[VHFcontesting] A distance scoring contest

[kevin kaufhold]

For everyone's information, the ARRL did use distance scoring in the August UHF for one year in 1982. I believe it was referred to as RANGE. Look it up in the old QST's! When the VUCC started in 1983, the UHF contest moved to the 1 x 2 grid squares as the multiplier. Between 1978 when the UHF started and 1981, a 1 x 1 grid square was used.  At the time, various versions of grid squares were considered to be an effort towards distance scoring, certainly an improvement over using states as a multiplier.  

As an experiment, using a 6 digit grid locator has a lot of appeal, especially if we start off in the August UHF. We have very few Joe 706's active in August, so the disruption to that contest would be minimal, I think. And, there was little problem when K9JK pushed 6 digits for the Spring Sprints. August has a lot of very experienced microwave enthusiasts who are quite used to 6 digits. And the UHF is small enough (in terms of logs) that it a distance scoring experiment would be managable. We could also put a max limit on a distance multiplier, to give some consideration to EME without overly skewing the results.  

Distance scoring might also provide something of a disincentive to pack roving operations. To max points, they would have to increase power levels and run farther apart. I am sure they are capable of doing that, but they then would at least be encouraged to have "real" contacts rather than QSO's literally within a few feet of each other. 

A parallel type of contest using both grids and distance as a scoring method would also be interesting to do for a few years to see which one the VHF community really likes.  That might lead to more complexity however, so I do not know if a parallel track would be worthwhile. 

I know the League's resources are stretched. Either logging programs would have to be modified for 6 digits, or the League would have to expand their scoring techniques from the 10G to encompass distance scoring in August (or other contest). 

If people are really serious about this (rather than just chatting on the reflector), then I suggest an informal committee or delegation of some sort be developed off reflector to study this more seriously.  What say you? 



Kevin
W9GKA