[VHFcontesting] Pointing towards the weak ones

[Dale Dermott - K3DD]

 > Zack W9SZ wrote:
  > ... Maybe instead of a frequency QSY rule, 
  > we ought to have a "beam swinging" rule?  :-)
  
 Not exactly sure what Zack means by this, but it sure would be nice to know when someone in a distant grid has the beam turned your way and could hear you.  Has there ever been any discussion of stations looking, for example, northeast at :00, northwest at :15, southwest at :30, and southeast at :45?  I realize that a station in Maine, for example, probably doesn't want to point northeast at any time, so he could just point southwest at :00 knowing many people are pointing his way.  No, it would be terrible for him when everyone is pointing southeast, but no worse than those in a southwesterly location feel when everyone is pointing away from them.  I see something like this making the competition more even, widening its appeal, and ending the isolation that some people feel during contests..  
  
 I remember reading an earlier comment from a station that pointed toward New York during a contest and never had to turn the beam for contacts the rest of the contest.  That's great for him, but not for the people off the back and side of his beam, nor is it good for the contest overall.  Because of regional differences in the level and location of participants, different regional versions of this idea might be the best approach.
  
  I'd much prefer this approach to scheduling QSOs in advance.  That takes a little too much mystery out of radio for my liking.  Let the big guns who want to finish in the top three do what they want, but let's take some steps to help the weak guys and make contests a more popular and less frustrating experience for the majority of hams.
  
  Dale K3DD