[Wswss] ROVER Pack's

[Tim]

Good Morning Folks.

This is a detailed email about Roving and contains some ideas that we all
have strong opinions about. I only ask that you read and digest the entire
email before forming an opinion as to what I am saying.
Thank You.
-----------------

Hi Everyone... I hope your Summer has been fun and productive. I have made
progress towards getting my 10 Ghz station on the air, worked 16 new grids
on 222 (And counting), and overall have really enjoyed amateur radio. Now
that the Sept contest is over it's time to think about going Rover in
January and that brings me to the subject I have been think about all summer
long... The Pack Rover.

To understand where I'm coming from we must go back in time a bit and review
a few things...

Since 1991, I have always enjoyed being an INDEPENDANT Rover, working any
and all I hear. Adding antennas, bands, strategies, grids, etc, to the
mobile station each year to improve my capabilities in an effort to create a
better "opportunity" to win.

I am and shall always be in favor of the ORIGINAL Rover rules with no added
stipulations about so called "grid circling" or any other foolishness. Now
please don't take this Email and start ranting and raving about that issue
again. Its a dead horse which should be promptly buried as the stench is
killing me. I only state it to continue down the path towards my real
purpose for this message.

When the rules changed, lots of Rovers left, NEVER to come back. I left for
a while myself but when the rules were revised to their current form I began
to Rove again as I enjoy it so. No other form of radio competition is so
encompassing as that of building and operating a competitive Rover station.

Over the past couple years I have seen dozens of foolish ideas on how to fix
this contest scoring "Problem" and that "Problem", usually aimed at
restricting Rovers, how they do this and that, no repeating grids, minimum
times in each grid, etc... and I have avoided the whole issue as it angers
me no end.

In my mind, it amounts to pure and simple RACISIM, the "stationary" stations
are handled one way and the "mobile" stations another. That "Separate but
Equal" crap. But, I kept quiet rather than ignite another upheaval of
emotions and flag waving. I continued to play on 222 chasing grids and
ignored it all... until today.

Today is the WSWSS conference at the M2 plant in Fresno CA. I can't attend
due to an eye injury earlier in the week (I'm OK, just sore) and really
don't want to spend the money on gas now, but in January for the contest.

So I was sitting here thinking about the Rover route, More bands, New
antennas, etc, and then it hit me... The competition has changed.

No longer is it about going out and doing your best with what you got, its
about building MULTIPLE ROVERS, getting folks to operate them for you, and
heading out as a PACK and working each other on as many band/grid
possibilities as humanly possible to generate scores that are astronomical.

Why should the rest of use get out of bed, let alone actually operate if the
mega rover packs are just going to BUY their way to #1 again?

Don't get me wrong, I admire the hard work it took to build and operate
those 10 band stations, doing anything within the rules to get an edge, etc.
But when most of your final score comes from extremely short microwave
contacts with ROVERS WITHIN YOUR OWN PACK, and seldom anyone else, that's
when I think something needs to change.

Now, I don't see so called "grid circling" as being the issue here, That's
something any rover should be able to do during his travels, he's entitled
to every possibility of making a Q, just as any "stationary" station is.

No, The REAL issue here is that these stations have in my mind essentially
created a New Category, "TEAM ROVING". As such, their scores should not be
included in the same category as one who's log clearly demonstrates he is an
independent or "NON TEAM Rover".

OK, I have had my say. I never thought I would be advocating a rule change
involving Rovers, but this idea makes sense and doesn't limit anything or
anyone. You pick your category and move on. Simple.

73s de Tim - K7XC/R - DM09ol... sk
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Jan 2005 - K7XC/R - ABCDEI - 17 Grids as follows;
Saturday - DM04, DM14, DM15. DM05, CM95, DM06, CM96, CM97
Sunday   - CM97, CM87, CM88, CM98, CM99, CM89, CN80, CN90, & DM09