RSGB CONTEST COMMITTEE
NEWSLETTER
ISSUE 4
DATE: APRIL 2013
RSGB CONTESTS FOR APRIL / MAY 2013 (by Quin G3WRR
& John G3XDY)
|
Monday |
1st April 2013 |
80m Club Championship Contest (CW) |
1900 – 2030 UTC |
|
Tuesday |
2nd April 2013 |
144MHz UK Activity Contest |
1900 – 2130 UTC |
|
Sunday |
7th April 2013 |
1st 70MHz Contest |
0900 – 1200 UTC |
|
Sunday |
7th April 2013 |
ROPOCO Contest SSB (80m) |
1900 – 2030 UTC |
|
Tuesday |
9th April 2013 |
432MHz UK Activity Contest |
1900 – 2130 UTC |
|
Wednesday |
10th April 2013 |
80m Club Championship Contest (SSB) |
1900 – 2030 UTC |
|
Sunday |
14th April 2013 |
1st 50MHz Contest |
0900 – 1200 UTC |
|
Tuesday |
16th April 2013 |
1.3GHz UK Activity Contest |
1900 – 2130 UTC |
|
Thursday |
18th April 2013 |
80m Club Championship Contest (data) |
1900 – 2030 UTC |
|
Tuesday |
23rd April 2013 |
50MHz UK Activity Contest |
1900 – 2130 UTC |
|
Tuesday |
23rd April 2013 |
SHF UK Activity Contest |
1900 – 2130 UTC |
|
Tuesday |
30th April 2013 |
70MHz UK Activity Contest |
1900 – 2130 UTC |
|
Saturday – Sunday |
4th – 5th May 2013 |
May 432MHz – 248 GHz Contest |
1400 –1400 UTC |
|
Saturday |
4th May 2013 |
432MHz Trophy Contest |
1400 –2200 UTC |
|
Saturday |
4th May 2013 |
10GHz Trophy Contest |
1400 –2200 UTC |
|
Monday |
6th May 2013 |
80m Club Championship Contest (SSB) |
1900 – 2030 UTC |
|
Tuesday |
7th May 2013 |
144MHz UK Activity Contest |
1900 – 2130 UTC |
|
Sunday |
12th May 2013 |
70MHz CW Contest |
0900 – 1200 |
|
Tuesday |
14th May 2013 |
432MHz UK Activity Contest |
1900 – 2130 UTC |
|
Wednesday |
15th May 2013 |
80m Club Championship Contest (data) |
1900 – 2030 UTC |
|
Saturday – Sunday |
18th – 19th May 2013 |
May 144MHz Contest |
1400 –1400 UTC |
|
Sunday |
19th May 2013 |
1st 144MHZ Backpackers Contest |
1100 – 1500 UTC |
|
Tuesday |
21st May 2013 |
1.3GHz Activity Contest |
1900 – 2130 UTC |
|
Thursday |
23rd May 2013 |
80m Club Championship Contest (CW) |
1900 – 2030 UTC |
|
Sunday |
26th May 2013 |
70MHz Cumulative Contest #3 |
1400 – 1600 UTC |
|
Tuesday |
28th May 2013 |
50MHz UK Activity Contest |
1900 – 2130 UTC |
|
Tuesday |
28th May 2013 |
SHF UK Activity Contest |
1900 – 2130 UTC |
Further details including rules are available here (HF) and here (VHF).
It should be noted that the times in UTC shown for the UK Activity and 80m Club Championship Contests are an hour earlier than for those earlier in the year. This is because of the change of UK clocks from UTC to BST on 31 March, and allows a constant UK clock time to be maintained for the entire series.
OTHER UK CONTESTS IN APRIL (by
John G3XDY)
The UK Microwave Group has a 1.3/2.3/3.4GHz contest on Sunday 21st April, 1000 - 1600 UTC. Rules are at UK Microwave Group Contest Rules.
OTHER EUROPEAN VHF/UHF CONTESTS IN APRIL (by
John G3XDY)
Details of French events (English translation can be obtained by clicking on the “Translate” box in the Google toolbar)
Details of German events (English translation can be obtained by clicking on the “Translate” box in the Google toolbar)
The NAC Contests in Scandinavia
RECENT RESULTS (by Quin G3WRR
& John G3XDY)
The following results have been published or
updated since the previous Newsletter:
50MHz
UKAC
144MHz
UKAC
432MHz
UKAC
1.3GHz
UKAC
SHF
UKAC
Overall
UKAC
2012
VHF Championship
432MHZ AFS FEEDBACK (by John G3XDY)
The 432MHz AFS event was shortened from 4 hours to 3 hours this year. Some stations welcomed the new timings, but others (generally higher in the tables) mentioned that it was now too short. The overlap with the French and German contests also shortened to one hour, and this was seen as detrimental in the comments received. Analysis of the logs indicates that rates in the last half hour were higher than the previous half hour, and had not fallen much below half the rate of the first half hour.
