[NLRS] Club response: CAC request for feedback on proposed VHF contesting changes

[jcplatt1 at mmm.com]

Hello NLRS land.   I need your help.   Please read on.   I apologize in
advance for the length ..... I really did try to keep this as short as
possible.

As all of you are aware, over the last year or so, K1KI has lead an ARRL
subcommittee to develop recommendations as to how to increase the amount of
activity in VHF contesting.    You may remember that there was a survey
taken and a fair amount of follow on discussion and debate.     The
subcommittee has completed their work and presented their findings to the
ARRLs Program & Services Committee (P&SC) on July 15.    The subcommittees
report contains 22 recommendations as to how to increase VHF contesting
activity.

What will happen from here?   The ARRL's P&SC committee will work with the
Membership Services Department to take the recommendations any further.
Some of these recommendations may result in rule changes, some may not.

In parallel, the P&SC has now engaged their Contest Advisor Committee (CAC)
to ask them to review and comment on the subcommittees final report.    For
the Dakota Division our CAC representative is John, N0IJ.

N0IJ has forwarded to me the above information and is looking to us for
input ...... are these recommendations sound.    In addition, this also
represents an opportunity for us to provide additional comments as to how
we can increase VHF contest activity.

What am I requesting from you ?

First, I need your input on the 22 individual recommendations that the
subcommittee is proposing.     The 22 recommendations are below and are
clustered into four categories; Awards, EME Contest, VHF Sweepstakes +
June/September QSO Parties, and Promotion.   I numbered them 1 through 22..

Please give me a YES, NO, or NO OPINION for each of these 22 questions.
Please reply by whatever means is the most convenient for you.

   Awards:
   1.  Change the entry level steps for VHF+ awards so more people will be
   able to get started in VUCC, WAS, and DXCC using VHF+ frequencies.
   2.  Consider changing the steps for different level awards to a smaller
   increment.
   3.  Establish a VUCC challenge type award similar to the one used by
   DXCC
   4.  Create a new award or awards to appeal to entry level or
   rover/portable operations, such as a grids activation or miles per watt
   award.  Consider GCR certification rather than card checking
   5.  For VUCC awards on 50 through 1296 MHz and Satellite, all contacts
   must be made from a location or locations within the same grid locator
   or locations in different grid locators no more than 200 km apart
   (currently they have to be made from the same grid).

   EME Contest:
   6.  The Contest department should work to establish dates for the EME
   contest as early as possible and include them with the contest calendar
   as the yearly summary is released.
   7.  Change the multiplier to include US states and Canadian provinces
   instead of call areas.
   8.  Stop requiring that stations operating outside of their traditional
   call area sign portable.

   VHF Sweepstakes + June/September QSO Parties:
   9.  Establish a new Limited Single Operator category designed with the
   newcomer in mind.   Operate on no more than four bands with low power
   only.
   10.  Simplify the limit for low power operation to 150 watts for
   50-144-222-432 MHz
   11.  Eliminate the rules that allow Multi-Operator stations to work
   their own operators on 2.3 GHz and up.
   12.  Strengthen the rules to minimize the rover practices known as grid
   circling and captive rovers
   13.  Offer plaques for the January and September contests, in addition
   to June.  Work to find individual, club or corporate sponsors.
   Otherwise offer plaques to national and regional leaders at their own
   cost.
   14.  Make sure the rules indicate certificates are awarded for low power
   entries in January, and for top DX entries.

   Promotion:
   15.  Promote suggested times and frequencies for "activity hours" on
   each band
   16.  As changes are made to the Contest and Awards sections of the ARRL
   website, give more visibility to VHF+.   The number of HF contests and
   awards tends to overwhelm the VHF+ offerings.
   17.  Work harder to support and encourage smaller VHF+ contests
   sponsored by other organizations
   18.  Provide more information on which contests logging programs fully
   support ARRL contests.
   19.  Continue the work to report on contest results by region.  Find
   ways to showcase existing VHF+ stations and VHF+ contesting operating
   techniques.
   20.  Work to make sure that administration and promotion of VHF+
   contesting events are given equal status with HF contests
   21.  Explore ways to offer "trinkets" for VHF+ contests.  Pins have not
   been successful, plaques work for top scores, perhaps something like
   mugs or T-shirts would be attractive.
   22.  Utilize the email address from those submitting contest entries to
   alert them to the availability of online contest results.


Second Part.    In the subcommittees report, they recognize that the above
recommendations may be inadequate and state "..... we don't feel that we
have done enough to develop recommendations for increasing the amount of
activity in VHF+ contests." and ".... I hope that the VHF+ community will
continue to work on it as well".      There is a realization that there may
be more opportunities out there .... but what are they ?     This is where
we come in .... you and me.

Here is what I want YOU to do:
   Step 1:   Think about what makes VHF and VHF contesting fun for YOU.
   Write them down.   Maybe you can prioritize them.
   Step 2:   Think about how YOU got into VHFing.    Write down what were
   the hurdles (ex: didn't know any Elmers, etc) and what helped you.
   Step 3:   Given the data that you have created in Steps 1 and 2 above,
   do the current contest (rules) help or hinder your fun ?   What changes
   would reduce the hindrance and increase the fun ?
   Step 4:   Send to me YOUR top three or four suggestions generated from
   Step 3 above.    I will keep the authorship confidential, but will
   cluster the ideas.

Please send me your input by October 9th.   I am looking for your "votes"
on the 22 subcommittee recommendations above as well as your individual
thoughts as to how to increase the amount of activity in VHF contesting
(from Step 4 above plus any other comments you may have).     I will issue
a report to the NLRS reflector and forward a copy to our CAC, N0IJ.

This is your opportunity to be heard, don't miss it.

73, Jon
W0ZQ