[VHFcontesting] VHF sked alternative

[George Fremin III]

On Thu, Jan 24, 2008 at 09:50:44PM +0000, k4gun at comcast.net wrote:

> In examining how I did in the recently completed VHF contest, I keep
> hearing a similar comment from people.  There were a lot of people
> looking for me when I was in a couple of rare grids, but I never
> heard them.  One was a specific sked and the others were just "I'll
> find you" appointments.  I'm still unsure what happened.  Either my
> antennas were not up to the task or we all just barely missed each
> other.  More than likely, it was a combination of both of those.

In all contests - people miss working mults on various bands - this 
happens in HF contests and VHF contests.  The folks that tend to work
more multipliers and more contacts tend to be the ones that work
harder at it in various ways.

- They stay in the chair.
- They tune the bands.
- They move or switch between antennas for different directions.
- They call a lot of CQs.
- They have better antennas and signals.
- They have operated many many contests and learned from their 
  experiences and gained knowledge of callsigns and operating 
  habits of the other stations.
- Much of what they have learned has become second nature to them.

I am sure I could expand on this list - the most important is the
first one - you will not work that rover in that grid that you need
off eating dinner or watching TV or mowing the lawn while he is
calling CQ.  You need to be sitting in front of the radio operating 
the contest during the contest period. My guess is that this would 
improve most stations VHF scores more than just about anything.

One of the things about the VHF contest culture that I have never really
understood is this need / desire to make skeds, or have some sort of 
spotting via APRS or even via telephone (still happens via telephone) or 
some other prearranged or automated means for making contacts happen.

Why can't we just get on the radio and call CQ and tune the bands
answering CQs and make contacts.  This is how I have been doing it
for years and I think the results have been pretty good.  My results
would be even better if everyone else did this too and for more of 
the contest period and in more directions - all of our scores would 
be better.

I love doing radio contests - I have been doing them for a long time -
and the thrill of getting called out of the blue by some week DX
station or tuning the band listening to white noise and hearing that
station 500 miles away is what keeps me coming back - it is fun.

Sure, it would be easier to make skeds or call him on the phone or
send him an IM message - but that kills most of the fun.

I have rambled on a bit, but I guess the bottom line for all of the
stations in the contest is - operate more, CQ more, tune the bands
more and you will make more contacts with more grids we all will.

I will close with one real example of how important it is to stay in
the chair and to make noise and to tune the bands.

I was operating the june vhf contest one year in a multi op.  It was
Sunday afternoon - things were very very slow on all the bands above 6
meters.  The 2m and up op had been working hard but he got up to go
get something to eat and drink.  I was not operating and I think he
might have said something to the effect that the bands were tough
pretty much worked out.  But, I thought, I will sit down just because
the chair is empty.  I tuned around and indeed it did not sound very
good - but I kept at it for a few minutes.  All of the sudden there
was a very strong K3 station on 2 meters.  I called and worked him -
it was Eskip and a new mult.  I tuned quickly and heard no one else.
I called CQ and in the next 8 minutes or so I worked 13 stations in 11
new grids and then the band closed.

Stay in the chair and make noise.

Good luck in the next contest.

-- 
George Fremin III - K5TR
geoiii at kkn.net
http://www.kkn.net/~k5tr