontesting] VHF+ Rate Sheet Subscribers

Tue Jul 20 19:10:56 EDT 2004

VERY INTERESTING MESSAGE !!!!

I have 2 accounts on "vhfcontesting at contesting.com".
I checked BOTH of the accounts VERY carefully and didn't see any post from Tom YTD !!!
At least NOTHING "From: Tom Frenaye <frenaye at direcway.com>" as your URL indicated.

Maybe some other List members could comment on whether or not they got Tom's post here ???
If so maybe there are other problems than the League and VHF+.

I don't know who this the "List Owner" is, but maybe he/she/it (just being PC !!!)
could comment on why I didn't receive Tom's post on the ARRL meeting that you say was
posted here.

At 15:30 7/20/2004 , Kenneth E. Harker wrote:
>On Tue, Jul 20, 2004 at 01:09:49PM -0400, R Johnson wrote:
> > 
> > >The League is trying to support VHF+ contesting (and has put a really
> > >disproportionate amount of resources into it from a membership standpoint),
> > >so I'd hope you reconsider at some point.  There is a general understanding,
> > >I think, that the VHF+ community didn't get some of the resources it
> > >deserved, even though the numbers of members so engaged is quite small.
> > 
> > I can't help remembering the old line:
> > "I'm from the government and I'm here to help you" !!!
> > I don't know "How much more help we can stand" !!!
> > We lost the VUAC
> > We lost the Sprints
> > We lost the Line Scores in QST
> > We may loose the AUG VHF contest (I'm waiting to see the outcome of the meeting)
>
>The outcome of the meeting was posted on this very reflector, yesterday, 
>by K1KI: http://lists.contesting.com/_vhfcontesting/2004-07/msg00080.html
>Perhaps you missed it?

Not as far as I can see !!!

>The ARRL Spring Sprints were cancelled due to extremely low participation.
>I operated some of those last few years, and I can tell you that scheduling
>a four hour contest for a week night was a disaster.  Aside from the 50 MHz 
>Sprint (which was held on a weekend) there's no fun in listening to static 
>for four hours on a weeknight to work three QSOs.  I've listened to people
>complain for four years about the death of the sprints, but the only person
>I've seen suggest a reasonable replacement that might be popular on the air
>was K5TR, and his suggestion (a four hour weekend all-band VHF+ sprint) was
>just howled and hooted at by the members of this reflector.

Yep, I operated them also !!! I also noted a decrease in participation.
I always thought the League could have done a better job of promoting
the Sprints, especially with the availability of the WEB in the latter
years.

>Line scores were lost by all contests, VHF and HF alike.

I NEVER talked to many who thought this was a "SMART MOVE" for the League !!!
I think the League lost a lot of members over that one !!!

>At the same time, even though "The World Above 50 MHz" column in QST is at 
>least 50% longer than any other special interest column in QST, the ARRL
>added another bimonthly column, "Microwavelengths," devoted just to (the,
>what, 350 or so) microwavers.

Yes, but it is ONLY one column for VHF+ !!!  Add up all the other columns
related to HF etc. and I don't think that VHF+ and MW got a disproportionate
number of pages in QST !!! 

>The League publishes and imports an 
>enormous variety of books and publications on VHF weak signal operation,
>DXing, construction, etc., and even publishes VHF conference proceedings.

Yes, but with the exception of the Proceedings, most of the ARRL Publications
are "Out of Date" with technology. I used to buy just about every one of the ARRL
publications both HF and VHF+. I finally gave up on buying any of them !!!
For your interest I have most of the ARRL Publications since 1965 and a lot back to
the 40's !!! I went out of my way to collect them for my library. Same with QST's.

>There is a lot that the ARRL does for VHF/UHF weak signal operators that 
>it never does for HF contesters, for boat anchor afficianados, or even
>for the ARES groups.

Yes, like killing the VUAC !!!  BTW, you forgot to mention that in YOUR reply
to this message !!! Why did we KILL the VUAC and make it part of the CAC ???
How did it benefit the VHF+ Operators ???

