[VHFcontesting] Roving Analysis

[Les Rayburn]

Thanks to James Duffey, KK6MC for his though provoking analysis of rover logs submitted to the June VHF contest. It certainly stimulates thought, and helps to give definition to some of the heated discussions that we've had in weeks past. 

I can't improve much on his work, but can shed some light on one of these five "Unlimited Rover" entries for the June Contest. One of them was mine, and my entry in that category came after a lot of soul-searching. I even consulted some of my VHF mentors on the topic. 

Prior to the event, I had reviewed the past several years worth of logs and tried to determine how competitive my station might be. It was clear that while I might hope to do well within my section (Alabama), I had little chance of doing well in the division in the Classic Rover category. The folks in Florida are just too dominant. 

I considered a Limited Rover entry, and using my microwave contacts as check logs, but that didn't seem fair considering the high investment in equipment and time that so many had made to the effort. That left "Unlimited" rover, where it was clear that I could hope to be competitive, at least within the division. Even though I operated alone, with no grid circling, it allowed me to count all my contacts towards my score and encouraged me to invest the time and effort required 

After the contest, I had a lot of second thoughts, and some advised that entering based on a category selection amounted to "cherry picking". But after a lot of thought, I decided that researching your competition prior to any event just makes sense. As it turns out, I think it was the right decision. 

Hats too to K04MA who appears to have rocked the house from Florida! I had hoped to work many of these great operators down there during the CQ VHF July event, but most of them were not on. That's a shame...maybe a return trip in September will give me the chance to work these guys and learn a lot more about roving from the Deep South. 

73,

Les Rayburn, N1LF
EM63nf
121 Mayfair Park
Maylene, AL 35114