I’ve been meaning to pull out of this debate, but something always gets twisted
and needs corrected.
I am calling for a severe limit on rover to rover qsos as what is being debated
by the VUAC. In fact I would limit it to zero because it’s the only way to
truly end the controversy.
Despite the last couple of the posts, those complaining the loudest and most
often are the rovers disenfranchised by the practice of grid circling. Not home
stations.
This debate has been on here a few weeks now. I have people coming to me
saying they dropped out because of the circlers. These people need to write the
ARRl contest branch as well as the VUAC.
I roved about 10 contests in a row until I realized that this issue was not
getting fixed. The net result is people in the northwest missed me. I don’t
think I made a difference by abstaining. So I decided to do it once a year
until it gets fixed. I thought it was until the results for the January
contest was released and digested. I roved in September anyway.
There are quite a bit of people who got their feet wet and pulled back because
they realized the tactics of a 4 to 5 station self fulfilling grid circling
team is difficult to overcome and therefore is not a challenge.
The ARRL tried to allow us to play on the same contest and clearly created them
a separate category but decided to try the rule fix by fire and it’s now a rash
for them to fix.
Not everyone is blessed to have an active rover or set of rovers in their area.
Those who do not se any benefit. Those who have grid circlers in their neck of
the woods never hear the circlers because they are on fm gear, tiny antennas
and stations that fit in a lunch box. Others have aluminum and only work each
other and a few choice home stations on a pre-set frequency and some of us can
remember the frustration expressed by fellow hams who found them grid circling
and they refused to work the non circling party.
I remember some of the nay sayers saying it’s their choice not to work someone.
The bottom line is that it is two different activities with people trying to
work everyone and people trying to work team members again and again as quickly
as possible. To say it’s the same thing is fundamentally wrong and the ARRL is
letting it slide.
I hope we end up with a system that forces one to choose to pick one method or
the other as a vehicle to win and quit mixing and matching it just to stir up
controversy and hatred from an 6 year old dispute between members on the VUAC
and CAC.
I believe grid circling demonstrates skill in exchanging of information quickly
and driving. Somewhat different than the rest of the categories in varying
degrees.
Personally I sincerely believe if the grid circlers in southern California
turned tier antennas towards the metro areas of Sothern California and north/
central California as well as Las Vegas and Arizona, they may actually generate
more interest for vhf + in this region as a whole.
I see this in the northwest. Rovers long before me generated excitement in
eastern Oregon and Washington for the metro areas as well as the quiet regions
of these states and the poor individuals who live in Idaho and have to
generally wait for an opening to work someone.
When few of us rove east of the cascades, a lot of the east side people never
come and then no one on the west side hears them when conditions peak.
As for me I may rove next January, more so for our award program out here and
the cheap gas. However, when gas goes up and the rules are broken I will cut
it off again.
Ask yourself this, if all the rovers only work each other, how are they part of
this contest where everyone else is working each other? A choice should be
required, participate inclusively or exclusively and compare your scores with
those who do the same. It affects us all like it or not.
Also I do not think I will ever win even with a rule change. However as it is I
see no need to try to imorove my station from 7 bands to 10 plus bands until I
have a chance to be judged fairly.
Its time to fix the rules and end the bitter politics on the committees.
K3uhf/r
the rig is on QRZ see call if you think I'm a homebody
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