[NLRS] Reverse VUCC Award Program - question re: contacts above 1.3GHz

[Bruce Richardson]

1. I LOVE the CSVHFS Reverse VUCC/r program!  It motivates my behavior.

2. The purpose of the Reverse VUCC/r Award Program is to honor/award
those rovers who have helped out fixed stations by activating grids.
The program was not intended to reward rovers who perform contrived
activity at many different locations.  The committee that developed the
rules was well aware that rules can effect behavior and have unintended
consequences.  

2a.  The committee that developed the rules did not want the award to be
earned by rovers or mobiles performing multiple trivial distance
contacts.  The phrase used in discussion was "truckers across America".
Admittedly, the rules say nothing about trivial vs. non-trivial.  And
there is much more the rules don't say. The attempt was to keep the
rules simple.

2b.  The way the rules are written, "truckers across America" could earn
all of the awards below 1.3GHz.  The committee felt that the requirement
for 25, 50, and 100 grids might be enough of an  impediment that
"truckers acorss America" behavior (nothing against truckers :-) )
wouldn't commonly apply for the award.

3. In normal VUCC, it can be difficult to earn endorsements beyond the
basic level on 2304 and up (above 1.3 GHz is the other way to say that).
There are fixed stations that have earned multiple VUCC's by operating
from multiple locations.  10GHz is the most common example. I know hams
who earned VUCC (and collect towards endorsements) from their
apartments/homes, from Buck Hill, and from Brockway Mtn in Michigan.
With that as an analogue, it is NOT surprising that the VUCC/r program
essentially requires the rover, who wants awards on those bands, to
collect towards multiple concurrent awards.  For instance, in the VUCC/r
program, I've earned 10GHz and 2.3GHz awards by working K2YAZ and KM0T.
I continue to collect for endorsements with those locations.  I'm also
collecting on 10GHz for my first award with Buck Hill.

3a.  Some have found this rule to be SO onerous that they refuse to
participate in the program in any way.

Aside: once upon a time, on my way to the Wichita CSVHFS conference I
believe, I worked K9JK/R mobile-to-mobile from like EN30 and EM39 while
he was about 30 miles ahead of me.  We went to the trouble of QSL'ing
those Q's.  Personally, I've never used those QSL's towards any VUCC/r
awards because I feel that was "truckers across America" type behavior.
I enjoyed the Q's just for the love of radio and would make those Q's
again.  I later went and revisited EN20 and EM39 again and worked much
further away.  The rules don't prohibit rover-to-rover Q's or QSL's.
This past weekend, in EM03, the only station I worked on 903 and 1296
was AG4V/R in EM24.  I think that is pretty cool.  I hope he QSL's
because I need those for an endorsement :-) .

Personally, I like the rules just the way they are.  You can politic the
program Administrator for change.  I think he ought seek the BOD's
approval before changing.  But if someone wants change, I hope they'll
consider what behaviors need rewarding and how to distinguish those
behaviors.  And then try to write simple rules :-) .

Respectfully offered up,
Bruce Richardson W9FZ/R



-----Original Message-----
From: nlrs-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:nlrs-bounces at mailman.qth.net]
On Behalf Of Jim Froemke
Sent: Monday, September 16, 2013 9:57 PM
To: nlrs at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [NLRS] Reverse VUCC Award Program - question re: contacts above
1.3GHz

I don't understand the reverse VUCC rule for working stations above 1.3
GHz:

http://www.csvhfs.org/vuccdesc.html

3. At frequencies below 1.3 GHz (and Satellite) any number of stations
in any number of grids may be worked. Above that frequency "target
stations worked must all be within the 300 meter circle" that is
specified by VUCC rules. The location of the target stations must be
indicated on their cards by at least the four digit grid, or preferably
their lat/lon or some other indication that they were inside the same
circle. The rover, of course, is obviously required to move around."

When I parse this rule, it implies (to me) that all stations that I work
above 1.3 GHz (from my rover) must always be within a single, predefined
300 meter circle. The only situation that seems likely is in the case of
buck hill where over time, all stations will be operating within the
confines of the hill top. I don't know of any other single, predefined
300 meter circle where I'm likely to find multiple stations, over time.

Can someone elaborate on this rather significant constraint? Perhaps I'm
interpreting the text (in quotes) too literally. 

73, Jim

K0MHC/Rover
__________________________________________________________
NLRS mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/nlrs
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:NLRS at mailman.qth.net

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html