Islands on the Air (IOTA) Contest 2010

(The General Rules for RSGB HF Contests do not apply to this event.) 

IOTA Contest Section here - Containing previous years results, all time record scores, trophy list and online log submissions.

Guide for newcomers to the RSGB IOTA Contest

1. GENERAL The aim of the contest is to promote contacts between stations in qualifying IOTA island groups and the rest of the world and to encourage expeditions to IOTA islands.

2. WHEN 1200UTC Saturday 24 July to 1200UTC Sunday 25 July 2010 (the contest always takes place over the last FULL weekend of July).

3. BANDS AND MODES 3.5, 7, 14, 21 and 28MHz, CW and SSB. IARU band plans must be observed, with CW contacts being made only in the recognised CW ends of the bands (see RSGB Yearbook and similar sources, for recognised IARU band plans). Contest-preferred segments must be observed, no operation to take place on 3500-3510, 3560 - 3600, 3650 - 3700, 14060 - 14125 and 14300 - 14350kHz. 

4. CATEGORIES
All entrants must operate within the limits of their chosen category when performing any activity that could impact their submitted score. All equipment (transmitters, receivers and antennas) plus all operators must be located within a 500m diameter circle or within the property limits of the station licensee’s address, whichever is the greater.
4.1    Location:
•    Island (Any station operating from a qualifying island, as listed in the IOTA Directory. Island stations must ensure beforehand that the island from which they are operating is a valid qualifying island for IOTA. Any questions about the IOTA programme and island validity should be addressed to the IOTA Manager (see RSGB IOTA Web site).
•    World (any station not on a qualifying island).

4.2    Operators:
•    Single operator QSO alerting assistance of any kind (this includes, but is no limited to, packet, local or remote Skimmer and/or Skimmer-like technology, Internet) places the entrant in the Single-operator Assisted category.
•    Single-operator Assisted One person. One signal at any one time. QSO alerting assistance is allowed (this includes, but is not limited to, packet, local or remote Skimmer and/or Skimmer-like technology, Internet). Self-spotting or asking to be spotted is not allowed. 
•    Multi-Operator (24-hour Mixed Mode only. Multi-ops are restricted to a maximum of two transceivers, the second station to be used to find and call other stations only if the station is a new multiplier. It must not be used to solicit other contacts, e.g. by calling "CQ" or "QRZ". Any non-multiplier QSOs made accidentally on the second station must be logged, but will be scored as zero points. QSO alerting assistance is allowed (this includes, but is not limited to, packet, local or remote Skimmer and/or Skimmer-like technology, Internet). Self-spotting or asking to be spotted is not allowed. Multi-operator entrants should include a full list of operators with their entry). 
4.3    Mode:
•    CW
•    SSB
•    Mixed-mode (multi-operator entries must be Mixed Mode).
4.4    Operating Time:
•    24 hours
•    12 hours (Multi-operator entries must be 24 hours, In the 12-hour categories, operation need not be for one continuous 12-hour period but, once operation has commenced, off periods must be a minimum of 60 minutes.).
4.5    Power (Any station not indicating transmitter power will be classified as High Power):
•    High-power (maximum, as permitted by the station licence but, in any case, no more than 1500 watts output)
•    Low power (maximum 100 watts output),
•    QRP (maximum 5 watts output).

5. DXPEDITIONS
5.1    Island stations may, additionally, indicate that they are a DXpedition station as defined below, and compete for a range of expedition trophies and certificates (an additional listing will be shown in the results). It is essential that you make this clear on your cover sheet as notification after the entry deadline cannot be accepted.
5.2    The definition of DXpedition for this optional listing is one:
•    where the island can only be reached by boat or air (islands which can be accessed by bridge or causeway - man-made or natural - are not eligible),
•    where none of the operators is resident on the island,
•    where the operators take all radio equipment and antennas with them and do not rely on a resident for any part of the station,
•    where, in the case of 100W IOTA Island DXpedition stations, the antennas are limited to one element per band (e.g. dipole, vertical). (High power DXpeditions have no antenna restrictions).

6. EXCHANGE
Send RS(T) and serial number starting from 001, plus IOTA reference number if applicable (island stations MUST include the IOTA reference as part of their exchange). Do not use separate numbering systems for CW and SSB. Stations may be contacted on both CW and SSB on each band. Multi-operator entrants may find it convenient to allocate separate blocks of serial numbers for the run and multiplier stations, but do ensure if possible that there is no duplication of serial numbers.

7. SCORING
7.1 QSO Points – All entrants can work anyone, island or non-island. Contacts with non-island stations count 3 points.  Contacts with IOTA islands count 15 points except that, if you are on an island, contacts with your own IOTA reference count 3 points.
7.2 Multiplier - The multiplier is the total of different IOTA references contacted on each band on CW, plus the total of different IOTA references contacted on each band on SSB. Multi-op stations may not work members of their own group for multiplier credit.
7.3 Total Score - The score is the total of QSO points on all bands added together, multiplied by the total of multipliers.

