[VHFcontesting] Rover stuff - Continued discussion of rover rules

[jcplatt1 at mmm.com]

"Should I be punished or excluded or treated like a leper because I figured
out a way to Make Big Scores?"

Hi Gerry.  I don't think anyone is going to "punish or exclude".  No way.
The discussion point here on the rover rules is very specific - that most
rovers do not want to operate as pack rovers yet if they don't their scores
will be trounced by those who do, thus its demotivating. Most rovers really
enjoy roving in the traditional sense and harbor the belief that with a
good station, a good effort, and some luck that they could win their
Section, Division, or even place nationally. Going up against a pack rover
takes that belief away.

So, can the rover rules be constructed so that those who have fun roving
without a pack can compete with other like minded rovers while still
allowing those who do enjoying roving with a pack to play too .. the
win-win ?  The "new" rover rules were created in just such a spirit, and
even included a new category, the Limited Rover, to attract even more
rovers to the fun that we have. It was not expected that this class would
fall game to a four band uW rover running with a rover pack .... yes,
entirely within the rules but certainly not the design intent.  Contesting
is more that gaming the rules.

I continue to watch the discussion here and ponder like all of us as to
what to do.  We can do nothing, we can go in are totally rewrite the rules
(yuck), or we can make a minor adjustment that is within the spirit of the
original design intent and that could be supported by all, or at least the
majority, of rovers.

Right now my thinking is to do nothing at all OR to make a minor
adjustment.  The minor adjustment is to
a) define a Limited Rover as 6, 2, 432 and one other band of their
choosing, and
b) decrease the number of rover to any one other rover QSOs from 100 to a
much lower number, perhaps 10, perhaps 30.
Discussion is good.  Please use the "Rover" title so that those fixed
stations who don't have a dog in this fight can delete them.

73, Jon
W0ZQ/R