Hello Steve KB8VAO;
Here is the information from the ARRL.ORG website about the proposed rule
changes
under consideration by the PSC subcommittee.
Please email your comments to vhf-input@arrl.org
73, Kermit W9XA>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
From
http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-seeks-input-on-initial-vhf-uhf-microwave-contest-rule-changes
Please note that I apologize in advance for any loss of text
formatting in my cut in paste...
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
11/12/2014 The recently formed “Ad Hoc Subcommittee on VHF and Above
Revitalization” — created by the ARRL Board of Directors’ Programs and Services
Committee (PSC) — is seeking member input by December 15 on updating various
aspects of the League’s contest program for the VHF and higher bands.
Subcommittee Chairman Kermit Carlson, W9XA, said members can help the work of
the committee “by providing additional insights and ideas for our
consideration.”
BackgroundContest participation benefits both individual amateurs and the
Amateur Radio Service as a whole. Individual operators gain overall operating
experience, increase their knowledge of band characteristics; test the results
of changes in equipment, antennas and locations; and have incentive to add
bands and modes to their station complement, all in the context of enjoyable
yet challenging activities. The Amateur Radio Service increases its pool of
skilled operators and can show more intense usage of the frequencies allocated
to us, some of which may be under threat from ever-expanding commercial and
consumer services seeking to expand their share of spectrum. Increased activity
also signals higher potential demand for new product to manufacturers of
Amateur Radio equipment.The ARRL VHF-UHF-Microwave contest program was created
to help foster the foregoing benefits and, accordingly, seeks to:1. Increase
the level and breadth of participation in ARRL VHF and up contests; and2.
Encourage the utilization of our less-used Amateur Radio bands.
Initial RecommendationWhile most issues will require additional time and input
from the user community, the members of the Subcommittee were in agreement on
recommending one set of changes that apply across all ARRL VHF+ contests,
including microwave and EME. We recommend:1. Removal of the current prohibition
on the use of Amateur and non-Amateur forms of assistance for all operator
categories, with such use having no impact on entry category;2. Removal of the
current prohibition on self-spotting for all operator categories; and3.
Allowing single operators to transmit on more than one band at a time.
RationaleUnlike most HF contests, operating skill and knowledge of propagation
may not be enough to find stations to work. You can’t just point your antenna
to Europe or Asia at the right time and find a ready supply of potential
contacts. The less predictable nature of VHF+ propagation and the necessarily
higher-gain, narrow-beamwidth antennas used make finding someone to work
largely a matter of chance. Indeed, most microwave contacts would never occur
at all without the use of real-time coordination. We have stories of rovers who
invest time and fuel to activate a remote location only to have no one find
them or work them. This discourages such remote activations. A great number of
non-contesters monitoring a repeater or APRS network have no idea there is a
distant or rare station out there to try to work.The League’s current
prohibitive stance on assistance (other than for the 10 GHz & Up Contest) and
self-spotting is the most-often-heard complaint about our VHF contest program,
and the members of the Subcommittee believe that removing those prohibitions
will foster greater participation and result in more contacts and a more
positive experience for participants without impacting the existing challenge
of actually completing contacts.Similarly, the present restriction of
Single-Operator stations to one transmitted signal at a time precludes such
activities as calling CQ on one band while soliciting or completing contacts
using digital modes on another. Such restriction constrains the number of
potential contacts among participants while yielding no apparent benefit.
Specific Proposed Rule ChangesThe General Rules for All ARRL Contests Above 50
MHz shall be amended as follows:Old 1.7. Retransmitting either or both
stations, or use of repeater frequencies, is not permitted.New 1.7.
Retransmitting either or both stations or use of repeater frequencies for
purposes of completing a contact is not permitted.
Old 1.7.1. This prohibits use of all repeater frequencies.New: Delete 1.7.1.
(Rule 1.7 covers this issue adequately.)
Old 1.7.2. Contest entrants may not transmit on repeaters or repeater
frequencies for the purpose of soliciting contacts.New: Delete Rule 1.7.2Add
1.16. All entrants, regardless of category, are permitted to use spotting
assistance or nets, including DX-alerting nets, internet chat rooms, packet,
reverse beacon networks and repeaters to identify stations available for
contacts and to announce (self-spot) their availability for contacts.
Announcements shall be limited to callsign, location, band or frequency, mode
and — if applicable — transmitting sequence. Such assistance may not be used to
facilitate the completion of any contact. This means such assistance may not be
used to convey receipt or non-receipt of any required element of a contact or
to request a repeat of any required element of a contact.
Old 2.1. Single Operator: One person performs all transmitting, receiving,
spotting, and logging functions as well as equipment and antenna adjustments.
Only one transmitted signal is permitted at any given time. Use of spotting
assistance or nets (operating arrangements involving other individuals,
DX-alerting nets, internet chat rooms, packet, etc) is not permitted.New 2.1.
Single Operator: One person performs all transmitting, receiving, spotting, and
logging functions as well as equipment and antenna adjustments. Only one
transmitted signal per band is permitted at any given time.
Non-contact-producing activities such as APRS beaconing and repeater
announcements are not considered transmitted signals for the purpose of
applying this rule.
Old 2.5.7. Rovers are permitted to use APRS. Rovers using APRS transmit only
their call sign and position. Any multi-op station may access rover APRS data
directly or via the Internet.New 2.5.7. Rovers are permitted to use APRS to
transmit their call sign and position. Any station may access rover APRS data
directly or via the Internet.
Old 2.8. Multioperator (includes Single Operator stations that use spotting
assistance):New 2.8. Multioperator:Contest-specific rules for all VHF, UHF,
microwave and EME contests shall be amended to give effect to the above general
rules.
What We Need From YouYou can help us by considering the potential impact of
each proposal and sharing any specific observations about it. We’re not
tallying “votes;” rather, we want to be sure we have considered all foreseeable
results of the proposed changes. Collective input from user groups will be
particularly helpful and faster to compile than multiple copies of the same
position from individual group members.Further, this is not about changing “who
wins” but about whether the overall objectives stated above will be better
attained as a result of each proposed change. Overlying any enacted changes is
the recognized need to increase outreach beyond the already-active VHF+
contesting community. Your suggestions in this regard will also be
welcomed.Please submit your comments prior to December 15, 2014. Only comments
received through this channel -- vhf-input@arrl.org -- will be assured of
reaching all the members of the Subcommittee.Thank you for helping us with this
process.73,Kermit Carlson, W9XA, ChairAd Hoc Subcommittee on VHF and Above
Revitalization
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