Let's start roving in Europe!!!
Summary
It would be good for the European microwave community if we had more mobile and portable stations.
Therefore, we feel like the contest rules should be changed to encourage this type of activity
1. by introducing a new category of station: "ROVERs" that can move between grids and
2. by allowing fixed stations to work these stations more than once during a contest, adding to both parties' score.
The result would be increased activity on the microwave and less dead
time during contests specifically on the microwave bands. This approach
has been very succesful in the US already, and is now also used
for the UK microwave contests. Why don't we go this route as well?
A typical microwave rover looks like ...
Not
much needs to be changed in the rules - just the removal of the rule
that says you can work each station only once. This becomes once per
Maidenhead gridsquare (e.g. JO31, JO20).
We feel this would be a great way to enhance (mm-wave!) activity and an
opportunity for a lot of fun. It brings a lot of people with bad
locations back into the game. More activity! More miles on microwaves!
Please send your comments and thoughts to on4iy@qsl.net and spread the
word to your contest committee. Thanks!
"ARRL rover rules:
2.3. Rover: One or two operators of a single station that moves among two or more grid
squares during the course of a contest.
2.3.1. A rover vehicle may transport only one station using a single call sign.
2.3.2. A rover may not operate with more than one call sign.
2.3.3. Rover vehicles must transport all the equipment, power supplies, and antennas used
at each operating site.
2.3.4. Rovers sign “rover” on phone and /R on CW after their call sign.
2.3.5. All Rovers are encouraged to adopt operating practices that allow as many stations
as possible to contact them.
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