[VHFcontesting] Let's make the contests do what they were supposed to do

[Tommy phone]

So how about taking a clean sheet of paper approach to this? Design a new set of rules and contest structure to better achieve the goals of increasing activity and providing a reasonably level playing field.
Set a target of having it ready to go two years from now and with commonality across the ARRL, CQ, and sprints.
Can it be done or will the naysayers and whiners continue to doom any efforts to fix the problems they complain about?

Personally, I'm ok whether we re-write the rules or not; our team's score will get better by improving the station and skills, not by trying to finesse the rules in our favor. We have a great group of guys, a good site, and over time have built a respectable station, but we can still improve in many ways and we enjoy working on those challenges. Seems to us that the QSO/grid counts will go up more by working on the station and our skills than by fiddling with the rules.


From Tom Holmes


> On Jan 3, 2015, at 6:28 PM, Bob K0NR - email list <list at k0nr.com> wrote:
> 
> Bill makes  good point about the proliferation of entry categories. The irony is that every time an issue surfaces, the remedy is another new category... or two or three. Each decision *might* make sense in isolation but the net result is a big pile of entry categories that are not a coherent design.
> 
> 73, Bob K0NR
> 
>> On 1/3/2015 11:29 AM, Bill Olson wrote:
>> i.e.: Get people on the air.,,,,
>>  I haven't heard a lot about this on this reflector or the other email lists, BUT.....
>>  Isn't it really ridiculous to have  13 (or is it 14) entrance categories for the VHF contests? With decreasing participation it's getting to be that some of the categories only have only one (or NO) entries!!!
>>  Not to play the "old guy" card, but I will anyway (Hi Wayne!!) In the 50's 60's when I started contesting there were only 2 categories, single op, multiop. The participation was at an all time high then. now, what's the deal?? everyone gets a trophy??? OR.. no one wants to get on the air unless they are guaranteed to win??>
>>  All that being said, I will get on for the contests no matter what because it's fun. I don't have any pretense of being able to WIN..  I just like to be able to work the guys.. and operating when other stations are on the air is FUN!
>>  back in the day we made an occasional phone call to get someone on the air... We still made the actual contact "on the air".