[VHFcontesting] A Modest Proposal - Eliminate Rover Category?

[Jimk8mr at aol.com]

Rule 1.2 should be eliminated for other reasons.
 
A few days back the subject of improving VHF contest activity was discussed 
 here, including the suggestion of inviting other non-VHF active hams to  
your QTH to show them what VHF contesting is all about.  This is exactly  
backwards: other non-VHF active hams should be inviting you, and maybe your  
equipment, over to their stations (or you inviting yourself over) to show  
them what can be done from their own stations.  But this one-entry rule,  along 
with the one-transmitter/one-callsign rule, makes that impossible.
 
For many years I have operated the November CW SS from multiple stations,  
submitting separate entries for each station.  Nobody has ever complained  
about having the chance to work me several times during the course of the  
contest.
 
Also more than Rule 1.2 needs to be changed to give most rovers a home in  
the VHF contest: the ARRL presently does not allow mobile operation in any  
contests other than Field Day and VHF rovers. In their interpretation it  
violates the rule about a station being within a 500 meter circle.  (This rule 
was instituted to prevent simultaneous operation from multiple  locations 
and to prevent remote receivers. It could be reasonably be interpreted  to 
require all equipment be within a 500 meter circle, but that circle could  
move as with a moving vehicle.)
 
 
73  -  Jim  K8MR
 
 
 
 
In a message dated 9/20/2009 1:07:34 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
jamesduffey at comcast.net writes:

2.  Eliminate the rover category in the January Contest. Also,  
eliminate  rule 1.2 of General Rule for Contests above 50 MHz, "1.2  
Individuals  and stations are limited to one entry per contest." Let  
stations and  operators submit as many entries as they wish. In  
addition to  aligning VHF and HF contesting rules, this would allow  
stations who  previously operated as rovers to submit a log in each  
grid they  operate from in whatever category is appropriate: QRP  
Portable,  Single Op, Multi Op, or Limited Multi Op. Stations formerly  
known as  rovers could mix or match categories in the same contest.  
Stations  would be eligible for multiple awards according to their  
entries.  List entries by grids and make awards by  grids.