[VHFcontesting] Entering as a Mobile (/M) in Contests

[Darryl Holman]

There are lots of scenarios where a person might want to be a one-grid 
rover:

1.  Anyone who must drive somewhere during the contest.  For example, 
someone who has to quit contesting from home and must go to work (same 
grid) during the contest.   This person could enter a second log as /R.
2.  A person doing Summits on the Air activations during the contest.  
They might do multiple summits but in the same grid.
3.  Bicycle mobile--and too far away from a grid boundary to activate 
two grids
4.  Equine mobile.
5.  Marine mobile in a lake that doesn't cross grids.
6.  Pedestrian mobile, skiing mobile, snowmobile mobile, jogging mobile, 
roller-blade mobile, etc.  People like to combine their other passions 
with ham radio.  Let 'em!

A person doing mobile in a car and only activating one grid is likely 
not very seriously contesting, but if it adds to the activity (without 
adding a new category), it seems like a positive change.


Darryl
ww7d

On 06/16/2015 09:02 AM, Zack Widup wrote:
> The way the rules are now, you cannot work a station more than once from
> one grid. A mobile station can only work stations once if that person stays
> in one grid. I don't understand why a person would want to do other than
> stay in one place and call themselves "portable" if staying in a single
> grid. And it's not more than about 35 miles or so to any next 4-character
> grid over most of the USA.
>
> So why not just travel to another grid and make a few QSO's? Many Rovers
> work people while in motion, traveling to the next grid. I don't see any
> reason to add a category or change the rules. The only time working a
> station from more than one spot in a single grid square may be of benefit
> is on the bands 24 GHz and higher. But most operation up there takes place
> in the 10+ GHz contest, which has different rules than the VHF contests.
>
> 73, Zack W9SZ
>
>
> On Tue, Jun 16, 2015 at 10:23 AM, Keith Morehouse <w9rm at calmesapartners.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Changing the Rover description to allow a single grid operation would
>> be the EASIEST, but would sort of violate the spirit of roving.  I
>> didn't want to suggest changing any rule, just adding a clarification
>> to an existing category.  I'm not in favor of creating a actual MOBILE
>> category.
>>
>> Jay W9RM
>>
>> Keith J Morehouse
>> Managing Partner
>> Calmesa Partners G.P.
>> Olathe, CO
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Jun 16, 2015 at 8:48 AM, Bob K0NR - email list <list at k0nr.com>
>> wrote:
>>> Jay,
>>> Interesting idea. This does look like a "clean up" issue in the rules.
>>>
>>> I was thinking the Rover categories could just be changed to allow
>> staying
>>> in one grid. Either approach could work. The mobile stations would
>> probably
>>> be at a disadvantage either way, which could lead to Yet Another Entry
>>> Category.
>>>
>>> 73, Bob K0NR
>>>
>>> On 6/15/2015 10:28 PM, Keith Morehouse wrote:
>>>> I have heard this complaint for quite a while and agree its a
>> problem,Jay
>>>> although I never equated it with the growth of VHF contesting.  I now
>>>> see that it could.
>>>>
>>>> This should be a simple rule change.  Add a footnote to the definition
>>>> of single operator that allows entry to a mobile station guided and
>>>> operated by a single person and not connected to a antenna structure
>>>> considered permanent.  Under single op rules, the mobile station would
>>>> be allowed to traverse as many grids as the operator wished but could
>>>> only contact unique stations once.  This could be taken a step further
>>>> by adding the same definition to multi-op classes, allowing mobile
>>>> operation in a single vehicle by more then one person.  The addition
>>>> of this simple definition would not affect the current 500 meter fixed
>>>> station circle, or whatever the criteria is for a fixed station.
>>>
>>>
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