Interesting. Its good to see that others experience a lot of the same things I
have. Being new at this, I sometimes wonder if its just me. I'm going to
ramble on a bit myself and share some things I've been picking up.
1. "Rare" grids are rare because nobody lives there. Simple enough, right?
But if nobody lives there, why should a home station bother turning that way?
Sure, if you publicize your route, they'll aim your way ever now and then, but
chances are, they'll be calling at the same time you are or will call just
after you QSY's with another station. The other possibility is that you're
just beaming the wrong way at the wrong time. The chances of meeting on the
band, even when they are looking for you just isn't that great. Because of
that, they give up and aim to where there are more stations to work.
2. I should have done a LOT of calling on 6 meters this June. I did a lot of
S&P and caught a lot of grids, but for some reason, I didn't select a frequency
and just call for any length of time. Looking back, I realize that this was a
mistake. I kept going back to 2 meters after I had worked all the 6 meter
stations I could hear. I think I really limited my score due to this.
3. I shut off my APRS on Sunday afternoon. It was obvious that the multi-ops
were not using it to track me and all it did was cause noise at certain places
on the band. If there was evidence that people actually used it, I would leave
it on. I agree that single ops being able to use this would change roving for
the better.
4. The limited and traditional rover categories should be limited to no more
than 10 or 20 contacts with any single other rover. Its flat out ridiculous to
allow a limited rover to have 100 contacts with another rover. The predictable
result is that one headed out with a grid circling pack in CA and I'm sure his
score will be astronomical. I haven't done the math, but if he went with 3
other rovers into the 15 grids they ventured into, I'm sure he could win the
category without ever attempting to contact an outside person. This issue
needs addressed.
5. My future roves are not going to concentrate on rarish grids. As you
illustrate, it isn't worth the time and effort. My future efforts will be to
concentrate on higher ground, closer to population centers. I want to be in
the beam path of the base stations that are looking for contacts. In my case,
that means leaving FM26 and 27 and instead, heading towards New York and New
Jersey. I want to be between the Washington DC stations and the New England
stations as much as possible.
6. I think we rovers need to develop some protocols for frequency use. I
don't know how successful this will be, but if we could all agree on looking
for rovers at some pre-determined section of the band, I think we would all be
better off. I know some guys have their listening frequency and that's great
for them. They could still have that and it would still be useful. If
however, we could keep the big guns off... say 144.220 to 144.240 and reserve
it for rover calling, I think we could improve things.
7. Big gun stations have a hard time coordinating with their own ops. It was
truly amazing. I would work a multi-op station on 2 meters and follow them to
222 or 432 and could not hear them at all. I'm pretty sure what was happening
was that the other ops didn't aim their beam to the same heading as the 144
guy. Either that or the 144 beamwidth was so wide and the 432 stack so narrow
that they missed me. It was very frustrating. This never happened with a
single op station. I would work up the bands with good signal reports on each.
I assume this is because all the antennas are on the same mast and therefore,
all pointing directly at me.
This is a good discussion. I've learned a LOT from my fellow rovers who have
come before me. I learned a few lessons the hard way as well. I'll be
following this closely.
Steve
K4GUN/R
-------------- Original message --------------
From: "Shupienis, Joseph" <jshupienis@ccac.edu>
>
> WARNING! LONG-WINDED RANTING FOLLOWS! WARNING!
>
> Rovers expend a lot of resources to put "relatively rare" grids on the air
> for
> everyone to enjoy. The enjoyment we get is to work as many stations as we can
> from those rare-ish grids. It's a bit of a let-down to use up $60 of gas to
> go
> to a nice mountaintop in a much-wanted grid, only to make a grand total of 11
> Qs, even though I can hear lots of stations working the big boys. Then, after
> working only the big signals, it seems the multitude turn their beams away,
> never to be heard again until I reach the next grid and the cycle of
> frustration
> begins anew.
>
> Of course I can work the big guns with ease, but it seems that no one else
> besides them bothers to look for weak signals in the "weak signal" part of
> the
> band. Sometimes it seems that the only signals that get people's attention
> are
> those directly on the calling frequencies that jump out of the speaker, run
> up,
> and slap the operator in the face! And after they have worked all 10 of those
> in
> the first hour or so, it seems a lot of ops turn off their radios for the
> rest
> of the contest to go watch some ballgame on TV and drink beer. No matter
> which
> grid I start in, it is always the most productive. So I guess I should start
> at
> the most wanted grid, huh?
>
> I can call CQ on 144.210 or .180 for hours with nary an answer, and then
> someone
> 200 miles away stumbles across me and honestly (I hope) informs me that I'm
> S7
> or 10 over S9 on his S-meter. Then they profusely thank me for the grid
> multiplier from FN11 or FN01, or wherever I am, and we walk up the bands.
> Then
> it's back to my "run" frequency for more fruitless CQing (if someone else
> who's
> S9+30 hasn't jumped on it the second I went to 432 -- and that same someone
> "can't hear" me when I try to work him!)
>
> I don't get it.
>
> If I can easily hear another station who is running the same power level I
> am,
> why can't they seem hear me? I've had to resort to strictly S&P, and can
> usually
> work everyone I can hear, and can work them again on the other bands. So I
> know
> I can be heard. It's just getting kind of frustrating to realize that maybe a
> lot of people don't know I exist, or just don't want to bother looking for
> me.
>
> But then if they accidentally find me, they profusely thank me for the new
> multipliers I give them and ask where I'm going next.
>
> And then, of course, at the next grids I'll never hear from them again,
> unless
> it's their half-hour ragchew with one of their buddies. Why is it that they
> are
> both S9 plus on my receiver, but when they say their fond farewells and 73s
> and
> 88s and get back to contesting, neither one can hear me call them, and then
> turn
> their beams away and tune off frequency?
>
> I don't get it.
>
> Then I see rover scores from other rovers who claimed to work the same grids
> I
> work from. I have yet to hear a single one of them on the air. And their
> scores
> are usually 50-100 times my pathetic numbers. They must have rates of 100-200
> QPH... somehow...
>
> I don't get it.
>
> I would like to add 222 to my lineup. I've tried to save up for it, but so
> far
> I've wasted all the money on $4.00/gallon gas to make, what? 1,000 points?
>
> There are many good contesters out there. I have worked every one I can hear,
> and handed out as many multipliers as I can to every station that is willing
> to
> make the effort to work me. It just seems that lately, more stations are
> "getting away" and must be looking for easier stations to work than my weak
> rover signals (and weak bank account) allow.
>
> Oh wait -- I think I'm starting to get it now... Nobody told them I'm there
> or
> that they might have to listen carefully to dig out my piddly, weak, little
> signal...
>
> - RANTING COMPLETE -
>
> Thanks for listening, I feel better getting that off my chest.
>
> See you on 6 and 2 in the CQ WW VHF test!
>
> 73 de Joe W3BC
>
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