[VHFcontesting] I don't rove because + I encourage rovers because

[Todd Sprinkmann]

   I enjoy my home station too much.  Took months of research, 
scrounging, networking, bugging others to get things to where 
they are today.  Took a ton of great help too, which I remain 
very grateful for.  This fixed station is where I need to be 
during a contest.  

   Here in the Great Lakes/Upper Midwest, we have a lot of 
roving.  And boy am I grateful for the rovers!  As I've said 
before in these threads, rovers can easily constitute 30-40% 
of my total score in a given contest.  

   From SE Wisconsin, I can usually work at least some rover 
from ILL, IA, MN, and Lower MI.  An average contest will 
have at least 4-5 rovers who can work 100-150 miles with at 
least 4-6 bands.  Occasionally, everything comes together and 
6-8 rovers with well-equipped stations are within range at some 
point of the contest.  
   
   We have to be very careful about restricting rover-to-rover 
Q's.  At least we do here in this part of the world.  Way too 
many good guys are out roving, and roving the right way, for 
them to not enjoy multiple Q's with other rovers that they 
come across during their journeys.  I'm not sure how the 
exact rule should be written, but rover-to-rover Q's are 
important in the Upper Midwest.  

   I encourage rovers in multiple ways.

   I spend a lot of time reading and distributing email prior to 
contests.  I inform several clubs across my general territory 
about rover and fixed station activity that they might not have 
known about.  I'm always trying to get clubs and ops to think 
about reaching out farther and farther.  

   I contest long and hard because I enjoy the hell out of it.  If 
you're roving and tired, and have nobody new to work, I am 
happy to ragchew a while to keep you going.  I'm even happier 
when the ragchewing brings out a station that otherwise might 
not have known there was a rover still on frequency.  I was most 
happy when an EN44 rover stayed up all night in this summer's 
UHF contest and got me 2 or 3 new grids between 2:30 and 
4am.  It passed time very pleasantly until dawn broke.  

   I spend a lot of time reading and distributing email prior to 
contests.  I inform multiple clubs across my region about rover 
and fixed station activity that they might not have known about.  
I'm always trying to get clubs and ops to think about reaching 
out farther and farther.  

   I keep a 2nd beam and rig for 144 turned toward a rover I 
know is "out there somewhere".  When I hear them come back 
to their pre-announced frequency, I'm ready to hit them in their 
new grid, and get their 4, 5, 6 bands in the log again.  And then 
I make sure I say over and over that "so-and-so is in their new 
grid EN40, 41, etc" so that locals know it's time to get some 
new mults.  There's a lot of that sort of cooperation around 
here.  I suspect and hope that there's a lot of that cooperation 
everywhere among friendly and ethical VHF contesters.  

   Lately, I've decided to personally do more to improve general 
activity on VHF, and hopefully, some of this will translate into 
new contesters.  I'm holding SSB nets on Wed. night, and now 
an FM simplex net on Thursdays.  The FM idea is to meet the 
repeater guys in the middle.  I find these guys who have an 
interest in simplex via email and word-of-mouth.  I'll be curious 
to see if they start contesting some in 2009.  

   I'll be happy to expand on this whole recruitment idea as 
time goes along.  For now, just know that in the Upper 
Midwest area, it has gotten more active on 144 SSB and 
146 FM simplex since last summer.  Best way to contact me 
for more details is via email.

   73, 
   Todd  KC9BQA    EN63ao     40 N of Milwaukee
   50 thru 2304