[MiQP-Mail] Rover category

[Jimk8mr at aol.com]

Down here in Ohio we have the rover category. In Michigan there  is not, or 
at least not yet.  Vive le difference!
 
I do think the rover concept has a lot going for it. A couple of hours with  
a dipole and anybody who cares will work that county, especially on SSB. 
That's  not the case with mobiles, as hard as we try!   Look at what K9TM  did from 
Monroe county with what would be a very typical rover station.   Imagine if 
he had started over fresh a couple of times!
 
A low dipole operation will become much more fun in a year or so when 40  
returns as an in-state band. One of my coolest operating experiences was as a  
rover a few years back in the PA QSO Party, when I was running 150/hr on 40  SSB 
from Juniata county, including a number of "thanks for the last county"  
qsos. Right now, trying to run guys in IL or PA just doesn't stir up the same  
interest.
 
And with gas prices pushing $4 a gallon, a shorter trip makes a lot of  sense.
 
In the meantime, feel free to go roving anyway.  I did not wait for  the ARRL 
to establish a "single op - multi station" category in SS.  I just  did it, 
and have a lot of fun doing it. The same goes for roving in MiQP.
 
 
73  -  Jim   K8MR
 
 
 
In a message dated 4/25/2008 3:18:47 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
emorse at ford.com writes:

Hank,  
Definitely talking two issues here.  
Rover category and  how close to the county  line do you have to be to be in 
the county.  
The Rover category may be a viable category  especially if you could show 
that it would increase activity.  I know I  worked N9NE in almost every county he 
parked in last weekend.  Partly  because he was in the UP where we had good 
propagation and partly because he  spent more than 30 minutes in each county.  
If you could show a half  dozen rover operations that would be good for a 
couple hundred or so QSOs from  each of 4 counties then  it would make a good case 
for the  category.  Basically, activity begets more activity but adding 
categories  just waters down the activity you already have.  I would look at the 
EOC  category.  Almost every county has a Red Cross station or EOC station or  
both, however I don't think that the EOC category generated as much activity  
amongst the non-contest community as we were hoping.  Maybe the logs  submitted 
will prove me wrong. 
I have a problem with multiple counties  though.  You can't operate from two 
places simultaneously.  It isn't  allowed by any awards programs i.e. DXCC, 
WAS and County Hunters.  Close  only counts in horsehoes, hand grenades, and 
nuclear weapons but not in ham  radio QTH entities.  I have worked the Illinois 
QSO party and found it  silly to work one QSO for 4 multipliers.  At least that’
s what they were  implying.  I would reply with QSL, YOU ARE  59 MI 59 MI 59 
MI 59 MI  and log the 4 QSOs.  Their game, their rules.  Basically, it seemed  
that these stations just wanted to be a little more special than your run of  
the mill IL stations in hopes it would generate the pileups they needed to  
stroke their egos.  From what I heard from some of those stations, they  needed 
a lot more practice on those pile ups too.   
Anyway, it’s the Michigan QSO party and you just  can't be any more special 
than being in Michigan, whichever county/counties  you are in.  Pick a category 
and make your plans to operate it as best  you can. 
N8SS 












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