[VHFcontesting] Yes -- Please Move the January Cont

[Eric Watkins]

As much as I don't like the way the ARRL is unresponsive, let's cut 
Sean some slack and not make his life hell. You can tell he's trying 
to do the right thing even if the higher ups aren't listening to what 
we all want. We've all been getting our certificates quicker these 
days right? (At least, I have!)

Wouldn't screwing up the logs really hurt whoever has to process them 
(Tree and/or Sean, or some other poor volunteer) instead of the 
organization itself?

I'd propose that whatever method of protest is used has as little 
impact as possible on the people in the trenches.


At 07:24 PM 1/29/2013, kg7hf at comcast.net wrote:
>i have no experience in how much the arrl listens but...it seems to 
>me if you, me, we really wanted it moved or changed, you, me, us 
>would simply boucott the test in favor of what we want.  This could 
>be done in many ways such as everyone sending in a check log only, 
>or everyone sending in their log with the wrong (new) dates/time.
>
>
>Sent from Xfinity Connect Mobile App
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: k5qe at k5qe.com
>To:
>Cc: vhfcontesting  @contesting.com
>Sent: 2013-01-28 23:08:49 GMT
>Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] Yes -- Please Move the January Contest
>
>Hello Tom and everyone else interested in this topic.....
>
>After reading all the posts on this topic and some private posts to me,
>the following two topics seem to be the most discussed. Most of the
>posts seem to be circling around these two objectives:
>1)Make every effort to insure that there is 6M Es during the Jan contest and
>2)Engineer the contest so that the various football games don't interfere.
>
>How to accomplish these two objectives is the question.  As Tom has
>pointed out, there is an HF contest every weekend.  However, IF we moved
>the Jan VHF contest to the FIRST weekend in January, the contest would
>fall in the Winter Es season.  The chance of good Es in the Jan contest
>would be a great contest incentive....more contacts, more grids.  What a
>deal!!  We then would be opposite the ARRL RTTY contest.  I don't know
>how big that contest really is AND I don't know how many VHF ops would
>be torn between the VHF contest and the RTTY contest(I do know one).
>
>It seems to me that the RTTY contest is less competition than NAQP or
>the CQ 160M contest.  I know that there are several VHF ops that are
>quite nutty about 160M.  So, the RTTY contest looks to me like the
>"lesser of evils".
>
>Someone will point out that there are football games on the first
>weekend in Jan.  Assuming that is correct, is there any way to engineer
>the contest to avoid the football games completely? Frankly, I don't
>know.  After trying to understand the NFL's scheduling my head is
>spinning and pounding at the same time.  It appears that the first
>weekend in Jan is when the wild card games are played....one on Sat and
>one on Sun.  So, this is doubly bad....two football games to try to
>avoid.  However, the significance of these games is much less than the
>later games, so maybe we would not see a huge effect from them.  Still,
>two games are twice as obnoxious as one game.
>
>I have been convinced that my previous idea of a longer contest with
>breaks, but on the same weekend, is not overly bright.  I must have been
>smoking the "funny weed" when I came up with that particular idea.  I
>was trying to find a way to keep the football game from hurting us.
>Hopefully, some better idea(s) will surface.
>
>Herb has told us that the ARRL will not listen to anything we have to
>say.  If I understand his points, they are A)that the VHF contest has
>been held on the third weekend for decades and therefore cannot be moved
>and B)we are not HFers so we don't have the numbers and hence the Grand
>Poobahs in Newington are not interested in us.  Unfortunately, he is
>most probably correct. The ARRL is not noted for careful coordination
>with its stakeholders.
>
>IF we are stuck with the third weekend date, then is there any way to
>avoid the football game??  When does this football game begin??  Not the
>pre-game blather, but the real game??  Let us assume that it starts at
>7PM EST(0000Z on Monday).  We could start the contest at 9AM EST(=1400Z)
>and end it at 6PM on Sunday(=2300Z).  If I did my times right(which I
>often don't), then that would be the same 33 hours of contesting time.
>The rovers would not have to be out two nights....actually it would be
>good for the rovers to be able to get in earlier on Sunday--especially
>in the January weather.  This idea does not change the date of the
>contest, it just changes the start and stop times to avoid the football
>game.
>
>Does any of this work??  Your ideas are most appreciated.....by me and
>by the others interested in this topic.
>
>73 Marshall K5QE
>
>
>On 1/28/2013 6:18 PM, Tom Haavisto wrote:
> > I am a relative newbie to VHF contesting, so no problem moving it 
> as far as I am concerned.
> >
> > HOWEVER - take a look at the contest calender.
> >
> > First weekend - ARRL RTTY Roundup
> > Second weekend - ARRL NAQP CW
> > Third weekend - ARRL NAQP SSB
> > Fourth weekend - CQ 160 CW
> >
> > Keeping in it January means sharing with a major contest.  Making 
> it the fourth weekend means sharing with the CQ 160 contest, and I 
> think the hard core contesters have already shown where their loyalties lie.
> >
> > I don't follow professional sports - I prefer RADIO sport :-)
> >
> > Tom - VE3CX
> >
> >
>
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