[amsat-bb] Re: FD Mess

[STeve Andre']

Well, is IS a contest, no matter what the ARRL says.  People see it as such.
My first FD before I was a ham, looked like a contest to me and it was only
later, reading all the ARRL books I could get ahold of that I realized it
really wasn't one.

All contests where you go outside are test runs for emergency stuff.
Our club in Ann Arbor MI (Arrow Communication Association) does the
summer vhf+ contests outside (6m-1296) and those have been a great
way to figure out  ways of doing stuff.

I would argue that the ARRL needs to change the way they talk, and
offer FD as both a contest and exercise in communications, and
speak of the exercise opportunities at the other contests, especially
those of rovers.

--STeve Andre'
wb8wsf  en72

On 06/27/11 14:21, Nigel Gunn wrote:
> A bigger FD problem is that FD is advertised as a chance to demonstrate
> your emergency comms ability to Joe Public.
> FD is NOT a contest so why are points and bonuses  involved at all?
>
> On 27/06/11 19:13, Bill Acito W1PA wrote:
>> I think we have to let go of the mantra that “any use of the bandwidth is good use” with respect to  “encouraging more satellite activity”. Wasn’t that the original intent of the “100 point bonus” items? To encourage specific activities – traffic handling, promotion, emergency power, etc.
>>
>