[VHFcontesting] Self Spotting Was: APRS?

[Alex]

Hi Jeff,

>  And
> truth be told, is it really needed on 6 and 2 meters? 

I can understand you wonder about that. You are in FM19.

But imagine yourself in a different grid, say EM92 for instance. :) Operating a contest in a flat area where some portions are even below sea level and with no band openings to speak off, a VHF/UHF contest becomes rather pointless. You work a few locals and maybe 1 or two station over 100 miles away and that's about it. I love contesting, but this is downright boring. I can imagine that there are many areas like that in the U.S. 

It would be nice if we could get some help from the contest sponsors to increase activity on VHF/UHF. The fact that we're nearing the bottom of the sunspot cycle could be taken as an opportunity to try to interest folks in VHF/UHF weak signal work as an alternative for when their favorite HF bands have crapped out. They may already have the necessary equipment (HF/VHF/UHF rigs) but just need a reason to put up an antenna. Contests might help provide for that reason (in terms of activity).

If contest sponsors would allow for self spotting, we'd have an extra tool to increase activity. Our signals from down here are not going to produce stellar S meter reading on the back of the beams of station over 50 miles away. Chances are that they'll not even notice us. We need something that might persuade a station to swing their beams around towards us. I think that self spotting could help us here. 

Serious contest stations aim their beams in the direction of the highest anticipated activity or where they suspect or know where rovers are. Sure they'll swing their beams around in a lull of the contest (which will probably coincide with a low activity in the low density areas), but it's a huge crap shoot. It's also labor also intensive with low yield (think motivation). You have a better chance of running your keyer on a frequency aiming your beam to a high density area and make a contact with a lot less effort. I can't blame them. 

Packet spots create activity. That's why we have that tool. Let's use that tool to its full potential. Like we have a 10 minute rule in some contest, one could think of 15 minute self spotting rule. You're allowed to spot yourself once ever 15 minutes. Or maybe once per new CQ frequency. I'm sure we could come up with something if we're willing.

I'll be on the air during the contest. Not as a competitor but as an experimenter. 

73,
--Alex KR1ST
http://www.kr1st.com