--- "Michael A. Urich" <mike@ka5cvh.com> wrote:
>
> > My suggestion a couple of years ago to the league
> > was to combine the June VHF QSO party, the August
> > UHF & 10 GHz + contests into FD and then score
> > all VHF+ contacts just as they would those contests.
Bob K0NR replied:
>This idea is interesting. However, based on the
>screaming and yelling on this and other reflectors
>concerning much less drastic changes to VHF contests,
>I can't imagine this being supported by the VHF+
>community.
>On the other hand, the FD rules provide a tool
>to do more with VHF during FD. Specifically:
>This is probably more of an opportunity to expose new people
>to what can be done on VHF, rather than be a "real" VHF contest.
>For me personally, this just leads back to the "I'm wore out
>from the June VHF contest" problem.
As K2AA/VHF chairman at FD I can tell you that over the last 7 years the
number of VHF stations seems to be dwindling. I used to drag all the gear
(incl. boomers) for 6-2-220-432, 65' high at 150 watts, out to the site.
We'd score about 300 Q's most on 6 & 2. (maybe 20 on 432 & 15 on 220).
3 years ago, I dropped 220 and the score was very similar. Since then the
numbers have dropped every year, with only around 200 Q's this year, the
only contact on 432 was satellite! A great weekend on 6 meters this year
meant the 2 meter count was in the toilet. It's as if the HF+6+2 rigs are
the only thing anybody is using, and their not putting too much effort into
it at that.
As far as recruiting, I never use an operating schedule, the station is
manned for the entire contest and I always try to make it fun. I get 8 to 10
new folks a year in front of the mic. The problem is calling CQ for 15 mins
per QSO isn't a good way to convince anyone that VHF contesting is a blast.
On another note, (that I've posted here before), scoring the VHF contests
like Field Day, with classes for number of individual bands & output power
would make a huge difference in the effort-to-results ratio. We get on the
air LM with 150 watts & 4 bands and are competing against guys with
kilowatts?... Never gonna make the top of the Results Page that way.
Or...2 706'ers team up for the first time, and they're competing against us?
How fair is that?
"Hey new guy... Wanna have fun VHF contesting? I have 4 really good
operating stations, 150 watt amps, preamps and boomers on 4 towers, like 10
grand worth of stuff! Although we can NEVER EVER hope to win in our class,
it'll be fun, right?"
Level the playing field, give hope to the new guys that 1 David isn't going
up against 100 Goliath's and you'll get more new guys, and for us regulars,
it might be worth the money, time & effort to add a band or 2 and make use
of the 800MHz + spectrum
Shawn MacDonald K2SMD
"I have not failed. Ive just found 10000 ways that wont work."
- Thomas
Alva Edison (1847-1931)
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