[VHFcontesting] ARRL VHF Test 3 Band Category - long rant better delete!!

[Douglas Dever]

I get that long time hams hate FT8 and new hams can't understand why anyone
would use anything other than FT8 because in a text message and Twitter
world no one can have actual dialogue that makes any sense anyways.  I also
understand that FT8 sucks out loud for contesting - especially when you
have very sporadic openings.  (What counts as a completed Q?  Is he
following Joe Taylor and Ed Muns' advice, or does does he want to see a
"73" event though I sent him "RR73" which implied that I had his info and
we were done?  Did he see my 73? Maybe I should send it 6 more times in a
row in case he gets a decode.  Good God, this is why FT-RU has the highest
NIL rate of any contest.)  But....

If it wasn't for the 3 Band overlay and FT8, I wouldn't have participated
this weekend.  Band conditions generally blow in January and I've got
plenty of antenna work to do yet at the new QTH.  So, there I went with my
M2 6m loop and *cross-polarized* on a Comet GP9 vertical, I handed out 159
contacts.  I don't see anyone else in EN91 or EN81 talking about any sort
of 6m opening, so FT8 was about the only way to get grids.  If there wasn't
a SO3B, I likely wouldn't have bothered.  There's no HP for SO3B, so even a
pip-squeak water pistol station has a chance to be competitive within their
section or call area.

Just the view from here...

73 de AB8M
-doug

On Mon, Jan 18, 2021 at 3:50 PM Terry Price <terry at directivesystems.com>
wrote:

> This brings up a long time complaint about the ARRL/CAC or whomever decides
> rules and categories.
>
> I've only been VHF contesting since the late 70's, was too busy auto racing
> and motocross racing before that but I don't understand the thought process
> they go through. I'm sure it's a "good old boys club" much like our
> Congress, but they do things that completely defy logic.
>
> There should a LP and HP for all the categories like the 3 band and the
> limited multiop. It won't hurt participation it would help. Instead of
> folks thinking it's useless to compete against the big boys and go watch a
> football game, they might stick it out knowing they have a real chance.
> It's a lot of work to do a limited multiop from a portable location and
> adding high power just makes it worse. If it's a money thing having to send
> out more plaques, hell I'll pay for more than we do now just to get more
> activity.
>
> While on the subject of activity, FT8. FT8 is great to work someone that is
> 500 miles away that is just below your capability to work but just to sit
> on 144.174 or 50.313 and work the next grid over is just plain CRAZY!!! Do
> you ever see the MS guys just sit on MSK144 and work the next grid, NO !!!
> It's a tool and they use it like it should be. Do I operate FT8 more than I
> should, heck yes because i'm a contester and the object of a contest is to
> score the most contacts and grids and if it takes FT8, FM, cell phone,
> FEDEX or UPS I'll do it but it's hurting the upper bands by limiting the
> ability to move people. I think the biggest draw to FT8 is the folks with
> limited antennas or no antennas have found that they can make contacts by
> using FT8. Or the HF'ers that have a radio with 6m but load it up on their
> tri-bander and the only way they can be heard is using FT8. I don't have an
> answer for that but IMHO it's hurting VHF contesting more than it's
> helping. Moving people to other bands is harder and I think rovers are most
> affected by that and as a rover, it won't take muck of that to turn Andy
> and  I off from roving. Spending two LONG days driving hundreds of miles
> isn't worth it if everyone is stuck on FT8
>
> Last is the rover scoring. I understand there was a loop hole and someone
> exploited it to pad their clubs score. The knee jerk reaction was to hurt
> the rovers which was WRONG then and it's still WRONG now!!! Each time a
> rover goes to a new grid, they should start their long over and at the end,
> it all adds up. This gives incentive to activate more grids. To get around
> the club loop hole is easy, rovers can't use their logs to help their club
> score. But if you think about it, they already have helped their club just
> by making more contacts for their members. Rovers should compete against
> themselves and whatever scoring scheme is used should promote activity not
> diminish it!!
>
> Thanks to everyone that was on this past weekend for the contest. K8GP
> (K1RA and I) were operating from my new location in FM09 @2300 ASL with
> very limited antennas. I hope to have the big K8GP multi-multi going again
> soon from the new location.
>
> Sorry about the long rant but I feel much better now !!!
>
> Terry Price - W8ZN
> Directive Systems and Engineering
> 703-754-3876
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