[PaQSO] Re: K8MR Mobile Plans

[Hal Offutt]

Hi Everyone,

Bob Crossland N3FR wrote:

> I believe that whether you sign /M or /P is an operational preference, and
> not something driven by the software (any software).

With respect to the mobile and rover divisions, the rules state "stations
should identify by using /M or /R on CW and by adding "Rover" or "Mobile" on
SSB."  I think that should resolve the issue of how to ID.  How the stations
they work log a /M or /R station will depend on the software they use.


> I'm picturing K8MR/3 choosing several counties from which they will
operate
> Rover, and while commuting between those counties, they will operate
Mobile.
> Sounds like a good plan.  My only concern will be whether I already worked
> them in that particular county, and I won't know that until I either hear
> them give out a contact or until I ask them directly.  And if they enter a
> county in which they are going to operate Rover, and they continue to hand
> out Mobile contacts, so be it.  All they're doing, in essence, is taking
> away from  their Rover contact totals.

Bob is absolutely correct here.  The K8MR team is just trying to maximize
the contacts they give out by operating while moving between rover QTHs.
And of course trying to maximize their fun by trying to operate every minute
they can.  To the people they work, it doesn't matter if they are /r or /m.
By using the same call, they are just reducing their /r score and hurting
nobody but themselves.  Competing /r stations will surely have no objection
to this kind of operation.  And as a mobile, I have no objections either
(I'm glad they're not going to be mobile full time - they'd kick my butt!).
It wouldn't even be a problem if they could make two QSOs per county, one as
a /R and one as /M.  Of course this is impossible (unless they use separate
callsigns) because they would show as a dupe in everyone's logs, but it
still wouldn't do anyone any harm or give them an unfair advantage over
anyone.

Variety is the spice of life.  Many people like to do different things.
Great.  Let's accommodate them.  The rules allow a very wide latitude, and
that's the way it should be.  More fun and interest for all.  Look at the
difference between the various mobile entrants, to cite just one example.
If someone is smart enough to come up with a new approach that gives them an
"unfair" advantage, then it will be time to think about fine tuning the
rules.  Several mobiles (me included) used to operate multi-multi.  It was
judged that this was not fair to other mobiles and the rules were changed to
make only "single transmitter" entries eligible for awards.  This made sense
and created no ill will or problems.  Matter closed.  Sure, we all have
things we'd like to change (mostly to help ourselves out) but one of those
things we should have learned in kindergarten is that the world won't work
unless we are all willing to compromise.

Only 11 days to go.

73,

Hal W1NN op of W3USA/m