Hello Tom and everyone else interested in this topic.....
After reading all the posts on this topic and some private posts to me,
the following two topics seem to be the most discussed. Most of the
posts seem to be circling around these two objectives:
1)Make every effort to insure that there is 6M Es during the Jan contest and
2)Engineer the contest so that the various football games don't interfere.
How to accomplish these two objectives is the question. As Tom has
pointed out, there is an HF contest every weekend. However, IF we moved
the Jan VHF contest to the FIRST weekend in January, the contest would
fall in the Winter Es season. The chance of good Es in the Jan contest
would be a great contest incentive....more contacts, more grids. What a
deal!! We then would be opposite the ARRL RTTY contest. I don't know
how big that contest really is AND I don't know how many VHF ops would
be torn between the VHF contest and the RTTY contest(I do know one).
It seems to me that the RTTY contest is less competition than NAQP or
the CQ 160M contest. I know that there are several VHF ops that are
quite nutty about 160M. So, the RTTY contest looks to me like the
"lesser of evils".
Someone will point out that there are football games on the first
weekend in Jan. Assuming that is correct, is there any way to engineer
the contest to avoid the football games completely? Frankly, I don't
know. After trying to understand the NFL's scheduling my head is
spinning and pounding at the same time. It appears that the first
weekend in Jan is when the wild card games are played....one on Sat and
one on Sun. So, this is doubly bad....two football games to try to
avoid. However, the significance of these games is much less than the
later games, so maybe we would not see a huge effect from them. Still,
two games are twice as obnoxious as one game.
I have been convinced that my previous idea of a longer contest with
breaks, but on the same weekend, is not overly bright. I must have been
smoking the "funny weed" when I came up with that particular idea. I
was trying to find a way to keep the football game from hurting us.
Hopefully, some better idea(s) will surface.
Herb has told us that the ARRL will not listen to anything we have to
say. If I understand his points, they are A)that the VHF contest has
been held on the third weekend for decades and therefore cannot be moved
and B)we are not HFers so we don't have the numbers and hence the Grand
Poobahs in Newington are not interested in us. Unfortunately, he is
most probably correct. The ARRL is not noted for careful coordination
with its stakeholders.
IF we are stuck with the third weekend date, then is there any way to
avoid the football game?? When does this football game begin?? Not the
pre-game blather, but the real game?? Let us assume that it starts at
7PM EST(0000Z on Monday). We could start the contest at 9AM EST(=1400Z)
and end it at 6PM on Sunday(=2300Z). If I did my times right(which I
often don't), then that would be the same 33 hours of contesting time.
The rovers would not have to be out two nights....actually it would be
good for the rovers to be able to get in earlier on Sunday--especially
in the January weather. This idea does not change the date of the
contest, it just changes the start and stop times to avoid the football
game.
Does any of this work?? Your ideas are most appreciated.....by me and
by the others interested in this topic.
73 Marshall K5QE
On 1/28/2013 6:18 PM, Tom Haavisto wrote:
I am a relative newbie to VHF contesting, so no problem moving it as far as I
am concerned.
HOWEVER - take a look at the contest calender.
First weekend - ARRL RTTY Roundup
Second weekend - ARRL NAQP CW
Third weekend - ARRL NAQP SSB
Fourth weekend - CQ 160 CW
Keeping in it January means sharing with a major contest. Making it the fourth
weekend means sharing with the CQ 160 contest, and I think the hard core
contesters have already shown where their loyalties lie.
I don't follow professional sports - I prefer RADIO sport :-)
Tom - VE3CX
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