[VHFcontesting] roving affects us all

[frank bechdoldt]

I’ve been meaning to pull out of this debate, but something always gets twisted and needs corrected.
I am calling for a severe limit on rover to rover qsos as what is being debated by the VUAC.  In fact I would limit it to zero because it’s the only way to truly end the controversy.
Despite the last couple of the posts, those complaining the loudest and most often are the rovers disenfranchised by the practice of grid circling. Not home stations.
This debate has been on here a few weeks now.  I have people coming to me saying they dropped out because of the circlers. These people need to write the ARRl contest branch as well as the VUAC.
I roved about 10 contests in a row until I realized that this issue was not getting fixed.  The net result is people in the northwest missed me. I don’t think I made a difference by abstaining.   So I decided to do it once a year until it gets fixed.  I thought it was until the results for the January contest was released and digested.  I roved in September anyway.
There are quite a bit of people who got their feet wet and pulled back because they realized the tactics of a  4 to 5 station self fulfilling grid circling team is difficult to overcome and therefore is not a challenge.
The ARRL tried to allow us to play on the same contest and clearly created them a separate category but decided to try the rule fix by fire and it’s now a rash for them to fix.
Not everyone is blessed to have an active rover or set of rovers in their area. Those who do not se any benefit.  Those who have grid circlers in their neck of the woods never hear the circlers because they are on fm gear, tiny antennas and stations that fit in a lunch box.  Others have aluminum and only work each other and a few choice home stations on a pre-set frequency and some of us can remember the frustration expressed by fellow hams who found them grid circling and they refused to work the non circling party.
I remember some of the nay sayers saying it’s their choice not to work someone.
The bottom line is that it is two different activities with people trying to work everyone and people trying to work team members again and again as quickly as possible.  To say it’s the same thing is fundamentally wrong and the ARRL is letting it slide.  
I hope we end up with a system that forces one to choose to pick one method or the other as a vehicle to win and quit mixing and matching it just to stir up controversy and hatred from an 6 year old dispute between members on the VUAC and CAC.
I believe grid circling demonstrates skill in exchanging of information quickly and driving. Somewhat different than the rest of the categories in varying degrees.
Personally I sincerely believe if the grid circlers in southern  California turned tier antennas towards the metro areas of Sothern California and north/ central California as well as Las Vegas and Arizona, they may actually generate more interest for vhf + in this region as a whole.
I see this in the northwest.  Rovers long before me generated excitement in eastern Oregon and Washington for the metro areas as well as the quiet regions of these states and the poor individuals who live in Idaho and have to generally wait for an opening to work someone.
When few of us rove east of the cascades, a lot of the east side people never come and then no one on the west side hears them when conditions peak.
 
As for me I may rove next January, more so for our award program out here and the cheap gas.  However, when gas goes up and the rules are broken I will cut it off again.
 
Ask yourself this, if all the rovers only work each other, how are they part of this contest where everyone else is working each other?  A choice should be required, participate inclusively or exclusively and compare your scores with those who do the same. It affects us all like it or not.
 
Also I do not think I will ever win even with a rule change. However as it is I see no need to try to imorove my station from 7 bands to 10 plus bands until I have a chance to be judged fairly.
Its time to fix the rules and end the bitter politics on the committees.
 
K3uhf/r
the rig is on QRZ see call if you think I'm a homebody
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