8. LOGS
8.1 Electronic submission of logs by disc or e-mail is encouraged - and in fact required - for all high scoring entrants and all who use a computer to log or prepare the logs. Entrants submitting paper logs will not be eligible for certificates or awards. Those who log on paper are encouraged to get the log typed up by a friend and submit electronically. Electronic submissions should be in Cabrillo format (a definition of Cabrillo, as applied to the IOTA contest, can be found on the RSGB Contest Committee Web page). Word, Excel or other proprietary file formats are no longer acceptable. Many popular contest logging programs support the IOTA contest. Single-operator entrants are recommended to try SDI from EI5DI, which is free and can be downloaded from here

8.2 For Cabrillo logs, the categories and category overlays are:
CATEGORY:                         [SINGLE-OP, MULTI-OP] ALL [HIGH, LOW, QRP] [SSB, CW, MIXED]
CATEGORY-ASSISTED:     [ASSISTED, UNASSISTED]
CATEGORY-DXPEDITION: [EXPEDITION, NON-DXPEDITION]
CATEGORY-TIME:              [12-HOURS, 24-HOURS]
So, a single-op, World, low power, 12-hours, CW, unassisted would show:
CATEGORY:                         SINGLE-OP ALL LOW CW
CATEGORY-ASSISTED:     UNASSISTED
CATEGORY-TIME:              12-HOURS
A multi-op island station may, for example, indicate:
CATEGORY:                          MULTI-OP ALL HIGH MIXED
CATEGORY-DXPEDITION:  EXPEDITION

8.3 Logs must show: Time, Callsign, Band, Mode, RST / serial number / IOTA reference sent, RST / serial number / IOTA reference received. Please ensure you send a single log in order of sent serial number. Do not send separate logs for each band. Logs from IOTA stations must state their island name and IOTA reference number. The log data in a Cabrillo log should be of the format:

QSO: 28024 CW 2003-07-26 1338 G3XTT         599  001 EU-005 ZS6EZ         599  018 ------
QSO: 21003 CW 2003-07-26 1341 G3XTT         599  002 EU-005 G4TSH         599  130 EU-005
QSO: 21002 CW 2003-07-26 1343 G3XTT         599  003 EU-005 5B4/G3UFY     599  036 AS-004

High scoring entrants are encouraged to log the actual frequency, not just the band. Multi-operator entrants must also identify the transmitter on which the QSO is made (in accordance with normal Cabrillo formats, this is shown by a numerical identifier at the right-hand end of the QSO line, i.e. after the received IOTA).

8.4 Entries can be emailed to iota.logs@rsgbcc.org and should be sent as a normal attachment to the e-mail. Send as an uncompressed file. Do NOT send more than one attachment. In the "subject" line of your e-mail message, please include your contest callsign. Please take a moment to check your log via a text editor before sending it, to avoid potential problems. You will receive an acknowledgement by e-mail within 24 hours, directing you to a Web page to complete the submission process, or advising you if there is any problem with your log. Further help on IOTA log submission is available by going to IOTA FAQs.  

8.5 Please note that the RSGB has a new address, which should be used for postal (paper and disc) entries. This is: RSGB IOTA Contest, Radio Society of Great Britain, 3 Abbey Court, Fraser Road, Priory Business Park, Bedford,  MK44 3WH, UK.

8.6 The closing date for all logs is 3 weeks after the contest, 15 August 2010. 

8.7 Island Stations - By submitting a log for this contest you agree that the RSGB can automatically grant credit to IOTA participants' scores for claimed QSOs that reasonably match the data in your submission (this facility is included in the Next Generation IOTA Software).

8.8 Photographs of IOTA contest operations are very welcome and will be posted on the Web site or used in RadCom. Do not send these as part of your log submission, but mail them separately to iotacontest@rsgbcc.org There is also be an opportunity to upload photographs , YouTube clips and your location (by way of Google Earth) when you complete your log submission.

9. PENALTIES
Points may be deducted, or entrants disqualified, for violation of the rules or the spirit of the contest. This includes, for example, refusal by IOTA island stations to make contacts with their own country when requested, use of a third party to make contacts on a list or net, working CW multipliers on an SSB frequency, failing to observe the contest-preferred band segments, or not giving the IOTA reference for every contact. The decision of the IOTA Contest Manager and RSGB Contests Committee is final in all matters of dispute.

10. AWARDS
Certificates will be awarded to leading stations in each category and section, and in each continent, according to number of entries. A large number of Awards and Trophies is now available, and new sponsors are always welcome. Please see the full list on the RSGB Contest Committee Web site.

11. SWL CONTEST
There is no longer an SWL section in the IOTA Contest, but the Mediterraneo DX Club runs an IOTA SWL Contest in parallel with the IOTA Contest. SWLs can find full details on the MDXC Web page: http://www.mdxc.org/swl

12. NOTE FROM RSGB IOTA CONTEST MANAGER:
The IOTA Contest Manager can be reached via the RSGB, or by e-mail at: iotacontest@rsgbcc.org IOTA Contest information, including rules, trophies available, previous results, soapbox and photographs, and logs received can be found on the RSGB Contests Committee Web site at www.rsgbcc.org Copies of the IOTA Directory, if required, can be purchased from RSGB (see www.rsgb.org). A full list of IOTA islands, and other information relating to the IOTA program can be found on the RSGB IOTA Web Page (www.rsgbiota.org).