On 6/19/2013 9:39 PM, David Pruett wrote:
To Those Who Are mis-Informed about the role of the CAC:
The ARRL CAC does not make the rules for ARRL Contests. Rules or
changes are proposed by those on the Membership Services Committee to
the ARRL Board of Directors, who approve/disapprove of the proposal.
The members of the CAC ***advise*** their corresponding director in
the making of those decisions.The VUAC had the same type of role.
I am on the CAC so I know whereof I speak. Back in 2011 when the VUAC
was being formed, our Great Lakes Division Director asked me for a
recommendation for our division's rep on the VUAC. I recommended
Mark, K8MD (unfortunately a recent Silent Key) a very active VHF
operator and HF/VHF contester. I don't think anybody could doubt his
qualifications.
I find the disparaging remarks about the CAC and VUAC insulting. My
experience has been that the ARRL leadership makes a very genuine
effort to include different points of view in the decision making
process.
Dave Pruett/K8CC
Great Lakes Division Contest ***Advisory*** Committee Representative
On 6/17/2013 10:51 PM, Marshall-K5QE wrote:
Jay-W9RM has posted....
ASSISTANCE: I am a supporter of the CQ WW VHF rules and would like to
see them implemented in all ARRL VHF contests.
LEGISLATIVE: I am in favor of a ARRL committee (appointed or elected)
dedicated to VHF operations and contests WITH THE POWER to amend and
enforce rules changes independently of the ARRL CAC.
Jay W9RM
I especially like these two posts. The ASSISTANCE post has been made
by me and others. It is a sound idea and should be pursued.
The LEGISLATIVE post is also a very good idea. The VUAC _could_ have
worked, but in practice it did not. Many of the guys on the VUAC
were not really active VHF operators, never mind active VHF contest
operators.....they did not have any idea of what is really happening
in the VHF world. Some were there to protect a specific constituency
in the NE. Some were just there....
To be sure, there were some VUAC members that tried very hard to
improve the VHF+ contesting rules. However, they were hammered by
those that want no changes. Pure Protectionism, as Les said. The
VUAC was subordinate to the PSC(Programs and Services Committee) not
to the CAC(Contest Advisory Committee). The VUAC could not DO
ANYTHING.....except make recommendations to the PSC. Sometimes the
PSC just ignored those recommendations. GENIUS!!! Set up a Committee
of supposedly top VHF ops and then ignore their recommendations. OF
course, when a really, really BAD recommendation was made, it sailed
right through.
The current VUAC members were appointed, so it would be easy to find
fault with appointments. However, I believe elections would result
in an even worse committee. IF we elected our VUAC members, we would
surely get some good ones.....and some hopeless Bubbas from the local
FM club who were more popular than the serious VHF ops in their
Division. I believe that appointment is still the best way, but, we
need to try to get "real" VHFers appointed.
Whatever we do with the VUAC or some successor committee, it MUST NOT
OPERATE IN SECRET as the current committee has. In the early days,
Jim Aguirre-W7DHC in the Pacific Northwest was pretty open about what
was going on and often asked the opinion of the VHF ops in his area.
I praised him for that. Recently, Steve-N2CEI has also been very
forthright about the issues the VUAC was considering and also sought
out the opinions of those in the SE US.
The Directors and Vice-Directors are the key. That is where we need
to start....after we figure out EXACTLY what we want.
Comments??
73 Marshall K5QE
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It seems to me that, if they are the motivating force as to what issues
on which the CAC focuses and selects the members of the VUAC, our ARRL
Directors and Vice-Directors should have some hands-on experience with
VHF Contesting. Out of curiosity, I searched the contest results for all
three ARRL VHF Contests in 2011 and 2012, plus the 2013 VHF SS to see
how much activity presented itself.
I was astonished at how little activity there was from this group of
folks, some of whom I *know* are contest operators and have VHF
capability. In looking at the scores submitted I am happy to say that
the winner was Hudson Division Vice-Director, Bill, W2UDT, who missed
only the 2013 VHF SS! N6VI had 3 logs submitted and K0DAS, N6AA and W9XA
each had two. There were two others, WY7FD and N2YBB with one each. The
scores search includes those occasions when the Director or
Vice-Director operated under another call and were listed as additional
ops in a rover or multi-op.
While I realize that it is impossible for busy folks such as these to
fully participate in *all* aspects of Amateur Radio I am concerned that
so many fail to even dip theirs toes in the pond. If I do not have at
least a passing knowledge of VHF contesting how do I expect to be able
to select which of the multitude of voices providing input on the
subject deserve being heard and which to filter out?
As an aside, I recognize that some of these folks may have participated
in one, or more, of these VHF contests but, as other have noted, the
real measure of activity is if you submitted a log!
Just food for thought...
--
Jack Parker, W6NF/VE4
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