Taking an overall view, the committee proposes to return to a four hour event next year, with two hours overlap with the continental events. The committee is also considering extending the 50MHz AFS contest to 4 hours next year. Comments on these proposals are welcome: please e-mail to vhf.query@rsgbcc.org
CONTEST MATTERS AT THE APRIL IARU
REGION 1 MEETING (by John G3XDY)
IARU Region 1 is holding an interim meeting in Vienna in April and is considering a number of proposals regarding IARU Region 1 contests. Some of the key proposals and the committee’s position are summarised here.
IARU Region VHF/UHF Contest Results
The German national society DARC are asking for improvements to the contest adjudication process to address issues with the IARU Region 1 robot system introduced for 2012. The RSGBCC supports DARC’s proposals for clarifying responsibility for the production of results.
Coordination of
Activity Contests
At present all UK Activity Contests are held on Tuesdays. Other activity contests throughout Europe are aligned on the same dates on bands from 144MHz upwards, but the 50MHz and 70MHz events in Europe are held on Thursday evenings. A previous RSGBCC consultation on the 50MHz UKAC in 2011 provided strong feedback that the Tuesday evening date should be retained.
The RSGBCC is minded to move the 70MHz events in 2014 to align with the European dates, as the band would benefit from the increased continental activity, particularly during the sporadic E season. It would also result in an increase in the number of 70MHz UKAC sessions during the year.
Some other countries do not use serial numbers. The RSGBCC does not support any move to drop serial numbers from the contest exchange used in the UKACs.
Proposed IARU Region
1 70MHz Contest
The Netherlands society VERON is proposing a 24 hour 70MHz contest on the first weekend in June. Due to the clash with HF NFD, and the excessive duration for the expected level of activity, the RSGBCC does not support this proposal.
Definition of Contests
to exclude Internet based aids
The French national society REF proposes that only amateur radio means of communication are allowed in HF & VHF Contests. This proposal would outlaw the use of aids now routinely used on the microwave bands for talkback such as ON4KST chat, and much of the DX Cluster network. The RSGBCC does not support this proposal in its current form.
Standardisation of
log submission periods
The Danish society EDR proposes either a three week or 48 hour entry windows for submitting logs for IARU events. The RSGBCC does not support this proposal.
Contest free JOTA weekend
There is an ongoing initiative to acknowledge that
the Jamboree On The Air weekend (third full weekend of October) ought to be
contest-free on the HF bands - this has come up before, and the RSGBCC is in
favour (and in compliance). The German (WAG) contest is held on that
weekend, although SSB contest-free segments are observed by entrants.
BERU 2013 (by Mike G3VYI)
The 2013 BERU Contest (more properly
known as the Commonwealth Contest, but still almost universally known by its
traditional name going back to the 1930s!) ran in good HF conditions on March
9/10th with good activity from all over the Commonwealth. As of the date
of writing (20th March) over 280 logs have been received, with
entries from up to 40 Commonwealth countries: at present these include
UK( 40+), VE (35), VK (20) , VU (2), ZL (10), ZS (3), VO, VY, 6Y, 9H, ZF, J8,
VP9, C4, 5B4, 5N, 5X, 7Q7, 9J, 9X, 5H and 9M6. In addition, 5 HQ stations have
entered.
Many stations commented on the good
conditions on 10/15m to VK and ZL, but difficult conditions at times on 80m.
Reports indicate it was very enjoyable for the less well equipped and
restricted section stations who worked more DX and traveller commonwealth
stations on 10/15m than last year, which is what this contest is all about!
Quite a number of DX and VE stations came on for short periods but contributed
to the mix and score for all.
A small number of entries commented on
a band recording problem with one version of SD, but the CC is aware of the
issue and such entrants will not be penalised. You are reminded that
entries are due in by the end of April 10th: see section 8 of the BERU rules for further guidance on log submission.
FORWARD LOOK FOR VHF NFD (6 - 7 JULY
2013) (by John G8IYS)
A
glance at the Rules
for VHFNFD 2013 on the CC website and also the CC April Newsletter will
reveal a new Section for Portable stations only. This is termed MS Single Transmitter. It is targeted at
the smaller Team or Group, who may have limited resources, as an encouragement
to get active in VHFNFD beyond the bounds of their cosy shacks. Briefly:
·
the full Rules on portability of the station
must be observed and the station callsign(s) must be
suffixed /P
·
only a single mast is permitted and only one
antenna per band may be installed on that mast
·
operation may take place on up to 3
preselected and registered bands, but simultaneous transmission on more than
one band at a time is not permitted
·
there are permitted time periods and durations
for operation and permitted maximum transmitter output powers for each band
·
the Team overall score is the sum of its
normalised score on all 3 bands
·
single
band entries in this section will not be accepted, nor may it be part of a
Mix-and-Match entry
The FAQ list, to be found via the above
web-page, is highly recommended reading for any group considering entry to this
new Section.
Please also note that the registration page for VHF NFD is now open – early registrations welcome!
