[VHFcontesting] Too Many Contests?

[Duane Grotophorst]

--- "Michael A. Urich" <mike at ka5cvh.com> wrote:

> My suggestion a couple of years ago to the league
> was to combine the June VHF QSO party, the August
> UHF & 10 GHz + contests into FD and then score
> all VHF+ contacts just as they would those contests.
>  I also suggested that when you entered your log(s)
>  you could specify whether if you were
> entering as FD, VHF only, UHF only, 10 GHz+ only or
> a VHF+ (everything above 50MHz) category.  My vision
> was to allow a club to operate FD and if a
> sub-group of the club wanted to run a VHF station,
> UHF station or a 10Ghz+ station they could count
> that in their FD score *_OR_* submit a completely
> different log if they so choose.

As far out there as this idea may seem at first it
really does have a lot of merit. What better way to
expose many more ops from the "DC" folks below 30MHz
and the "Joe HT" crowd; those who would not otherwise
ever see a serious VHF contesting station in action?
Having a sub-group of hardcore VHF contesters racking
up FD points on the so called VHF+ weak signal bands
and modes could spark some more interest in VHF
contesting. That VHF group does however need some
level of autonomy from the the rest of the FD
operation to help keep thier motivation up. If the
VHF+ sub group wants go "all out" they would then have
the sufficiently independent scoring mechanism to do
so. Because some FD operations are notorious for being
very "laid back" and don't work the Q's that hard
(like my local group). 

However instead of pulling those other contests into
FD itself add completely separate scoring sub
categories to the FD scoring system that break out the
VHF and up scores much like Mike suggests (so they
essentially become "co-contests"). The way it works
now a strong effort by the VHF+ crew at a FD site can
easily be diluted by a mediocre HF effort. And I would
even take it a step further and allow an individual
(or sub group) submit their VHF+ score as both part of
the overall FD effort *_AND_* as their own
personal/sub group entry for the VHF+ Q's (not just
*_OR_* as Mike suggests).

Our local group usually has a significant VHF+ SSB
presence but the level of activity for stations to
work is considerably less than what the ARRL June VHF
contest is. Many of the VHF FM and HF only ops are
often surprised by what really can be done with 6M and
up using SSB/CW and that FM really doesn't really
represent the world above 29.7 MHz very well at all.
Some may have even become interested enough to pursue
VHF beyond FM on their own because of it. 

Duane
N9DG



	
		
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