[VHFcontesting] FM is the root af all evil

[Sean Kutzko]

--- STeve Andre' <andres at msu.edu> wrote:
> One way to get folks into VHF contesting is well, to
> get them on and try
> it out.  Since *most* hams that have 2m/70cm
> abilities are FM only, they
> have the ability right away to at least try things
> out.

Precisely. When I was still living in Champaign, IL, I
tried to get the local membership interested in
contesting and VHF activity by creating the " 2m FM
Challenge." It was a 1-hour contest, 2m FM simplex
only, with cities as multipliers. Exchange was your
name and city. Several entry categories based on
power, and rovers were allowed. I created the
multiplier "Mobile" for when they were not within a
city limit (quite rural around Champaign, IL).
Exchange was your first name and your city. The
response was overwhelmingly positive, and some of the
folks who did well in the event did express interest
in weak-signal VHF and contesting in general. I ran 4
or 5 of these within a 2-year period, and had hams
within a 75-mile radius of Champaign participate.
I made sure that everybody got a certificate, which
certainly made the new folks proud.

Education is the key... get folks to look past their
preconcieved notions, and you will attract new blood
to the hobby. Make it fun and interesting for the new
folks, and you can't go wrong. FM contest QSO's can
open doors to the shack-on-the-belt types that there's
more to VHF than repeaters.

73,


Sean Kutzko, Amateur Radio KX9X
Gillespie, IL       Grid EM59cd
   http://www.seankutzko.com

"Nothing changes if nothing changes."

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