[VHFcontesting] Where would you send someone new to VHF contesting?

[Nate Duehr]

So assuming there's a bunch (or a few) new folks around who want to join 
in the contest fun this season...

I figured I'd take a look at the official contest website to see what 
kind of information I could point them to so they could understand what 
is going on, what they need to do, how the scoring works, etc.

Does anyone else find that if you sent someone to this URL:

http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2006/june-vhf.html

That they would likely end up confused or with zero-clue in how to 
participate?

The rules don't link to any definitions or anything useful about the 
contest.

If you'd never been active in a VHF contest would you know what a 
Limited-Multioperator station was and what it did if one hit you over 
the head?  Where's the definition?  Couldn't it just be hyperlinked to 
every copy of that term?  Same with a lot of other "contesting" terms 
that simply aren't defined at all, there.

There's a lot not explained there, and some of the missing information 
(to me anyway) seems pretty key to new people even being able to 
participate.  If you didn't have someone to "show you the ropes", could 
you figure it out?

It'd be hard to participate if you didn't already know someone involved 
in the contest who could explain those things to you, since they're not 
explained in the contest rules on that page, the general rules, or 
linked from either page.

Try to imagine yourself an utter newbie to ham radio, with NO knowledge 
of contesting of ANY kind, trying to figure out how to participate -- 
then try to find out how to do it on the website.

It'd be "do-able" but it's not very "friendly".  What's a log?  How can 
I keep one?  Someone on the air mentioned this thing called a 
"dupe-sheet"?  What's that?  What is the difference between a Limited 
Multi-operator station and a regular one?  If I only have a three-band 
radio, what category makes the most sense for me to enter in?  What's 
the general protocol of an exchange?

All things that are definitely not "rules" but that have had articles 
written about them, etc... but when people go looking for how to get 
involved, they're going to "find" the rules first on the website.  There 
  should be links to follow "for more information on how to participate" 
from the rules area of the site, I think.

Just my opinion... if I sent anyone to the website, my opinion is that 
they'd still be utterly clueless as to how to actually participate after 
reading it.

Nate WY0X