[VHFcontesting] [VHF] Changes to ARRL VHF Contest Rules

[R. Michael West]

I like the new rules, and the clarification regarding the Limited Rover class. Thank you ARRL and the hard working people who made it possible.

There is a good reason for keeping the Limited Rover class limited to the lower four bands: Simplification. Why create yet another class of operation where there are inherent variables in the bands of operation, and yet more room for complaining about lack of a "level playing field"?

Those who want to operate on 902 and above can do so, in the Classic or Unlimited Rover classes, and they can have lots of fun doing it. What's the matter - can't you compete in those classes? Stop complaining and compete.

I suspect that the Limited Multi-Operator Band Rules were not changed because there was no reason to do so. Those of us who have competed in that class know about the trade-offs between 222 and 1296 operation, and we're not grid-circling, either. In short, the circumstances for that class of operation are different from those faced by Rovers.

Regarding the ARRL's change of rule procedure, there are those who would criticize because they are too slow in changing rules and those who criticize because they moved too fast. Please, cut them some slack.

73, Mike K6NC


-----Original Message-----
From: Nate Duehr [mailto:nate at natetech.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 06:16 PM
To: ''VHF Contesting Reflector''
Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] [VHF] Changes to ARRL VHF Contest Rules

On Tue, 26 May 2009 16:03:10 -0500, "Les Rayburn" said: > Hat's off to the league for this one. -------- RULE WORDING: Couldn't the rule have been just as effective by saying: "At least three bands submitted by a Limited Rover must be 432 MHz or lower. The fourth band may be any band allowed in the contest." Wasn't that REALLY the ORIGINAL intent? Seems like that would have worked better, and would have kept the 222 "favoritism" out of it, and also killed off the weird new four-band microwave rovers that weren't intended. -------- One more -- here's a reasonable question that will be nothing more than trouble: Why didn't the *Limited Multi-Operator band rules* change to match the Limited Rover rule? If Rovers in the "Limited" category can't use 902, or 1.2 GHz, or anything else above 432, why can a fixed station? Are they special? -------- A final administrative point: Weren't the 2009 rules ALREADY PUBLISHED on the website, prior to this change? Perhaps it would be smarter not to publish the rules until they're FULLY BAKED? I might be wrong on that last one, but weren't they up there? -------- This change may have "protected" the Limited Rovers from the "multi-microwave rover"... but if they had 927 FM or a nice new rig with 1.2 GHz in it... they just got totally hosed by this overly-restrictive change, for no good reason. No hat's off from me. Nate WY0X -- Nate Duehr nate at natetech.com _______________________________________________ VHFcontesting mailing list VHFcontesting at contesting.com http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting