[VHFcontesting] My 2 cents

[Dave Olean]

Hi Herb,
    I worked you in my first VHF contest in 1962. It was the September VHF 
QSO party. Actually my brother worked you. (We had to share our station, so 
we took turns using different calls for each contest.) You had 327 QSOs in 
25 sections. Arn K1WHT had 48 QSOs in 5 sections all on 144 MHz. We had just 
gotten our licenses about a month earlier. I remember the rig. We had a 6360 
transmitter at about 8 watts on AM, and a war surplus receiver that had a 24 
volt dynamotor for the B+. The antenna was an 8 element Telrex yagi at about 
30 ft fed with RG-59 surplus coax that looked a tad green inside.
    I would have to agree with you and K1DY. The last thing we need is more 
categories. Beyond that, I am unsure of what should be done. I am really 
torn as to the right direction to take. After 52 years, I still love the 
idea of VHF contests, as they build activity. I think all the rule changes 
over the years has possibly diminished activity rather than helped it.
    I would want to encourage activity in the more remote areas of the 
country. Possibly distance scoring is a good idea. That coupled with 
announcing rover locations and similar ideas could help those guys who 
travel to the hinterlands.  I also think that entirely new contests might be 
organized to build activity. Surely, what we have been doing the last decade 
has not worked. Maybe a cumulative effort over many weekends for shorter 
time periods each weekend might  be a possibility. That might discourage big 
mountaintop efforts in favor of more streamlined operations.  How about 
scoring stations in certain areas with a higher point value? As an example, 
draw a circle 200 miles from the center of major metro areas and assign a 
higher point value to those stations beyond that circle. If I earned 1 point 
for a close in contact and 10 points for working VE1SKY 350 miles away, you 
can bet I would be looking for VE1SKY. Then imagine VE1SKY's score if he 
could work a pile of 10 point contacts. He could be competitive. Scoring 
could be done by utilizing 6 digit grid squares in software. That would 
encourage people to aim their antennas away from the normal VHF activity 
centers. I am just throwing out crazy half baked ideas. We need to shake 
things up.What we have now is broken. For my part, I try to get on and have 
fun each time.
    I hope you don't quit VHF Herb. HF stinks in the summertime.

73
Dave K1WHS

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Herb Krumich via VHFcontesting" <vhfcontesting at contesting.com>
To: "VHF Contesting Reflector" <vhfcontesting at contesting.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 03, 2015 10:46 PM
Subject: [VHFcontesting] My 2 cents


> As far as I am concerned, VHF contesting went down hill when the ARRL 
> caved and started having limited multi.Once that was done, small units of 
> stations, started leaving their microwave equipment at home.Little by 
> little it started the microwave downfall. It was a very bad idea.There are 
> far to many categories for so few stations availableI have depleted my 
> very large contest station after working VHF contest's for nearly 50 
> years.The only available bands I can now use are 144 and 432 which will 
> mainly be used for EMEJust my 2 centsHerb K2LNSMy spring antenna work will 
> be putting up a very large low band system
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