[FQP] FQP Mobile Category Rules

[ku8e at bellsouth.net]

  Great job by all the mobile competitors in the FQP. We had around 1700 QSO's from W4AN/m
Hopefully Pat, N8VW, will be posting our score to 3830 in the next day or so.

I was wondering if for 2008 the the FQP rules committee might consider adding a rover category?
With a rover category a station could stop at various locations and setup a "real" antennas
and then move on the other locations (and operate with mobile antennas on the way to their next location). This would be different than the mobile class in which most of the competitors use some type of  traditional mobile antenna - i.e a screwdriver, Hamsticks or Hustler mobile whips.

I find the FQP rules for the mobile class to be ambiguous. Some people are using this fact to gain an advantage over their competitors by using fixed antennas on trailers (K4KG) or running an amp
(N4PN). I had asked Dan before FQP if a mobile stopped at a location and put up a dipole then 
used their mobile antenna when going between locations would they be considered to be in the 
mobile class, which he replied "yes". We considered  this but didn't end up doing it. I am
not taking anything away from George or Paul because they are within the rules of how the mobile
class is defined for the FQP. Good for them that they came up with these ideas. It is funny that Pat and I noticed tons of people pulling boat trailers behind their trucks / SUV's when travelling thru FL .
I made a comment to him that one of those trailers could work out pretty good for mounting a bunch of real antennas when going mobile.

I hope everyone doesn't take my comments to wrong way because they are not meant to be a gripe. I just feel that the mobile competitors should be using traditional mobile antennas that the majority of us are stuck with. See everyone in Dayton and maybe we can discuss this more.

Jeff KU8E