CQ-Contest
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [CQ-Contest] No more Unassisted in ARRL VHF Contests?

To: cq-contest@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] No more Unassisted in ARRL VHF Contests?
From: Jim Brown <k9yc@audiosystemsgroup.com>
Reply-to: k9yc@arrl.net
Date: Sat, 15 Nov 2014 08:58:30 -0800
List-post: <cq-contest@contesting.com">mailto:cq-contest@contesting.com>
On Sat,11/15/2014 3:29 AM, Paul O'Kane wrote:
In plain language, this means that, to be competitive,
single ops will have no option but to use the internet
while contesting.

VHF/UHF is quite different from HF. Perhaps you don't spend much time there. It has long been common (and good) practice for meteor scatter, moonbounce, and other small signal mode contacts to be scheduled via chat rooms. Such contacts often take 30 minutes or more to complete, and often are not completed. Likewise, contesting on 6M is quite dependent on catching band openings and noting propagation conditions that change very quickly. Double hop Sporadic E conditions may appear for only 15-30 minutes, single-hop openings for a bit longer. All are VERY location-specific. Operation above 6M depends on highly directional antennas -- 20-30 degree beamwidth is pretty much the standard for a competitive station. If you don't know a station is there, or if he's pointed in the wrong direction when you listen, there's far less chance that you'll work him.

Another factor, which IS also at play in HF contesting is that many participants are more interested in picking up award credits than in the contest. I fall into that category for VHF contests because of my location "on the wrong side of the ridge, and in HF DX contests, because contest scoring rules make my location in California non-competitive by a factor of 20:1. In both cases, I chose to work these contests assisted.

73, Jim K9YC
_______________________________________________
CQ-Contest mailing list
CQ-Contest@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>