HF CHAMPIONSHIP (by Quin G3WRR)
Further to last month’s item on the HF Championship, the CC is aware that although the 2013 season has now started the results from 2012 have yet to be finalised. We apologise for the delay, which is largely caused by difficulty obtaining results from external (non RSGB) contests. Readers may wish to note that for the 2013 season:
· all 6 events will contribute to the results, rather than the “pick and mix” approach of 2012
· all 6 contributing events are RSGB contests, facilitating automation of the results
· the contribution made by each contest to entrants’ overall scores will be based on score in each contributing event rather than position as was the case in 2012.
TROPHY MANAGEMENT (by Ed GW3SQX)
(1) Those who attend the RSGB Convention will know that the presentation of contest trophies is a highlight for many attendees. However, this event involves a great deal of preparation both for Contest Committee volunteers and the RSGB HQ team. There is always a bit of a melee as around 75 trophies (and increasing) are presented in a short space of time, with winners then collecting boxes as necessary so that they can safely take them home.
(2) Proposals are being considered as described below, intended to change the procedure, along with one or two suggested alternatives. These relate both to the "behind the scenes" aspects of trophy management, as well as the procedures that winners would follow.
Background
(3) You will be aware that each trophy is engraved with the winner’s name and callsign, and the holder keeps the trophy for around 8 months. Then trophies are returned to the Society for the the next presentation. Some winners do not wish to receive their trophies, and these are stored at RSGB HQ. There is no cost to the recipient other than if they wish to travel to the Convention to receive their award.
(4) Many of the trophies are rather old -- one or two from the 1930s -- and checking the venerable callsigns on the "pot" you have won is an enjoyable part of the proceedings. But trophies are at risk of continued deterioration because of the constant movement between the Society, the engravers and the recipients. Handles and bases get broken off and have to be repaired and in a few cases, trophies have been lost, at some expense to the Society. And for many older trophies, there is now limited space for further engraving.
(5) The Society bears other expenses which increase every year. Engraving in 2012 cost almost £700. Retrieving the trophies is costly – approximately £15-£20 each in postage with insurance . Many are large, the Rose Bowls for example, and some (such as the Horace Freeman Trophy) are heavy at almost 5Kg. Postage for the recall in 2013 is likely to be approximately £500, and if the the remainder had been sent by post to the winners that would add another £1000.
(6) There is considerable administrative effort, which is (of course) quite costly, particularly in chasing trophy holders to return their awards, in obtaining details of award holders, in transporting trophies to and from the engravers, and in organising them along with transport to and from the Convention. Many award winners (about half in 2012) do not attend the Convention, and the Society has in the past posted the trophies to non-attendees at no charge which would last year have cost around £500.
(7) You will note the emphasis on expenses that the Society incurs, but it has to be remembered that these awards are really only of interest to a small number of the total membership. However, the winners are also those who are at the forefront of the hobby, so there has to be a balance between using members' funds wisely, while acknowledging the achievements the trophy winners have made.
Basic
Proposal
(8) From the 2013 Convention onwards:
(a) Trophies will no longer leave the custody of the Society, but will be put on permanent display at the National Radio Centre in Bletchley Park.
(b) Trophies will continue to be engraved with the winners' names.
(c) Winners will receive a small plaque, suitably engraved that will be theirs to keep.
(d) Plaques will be posted to winners who do not attend the convention at their own expense.
(e) For those who wish to attend the Convention to receive and be photographed with their award, the trophies will be presented at the Convention and returned to the NRC.
Other
possibilities
(9) Recipients would only be able to take the trophy home if they attended the Convention in person.
(10) Recipients must pay for returning trophies to RSGB HQ at their own expense.
(11) The Contest Committee could create pages on its web site as an ongoing "Trophy Room" or "Hall of Fame" in cyberspace with a list of current and previous winners.
Your comments please to editor@rsgbcc.org. It would help if you refer to paragraph numbers (5), (8c), etc. when responding to make it easier for us to analyse your input.
FREQUENCIES USED IN 80m CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS
(by Quin G3WRR)
In the 80m Club Championships (and also in other contests such as AFS), frequency limits are specified in the rules to align with band plan recommendations on frequency use. It is important to remember that on SSB (and also in general on CW and data) the frequency displayed by the rig is the carrier frequency (strictly, in the case of SSB the frequency the non-existent carrier would be on). When modulation is applied, a sideband will be generated containing RF energy above or below the carrier – below it in the case of LSB on 80m. This means that in a SSB 80m Club Championship a station operating on an indicated frequency of 3700.5kHz would be radiating a signal below 3700 kHz – outside the permitted frequency range and thus in violation of the rules. It is the entrant’s responsibility to ensure that this does not happen. Two instances of this have been reported in the event of 21 March, and the CC will be taking appropriate action.
RATIONALE BEHIND THE 2013 CW NFD RULES (by Quin
G3WRR)
In view of the significant amount of information contained in the current Newsletter, the promised article on the above has been deferred until the May issue.
AND FINALLY
That’s all for this month – as always, comments are welcome to editor@rsgbcc.org .
73 and good contesting.
QUIN COLLIER G3WRR
Newsletter Editor on behalf of RSGB Contest Committee