[VHFcontesting] Lunch box roving

[Jim Forsyth]

Clue: When you are in a hole stop digging.

Jim, AF6O


From: Steve Clifford 
Sent: Monday, February 09, 2009 11:29 AM
To: Jim Forsyth 
Cc: vhfcontesting at contesting.com 
Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] Lunch box roving


That's not a negative light.  Its simply an observation.  Did she build the station?  Did she test the antennas?  Did she put in the switches?  Did she search and pounce or call CQ or did she just follow the pre-set directions about which frequency she needed to be on?  

I'm sure she's a brilliant person.  I don't dispute her rapid learning curve.  I also don't question your intellect.  There's no insult to observe that neither you nor she did anything other than follow a group, using borrowed equipment that you had no part in developing and that your success is due to nothing more than being associated with N6NB.  For that association, you'll all get your callsign listed in QST.  

Do I think any of you should be in conventional rover categories?  Absolutely not.  Pretending that you have done anything special as individuals is ridiculous.  N6NB has done something remarkable and I'm sure he had help in putting it all together, but in the end, its his operation.  Its a multi-op program that is allowed under the current rules to report as individual rovers.  I think that's wrong.

Finally, I think a disservice has been done to a new operator.  W6TAI may well be gifted and could have a bright future with VHF contesting.  The truth is though, that she will likely have the highest score as a Limited Rover without ever having put a station together.  Don't you see anything wrong with that?

Steve