[VHFcontesting] General VHF Rules 1.2 and 1.3

[James Duffey]

This isn't a rationale for the one entry rule, but it is a history, and perhaps a bit of explanation. It was not quite how I remember it. 

The rule prohibiting more than one entry per individual appears to have been first specifically implemented in the initial "General Rules for ARRL Contests on bands above 50 MHz", which appeared in the December 1997 QST. I am unaware of any special circumstances that prompted this rule, although it would be hard to tell just looking at the line scores and the logs submitted. This was shortly after the rover rules had changed for the second time though, but I am not sure the two are related. There was no parallel provision in the HF general rules, published at the same time. That dichotomy continues to this day.

The following information is for the June contest. Prior to issuing the general rules for VHF contests in December 1997, it appears the January rules were rather general (and hence somewhat ambiguous) and in fact nothing called rules for the January VHF Sweepstakes were posted in QST, rather just an announcement of the contest. 

From 1992 to 1996, the rule allowing multiple operations under different calls appeared to be fairly liberal, allowing multiple entries under certain circumstances; stating in part, "one operator may not give out contest QSOs using more than one call from any one location." That seems to indicate to me that multiple operations from different QTHs under different calls by the same op would have been permitted, provided the other rules are followed. Like I said, it is not really possible to tell from my quick scan of the line scores whether or not this actually occurred.

From 1986, when the QRP Portable category was introduced, to 1992 when the rover category was instituted the equivalent to rules 1.2 and 1.3 read:

"7(C) Fixed, portable, or mobile operation under one call from one 2 degree x 1 degree grid square only is permitted. A transmitter used to contact one or more stations may not be used subsequently under any other call during the contest period (with the exception of family stations where more than one call is assigned to one location by FCC/DOC); one operator may not give out contest QSOs using more than one call sign from any one location. THe intent of this rule is to accommodate family members who must share a rig, not to manufacture artificial contacts."

This rule would certainly have allowed multiple submissions by a single operator as long as they were within different grids, and it is clear from the line scores in QST that this occurred in the QRP Portable category, and it is even featured in a sidebar. Perhaps it allowed multiple operations at different locations under different calls by the same op, as I think the rule was primarily in place to prohibit someone from using more than one call from a single location. Interestingly, this rule also seems to allow for mobile operation within an entire grid, with no staying within a certain radius as is required now. 

Single band entries were allowed.

Prior to this, the gird square provision had read section instead of grid square and prior to that location instead of section. I didn't look for the exact year these changes became effective.

In 1955 the rule read simply:

3) Fixed, portable, or mobile operation under one call, from one location only, is permitted.

I am not sure how mobile operation from one location only would really work though. :^)=

Like I said, not a rationale, but a history. I did a cursory search of the CQ-Contest reflector archives around the time the "General VHF Rules" were released to see if there were any events that triggered this change, but I did not find any. Lots of people were unhappy about the General VHF Rules calling them stealth rules changes and there were some significant changes made and apparently it was not given broad distribution before implementation. 

I am sure that there are people around now who took part in making that rule then; maybe they can comment? - Duffey
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KK6MC
James Duffey
Cedar Crest NM