[VHFcontesting] ARRL Proposal for a combined 10 Meter & 6 Meter Contest

[Duane - N9DG via VHFcontesting]

I would tread lightly on this idea, and stop to really think through the likely operator participation behaviors that it would induce. It strikes me as something that could have the undesired side effect of actually diluting the participation levels in the major VHF contests on 6M and up.

Many of the various rules and category changes over the years were primarily designed to "lower the barriers" for participation as an effort to entice new operators to get on VHF contests. But in reality, they so far seem to all have had some pretty undesirable side effects. And in many cases I think that they have actually reduced the number of bands being used, and reduced power levels used by participants in VHF contests. Or to put it another way, each of those changes often took away incentive for building bigger gun stations with lots of bands, in the end that hurts everyone. Some examples I can think of:

1. ARRL splitting SO into SOLP and SOHP - side effect was that many stations that were building up stations towards higher levels of power on 6M and up decided not to (I'll even admit to being guilty of doing that myself). 
2. ARRL creating Limited Multi-Op - side effect was multi ops who previously worked on including bands above 432, dropped all of them (I still think Limited MO should limit the number of operators, not bands).
3. I get the impression that Limit Rover category may have done a similar thing to the number of bands that rovers try to equip for.
4. SO3B - side effect, a disturbing number of former SOLPs have now downshifted to SO3B, and have no motivation or desire to add 222, or any of the higher bands above 432 for that matter.

Another pattern that I think has gotten more common over the last 10 years or so is that the major all band ARRL VHF contests are increasingly evolving into almost 6M only events.

My fear of having a 10 & 6M contest is that it will make many to decide to skip one or more of the exiting all band VHF contests and only focus on 10 and 6 contesting. I think CQ WW VHF being 6 & 2 only event has already had that kind of impact on the ARRL UHF contest. There is a saturation factor for the number of contests that people can take out time to participate in.

When it is all said and done, 6M is already more like HF than V/UHF as far people getting on and actually operating. 6M is actually a fairly ho-hum band for participation until there is some Es, then it becomes just like 10M.  So I struggle to see how mixing 10 and 6 in a contest will eventually lead to more participation on 2M and up. It is the 2M band and up where we truly need more operators.

Duane
N9DG


 -----Original Message-----
 From: Les Rayburn <les at highnoonfilm.com>
 To: VHF Contesting Reflector <vhfcontesting at contesting.com>;
 N1LF Radio <n1lf at highnoonfilm.com>
 Sent: Thu, Sep 4, 2014 12:47 am
 Subject: [VHFcontesting] ARRL Proposal for a combined 10
 Meter & 6 Meter Contest
 
 
 
 A few weeks ago, Steve N2CEI posted an update from ARRL HQ
 that 
 authorized the appointment of an-hoc committee related to
 VHF 
 contesting. Within that posting, he mentioned a desire from
 ARRL HQ 
 staff to enhance operation on the 6 & 10 Meter band that
 included the 
 following:
 
 */PSC requested that headquarters staff explores
 opportunities to 
 emphasize more activity of the 6 and 10 meters bands. Ideas
 included a 
 combined 6- and 10-meter contest, a 10 meter grid square
 award, and 
 emphasis on portable operations. /*
 
 I'm interested in hearing what VHF contest operators think
 about the 
 possibility of a combined 10 & 6 Contest? During sunspot
 nulls (or even 
 the current maximum) 10 Meters often performs more like a
 VHF band than 
 an HF band--so I think the grouping is pretty natural. The
 CQ VHF 
 contest which focus only on 6 & 2 Meters as long been a
 favorite of mine 
 due to the simplicity of the format. I suspect that a 6
 & 10 contest 
 could have the same appeal.
 
 A 10 Meter grid award also makes a lot of sense to me. It
 might 
 encourage even more FFMA style expeditions.
 
 73,
 
 Les Rayburn, N1LF