[VHFcontesting] APRS and Contesting

[Nate Duehr]

Duane - N9DG wrote:

> Somewhere a long the way the whole point of what VHF
> contesting is all about I think has become lost. Are we doing
> it just to rack up big Q counts? Or are we doing it to see
> what our *weak signal* gear, and *ourselves* are capable of
> achieving for cumulative *DX* within a 33 hour period? Or are
> we now just trying to see what our out outside of the shack
> networking capabilities are?

Hard to say.  It's not defined anywhere.  What's the goal of the contest?

The multi-ops are allowed today to use Internet information sources 
under the current rules.  And yet, Rovers aren't allowed to use ham 
radio based networking?

Seems lopsided and arbitrary to allow land-line based communication and 
information flow for multi-ops but not to allow digital networks that 
are on-air for the rovers, doesn't it?

And it's lopsided because... of the exact question you ask.  What is the 
POINT of the contest?

If it's "to communicate"... pretty much anything goes in that game.

If it's to "to communicate only with weak-signal modes", that's a 
different game yet.

If it's "to communicate with an odd-ball bunch of limitations for some 
operators but not for others using mostly weak signals, but allowing 
some people access to other forms of communications"... that's what we 
have today.

Nate WY0X