[VHFcontesting] Comments sought for new ARRL UHF Contest in May

Sat Apr 16 02:14:28 EDT 2016

As a newbie (1 contest, licensed less than a year)  and a "bottom feeder" (FM only) I have a different perspective than those who have invested many years and a lot more time and money into contesting.

	I cant tell if the goal of the proposed changes is to make the contesting pie bigger or just to split up the pie differently.  

	If the goal is to make the pie bigger, increase the number of people contesting in the higher bands, I believe the proposed changes miss the mark.  The goal should be to get people started contesting early and then they will naturally step up in capability over time and use the higher UHF and microwave bands. 

	90% of new hams get the technician license to start with. 99% of them know little or nothing about contesting.  They all buy an FM VHF/UHF rig (HT's or mobiles) capable first radio.  They learn about repeater use but very few use simplex.  They are all contest capable the minute they get on the air but most dont know it.  The goal should be to get them interested in contesting early on as new Techs.  As their technical and contesting skills improve they will migrate to more sophisticated set ups and the higher freqs. No one goes straight into microwave and these folks could pretty much care less about the above 70cm rules.  Keep it simple to start with. Get people hooked and make it more challenging going forward.  Get them started "young" and they will be hooked for life.

For example:  

1) Keep it Simple To Start:
 Have an FM category for amateurs who have had a license for two years or less. Dont bother checking their logs.  Just count the scores and send all of them a pretty 8-1/2x11 piece of paper to hang on the wall for taking part in the contest.  Send highest 5 in each ARRL region and the 5 highest nationally a nicer piece of paper to hang on the wall. When someone get their license send them an invitation to enter as a new ham. Sure, a few may falsify QSO's but after the second year that small minority cant enter the unchecked category again (see below)  so they will disappear and wont be a problem for the serious contesters who stick around or are using other bands & modes.

2)  Step it Up
 Have an FM category for 2 years and up, let first year hams enter if they want. This would be identical to what is done now in the FM only category.  Check the logs as is done now.

3) Promote UHF contesting to new hams.  Send new licensees simple instructions, maybe a "glossy" email on FM contesting and how it is done.  ARRL knows who the new Hams are.  Push it.

Getting people started early so they see contesting as a natural part of the hobby, as natural as moving from FM UHF/VHF to SSB HF would greatly increase the numbers.  

If the goal is to slice up the scoring pie differently between the bands then the rules changes will definitely change things but I dont see how they will increase the number of people entering UHF & up contests.I have no dog in the pie slicing fight,  I just want a bigger pie for all of us.

73

John, KM4KMU

If you want 

-----Original Message-----
From: Buddy Morgan via VHFcontesting <vhfcontesting at contesting.com>
To: vhfcontesting <vhfcontesting at contesting.com>
Sent: Fri, Apr 15, 2016 11:42 am
Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] Comments sought for new ARRL UHF Contest in May

Here are my thoughts:

1.)  If you look at the number of QSOs, by band, in a typical, year in and year out, ARRL VHF contest, you will notice a few facts. There are fewer QSOs on 220 MHz than 2M or 432. There are fewer contacts on 902 than on 432 or 1296. The reasons being equipment availability. It is just not as easy to get on 220 or 900 as it is the neighboring bands. There is not as much activity on 5760 as on 10 GHz. Why not give more points for contacts on these bands, to encourage activity? Use it or lose it?

2.) You can buy everything you need to get on 1296, at any Amateur Radio store. Getting on 2304 and 3456 you have to use a transverter. To get on 5760, you pretty well have to have a dish, which makes it more challenging than 2304 or 3456. At 10 Gigs, you may have just got introduced to waveguide. The higher bands are more difficult and more expensive to operate. You should get more points. You make a contact on 76 GHz, you deserve a lot of points. (10 Gigs is as high as I go.)

3.) So, if we favor the higher bands, this would tend to favor more experienced and technically oriented operators, with microwave gear. We have to ask ourselves, is the UHF Contest, an entry level contest, for VHF/UHF operators? Or should it be for the more experienced operators? I am not advocating this, merely asking the question. 

4.) I could care less about the month or whether 220 MHz is included. Please note that I do not have 220 equipment. 

5.) I will continue to participate, no matter what. 

Buddy WB4OMG 
EL 98

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