[VHFcontesting] Assistance in the VHF contest

[James Duffey]

Keith, you replied to my post:

	>Only for Rovers.

Well rovers are the mother’s milk of VHF contesting, so it is important. And people move, and occasionally operate from other locations, so grids obtained from sources other than the QSO can be inaccurate. One should honestly copy the grid from the QSO information passed rather than obtaining it from an external source. I think that is important and I think that the committee ignored that paradigm in implementing assistance. There are alternates which may be unconventional, but could be implemented without a lot of problems. If I spot KK6MC 50.147 nr Moriarty NM to tell one where I am, that gives one beam pointing information, but it does not tell one which grid I am in. One has to copy it after one has successfully pointed the beam at me.

	>They could have denied spotting to Rovers.

Like I said above, rovers are the mother’s milk of VHF contesting. There is no point at putting them at a disadvantage to other contestants. 

	>They could modify the VHF exchange to include 'previously unknown' information, like Sweepstakes…

I like your idea of including previously unknown information in the exchange. Did you suggest that to the committee? I did not think of it. 

	>If I was Roving, I'd WANT people to know what grid I was in so
	>antennas could be turned and Q's could be made.


I do want people to know where I am so they can point their beams. I want them to get my grid from the QSO information. Those are two different things.

I know that you are one of the few fixed stations who excel at turning the beam, calling the rovers, and contacting them in most of the grids they operate from. Not everyone does that well, and I, and other rovers appreciate that. One of my memorable QSOes in a contest was with you when I set up in DM54, worked K5AM, heard a weak signal calling, turned the beam north and heard you calling me. We worked and I said to my self, that is the way things should go. Thanks. - Duffey KK6MC
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KK6MC
James Duffey
Cedar Crest NM