[VHFcontesting] Rover rendezvous in Gap PA?

[Pete K0BAK via VHFcontesting]

I didn’t expect my recent solicitation (3/12) for a rover rendezvous 
to elicit so many negative opinions about the activity. It seemed to 
dredge up some old bad feelings, including some kind of East Coast / 
West Coast thing, based on controversies that occurred 
long before I became active last year. Wasn’t my intention to stir 
things up; I just noticed the rules allowed up to 100 rover-to-rover 
QSOs and it seemed like a smart thing to max out especially for Limited 
rovers where *one* rendezvous of two 4-band rovers could generate 64 QSOs 
for each. I’d like to respond just once here and then I’ll head back 
to my hole, and not respond or bring it up here on the reflector again 
(for now). 
 
1) Some writers seemed to react as if I was suggesting spending the 
whole contest just contacting another rover. I believe I was clear 
that I was only suggesting a rendezvous in the last few hours at the end 
of a contest when conventional contacts dry up. (At least that’s been my 
observation in my limited experience.) 
 
2) A couple writers implied that a single rendezvous was a substitute 
for improving my station or operator skills: that one hurt a bit. 
First of all, that’s flawed logic – one can do both of course. 
Second, I have been working hard improving my rover station. As I wrote 
that email, I had (and have) a dining room table full of stuff in my 
current project to convert from an “all-mode” radio (ICOM IC-7100) to 
SDR-driven transverters to improve receive capabilities, and I am spending 
a couple grand on improving transmit power by 4-8dB on the 4 Limited bands. 
As to operator skills, I’m not sure how to improve except through practice 
(and learning Morse someday). I have also read many rover blogs and have 
asked questions here and in private emails (the responses to which I sincerely 
appreciate), but there’s a limited amount of specific actionable advice 
about how to operate and how to choose amongst the many tradeoffs for planning 
and executing a rove … I’m still listening for specific advice though. 
 
3) Everyone can have their own opinion, but in my opinion anything that’s 
allowed by the rules of a contest (and ones club’s rules if applicable) are 
fair game. The rules are the rules, there’s no separate morality or “spirit” 
for a ham contest. Going out to make contacts outside of my immediate area, 
trying to maximize contacts via a good travel plan, discovering good rover 
sites, and the challenge of getting an ever-improving mobile station on the 
road, are the fun things to ME. To me, it would *not* be fun to travel with 
a group of rovers and mostly *just* contact each other, but if others want to 
do that, that’s OK … I wouldn’t criticize others for doing things that I don’t 
want to do as long as it’s allowed by the rules. If someone doesn't like 
what some contest participants are doing, then petiiton to change the rules. 
 
4) I fail to see any significant difference between two rovers showing up at 
the same time and place to make some easy contacts (this is seen as outrageous 
by some), compared to a rover showing up at a fixed station’s driveway to make 
some easy contacts including light (this is encouraged by some of the same 
people). 
 
Thanks for all the thoughtful responses to my original message, 
especially from: NE3I, K1DY, KF2MR, WB2ONA, K3WGR, N2SLN. 
 
-- Pete K0BAK