New Rover Rules Create Debate as January ARRL VHF Returns

By Jamie Dupree NS3T 

A year after a crew of California rovers claimed the top four spots by a wide margin in the January VHF Sweepstakes, 2008 contestants will find some new rover rules that are creating a bit of controversy in the VHF contest community.

There are now three classes of rovers for ARRL VHF test: Rover, Limited Rover and Unlimited Rover. There are also now new limits on how many contacts some rovers can make with another rover and new rules the use of APRS.

The changes produced their fair share of support and criticism from both coasts and in between.

"The one item that gets my goat is the 100 QSO limit with any individual rover. That is wayyyy too high," said Bruce Richardson W9FZ.

"I'm just surprised that they didn't limit it to 100 rover-to-rover contacts total OR picked a lower number like 40 or 50 for contacts with an individual rover," said Richardson. But he made clear it's not keeping him off the road this year.

"I'll have 7 bands up through 2.3 and I hope to do 8 grids... EN-54,55,44,45,43,53,52,42."

As for how the new rules will affect some of the top 6-land rovers, their grid-circling future isn't clear at this point.

"Yes, I have plans for January, but given the new rules and new categories, I'm not sure it's wise to disclose my operating strategy in advance," said defending champ Wayne Overbeck N6NB.

For a quick review of what has changed in terms of rover rules, take a look at a review by N2SLN.

As for other categories in the 2008 January VHF, the high power is wide open, as defending champ Pete Walters K9PW isn't making a return to the South Mountain Contest Club's K3EAR in Pennsylvania.

Walters will instead be at K9NS, as they will muster a multi-op effort for this year's contest. Last year, K9NS played in the NAQP SSB test instead.

That may leave an opening for perennial favorite Jeff Klein K1TEO, who finished second last January to K3EAR.

"EAR is just a better location with better equipment so hard to compete, expecially in January when that station has (much) better access to the 2 areas with the greatest activity - Rochester, NY and Philly," Klein said.

As for propagation, "the best we can hope for is an E-skip opening or an AU. E-skip is pretty rare this time of year," said Klein, "but not impossible. Given where we are in the solar cycle, an AU is highly unlikely. But hey, you never know."

A bigger concern might be a storm system due to hit the East Coast and New England on Friday, which could bring ice.

"if my antennas get any ice on them it makes operating impossible. It's happened twice before in my 20 years contesting from my Connecticut QTH."