>  
>And had you read the subcommittee results, you would know that the ARRL
>is now not planning to eliminate the August UHF Contest, even though it has 
>low participation that is getting lower every year and nobody has made a 
>reasonable suggestion for a replacement format that would actually be 
>popular.

Yes, I would have known that if Tom's message was posted on [VHFcontesting] !!!

> > While not just a VHF+ item, on Feb 12, 2004 Wayne Mills arbitrarily eliminated:
> > The Rag Chewer's Club, the Old Timer's Club and the Friendship Awards.
> > (2 of the 3 Awards a "NEW" ARRL member could easily earn)
>
>Both were extremely unpopular (in the sense that almost nobody was applying 
>for them any more.)  There's no point in retaining awards nobody wants to 
>earn.

I WOULDN'T say UNPOPULAR, but I WOULD say UN-PROMOTED by the League !!!

A simple group of ARRL Awards that a "NEWBIE" could get for his League
Membership and a few $$$ (most expensive was $5 as I remember and most were
administered by ARRL Affiliated Clubs, so it didn't cost the League much more
than printing the certificate !!!).

A new ARRL member doesn't get much anymore for $39. In the not so far past,
he used to get a NICE PRINTED membership Certificate (with real raised print} !!!
Then it went to a crappy "plain printed certificate", then it went to NONE !!!
Of course if you bitched to the League, they would tell you how to print one
on your home printer.

Gee, I hate to complain, but in the not to distant past, at least the League
used to make a "New Member" think he/she/it was "Wanted". Now it's send us $39 !!!

>  
> > If the MSC keeps dropping contest and awards for lack of participation, there
> > won't be much left of the League.
> > 
> > I feel that the Mills and MSC should be trying to PROMOTE instead of CANCELLING !!!
>
>You should read the subcommittee report.

I would if it was on the list !!! I'll try to find it here Hi Hi :<) !!!

>  
> > 73
> > Bob, K1VU
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > >73, Ward N0AX
> > >
> > >----- Original Message ----- 
> > >From: "R Johnson" <k1vu at tmlp.com>
> > >To: "Ward Silver" <hwardsil at centurytel.net>; <vhfcontesting at contesting.com>
> > >Sent: Monday, July 19, 2004 4:28 PM
> > >Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] VHF+ Rate Sheet Subscribers
> > >
> > >
> > > > Hi Ward:
> > > > The reason there aren't VHF+ subscribers to the "Rate Sheet" is because
> > >you
> > > > must be an ARRL member to get it !!!
> > > >
> > > > A lot of VHF+ operators have quit the League because of lack of support.
> > > >
> > > > I used to get it, but I never did find much of interest in the VHF+ area,
> > >SRI !!!
> > > >
> > > > 73
> > > > Bob, K1VU
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > At 19:12 7/19/2004 , Ward Silver wrote:
> > > > >Mentioning the Rate Sheet reminded me that VHF+ contesters don't seem to
> > >be
> > > > >subscribed to Rate Sheet in the same proportions as HF contesters.  Of
> > > > >course, there aren't as many VHF+ contests, etc., but there is certainly
> > > > >material of VHF+ interest there..  I think part of it is that they might
> > >not
> > > > >know about it and how to subscribe to it.  For those of you in VHF+
> > >Contest
> > > > >Clubs, please publicize the Rate Sheet
> > > > >(http://www.arrl.org/contests/rate-sheet/) and encourage them to
> > >subscribe.
> > > > >I would LOVE to have more material of interest to VHF+ers and if I get
> > >more
> > > > >of them as subscribers, it will happen.  It's an excellent way for VHF+
> > > > >contesters to reach a big audience of HF contesters - hint, hint.
> > > > >
> > > > >73, Ward N0AX
> > > > >Editor, "Contester's Rate Sheet"
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >_______________________________________________
> > > > >VHFcontesting mailing list
> > > > >VHFcontesting at contesting.com
> > > > >http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > VHFcontesting mailing list
> > VHFcontesting at contesting.com
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
>
>-- 
>Kenneth E. Harker WM5R
>kenharker at kenharker.com
>http://www.kenharker.com/