[VHFcontesting] Digital and Q arrangement contesting

[John Kludt]

Lew,

Problem is it is very difficult to turn back the clock.  If you separate
out digital that means no JT65 EME and no MSK144 meteor scatter.  Maybe it
is a regional thing based on population density.  If you are lucky
enough to live in an area with lots of local VHF maybe you don't need tools
beyond CW and SSB.  But if you are not so lucky, having more tools, digital
tools, at your disposal is the the difference between staying active during
the contest and watching football.  Yes if there is an opening everything
is different but openings can be very regional as well.

If all you want to do is SSB and CW go for it, it is a hobby.  There are
those who love AM and they hang out on 160 and 75.  More power to them as
well.  In my pursuit of the fun that is amateur radio I will use every tool
in the kit - SSB, CW, FT4/FT8, JT65, MSK144.  Each mode has radio
requirements and operating skills to master.  Yes, even the digital modes.
Do you really think making an EME Q using JT65 is like shooting fish in a
barrel?

Gang, It's a hobby that is done for the fun of it and every one defines fun
a ;little differently.  And from this operators chair that is just fine and
as it should be..

John,

PS - To some other posts in this thread, very few of us "turn the dial"
because most of us have panadapaters that allow us to scan large band
segments or the entire band visually.  Technology has a funny way if always
moving on.

On Mon, Sep 23, 2019 at 9:41 PM Lew Sayre <w7ew at arrl.net> wrote:

>      Greetings to all Contesters,
> K5QE has written up a fine article about VHF contesting and why we should
> leave the contest rules alone. It is clear that K5QE cares deeply about the
> subject. So do I. I have a different opinion on some of his assumptions so
> I'm sharing them with you. My opinions may be worth exactly what it costs
> you to read them but they may be representative of a significant number of
> operators
>
> K5QE wrote, "HF contesting is all about how you find stations not about how
> you work stations".  I'd like him to explain more fully that statement to
> Ops like KL9A, N6MJ, W2SC,CT1BOH and others who are  performing mutant like
> operating by interleaving QSOs from 2 radios. Why do they do this?  I'd
> guess that by developing their operating skills and winning contests they
> are having fun. I'll get back to this idea of fun.
>
> The ARRL did remove rules pertaining to the use of internet chat rooms and
> telephones during contests a few years ago. Why did they do that?  It was
> aimed at making it easier for stations to find other stations to work and
> diminish slow times.  After reading K5QE's note it is clear that by making
> VHF contesting easier it has been a great success with everybody having
> more fun.
>
> Then along comes Dr. Taylor with his brilliant weak signal modes in WSJT-X.
> Now not only do the operators not worry about looking for stations but they
> really don't need to know how to operate to the same extent as a CW, SSB or
> RTTY operator. The FT-modes now allows minimally equipped stations to see
> and work real DX. It is a whole lot easier and a whole lot of fun which
> explains the runaway popularity of the FT-modes.
>
> What we are experiencing is amateur radio evolution right in front of us.
> Operators are voting with their computer mice over the other modes because
> the FT-modes are easier than CQ or SSB or RTTY, and a lot of fun.
>
> But there is a rub. There is a significant number of operators who have
> developed contesting skills and derive their fun from exercising those
> skills like the 4 stalwarts mentioned in the second paragraph. We have
> already seen that by combining the FT-modes in a VHF contest with CW and
> SSB that the pool of operators for the legacy modes is diminished. Since it
> is not much fun for the CW or SSB Ops they'll find other ways to enjoy
> their recreational time in the future such as SOTA, IOTA, golf or moving to
> a state where recreational cannabis is legal.
>
> The WWROF (World Wide Radio Operators Foundation) has the correct outlook
> here. A few weeks ago they sponsored the first FT8/FT4 only HF contest
> which was well attended.  The VHF contesting world needs to do the same
> thing, which is to delete digital modes in the current VHF contests and
> develop a separate FT8/FT4 only VHF contest.  This would provide a pool of
> operators who would be having FT fun with a percentage of them becoming
> bitten by the contesting bug and then developing the other skills necessary
> to compete in CQ and SSB contests.
>
> We do radio to exercise our radio skills which is rewarding and fun. The
> contests we do should emphasize those rewards and, not by their very
> nature, lead to conflict, malaise and unhappiness..The old VHF rules are
> broken by the success of the FT modes. Separate contests will rectify the
> situation.
>
> 73 and I remain,
>   Lew       w7ew
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