[VHFcontesting] controversy

[James Duffey]

Dan - You wrote:
	
	I don't understand how they pulled it off.  [If, in fact they did grid
	circle.   I wasn't there.]

	It seems to me the limited and classic [10 bands each...]  Rover would
	exceeded the 100 limit when they hit the fifth grid?  Did they then
	go their own way?

I am not, nor is anyone, really sure of what they "pulled off", if  
anything. By reading the soapbox and reviewing the claimed scores,  
K4GUN and others surmise that they developed and implemented a  
technique for maximizing scores by grid squaring for the classic and  
limited rover divisions in addition to the previous techniques  
developed for the now unlimited class. Whether or not this is true  
will need to wait until the scores and results come out. And, if it it  
is true, the results will tell whether or not they were successful at  
it.

I am not sure what they did, nor do I really care, as long as they  
followed the rules as written. But if I were to do something like  
this, here is how I would pull it off:

Assemble the usual 3 or 4 rovers with 10 band capability to compete in  
the unlimited rover class. Nothing changes here.

Add in one or more classic rovers with the same 10 bands.

Add in one or more limited rovers with 4 bands.

The classic and limited rovers tag along with the unlimited rovers  
from grid convergence to grid convergence.

The unlimited rovers operate as usual, except with respect to the  
classic and limited rovers. They work each other and fixed stations.

The classic rover manages his 100 contacts per rover limit so that he  
receives a multiplier for each one. With 10 bands, he has a potential  
for 10 multipliers per grid, so he will run out of QSOs with one rover  
after 10 grids if he works them only once per grid, not every possible  
combination of grids. He cannot work every possible combination of  
grids at a convergence in order to maximize his multiplier per QSO,  
but needs to only work unique grid-QSOs for multipliers. If additional  
grids are visited after the 100 QSO per rover is reached, then he  
works another rover for those new multipliers. With some prior  
planning, he has not made QSOs with this rover at the first grids he  
visited so that he has not used up his 100 QSO quota before the new  
grids are reached. Having maximized his multipliers from rovers, he is  
free to work other rovers for QSO points. He will work fixed stations  
for additional multipliers and QSO points at any time.

The limited rover does the same thing, except that with only 4 bands,  
the rover entourage will need to visit 25 grids before he runs out of  
his 100 QSO quota, unless he works additional grid combinations that  
don't result in new multipliers early in the contest. He also works  
fixed stations for additional QSO points and multipliers.

The unlilmited rovers get credit for the additional QSOs with the  
Classic and Limited class rovers. As the classic and limited rovers  
are managing their QSOs with the unlimited rovers to maximize  
multipliers, the unlimited rovers do not get the full advantage of  
these rovers participating in the grid squaring exercise, but they get  
more QSO points.

It would be pretty straight forward, although tedious, to work out the  
proper combinations before hand to maximize multipliers and QSO points  
before hand, and generate check lists for use during the contest. Or,  
I one could write a computer logging program which handled all this.

One can tweak this scheme. For example, if the limited rover chose his  
4 bands to be above 2.4 GHz he would receive the maximum QSO points  
per QSO.

I believe that this is all within the contest rules and guidelines, if  
they work stations outside of the pack without discrimination. I think  
that the California group did that, even going to the extent of  
outfitting a fixed station with 10 band capability for a QRP Portable  
entry. This scheme is not trivial to implement though; it requires  
operators who are alert and know what they are doing. It certainly is  
not cheap.

I think I got this right. If not I am sure I will hear about it. Are  
there other ways to accomplish this? - Duffey
--
KK6MC
James Duffey
Cedar Crest NM