VHF National Field Day 2014 Rules

General Rules Apply

1. Date/time of contest: 1400 UTC Saturday 5^th July 2014 until 1400 UTC Sunday 6^th July 2014.

2. Site Notification

a. Each Group wishing to be eligible for awards must supply the following details:
(Sweeper entrants do not need to register)

(i) Name of Club/Group

(ii) Contact name and address/telephone number in case of query

(iii) Section entered

(iv) Choice of Bands (see section 7)

(v) Call sign for each band

(vi) NGR of site

(vii) Site access information (maps are not required)

b. Please enter these details here

c. The date of the registration must not be later than 27^th June 2014.

d. Each group may only register one site although essential changes may be acceptable provided the RSGBCC Chairman is informed before the contest; tel.:07799887617; email: vhf.query@rsgbcc.org

e. Groups may enter without pre-registration, but will not be eligible for any awards.

3. Bands

a. The chosen bands must be selected at registration time. See individual section rules (see Section 7 of these rules) for the choice of bands during the contest.

b. There is a free choice of using different callsigns on all bands, or the same club callsign on all bands. All entrants must sign /P.

4. Operators

a. Any RSGB member or group of members may enter.

b. Only groups operating from the British Isles (excluding the Irish Republic) will be eligible for awards, although a certificate for the leading overseas entry will be awarded. Also, affiliated RSGB societies may enter and their operators must be members of the Affiliated Society (AFS) and/or members of the RSGB themselves.

c. In the case where some operators are AFS members but not RSGB members themselves, a declaration from an officer of the AFS that the operators are members of the society is required with the entry. This must be included in the soapbox or comments part of the entry.

5. Stations

a. All equipment including antennas and accommodation must be installed on site not more than 24 hours before the contest.

b. Only portable accommodation can be used to house the stations.

c. Power for all equipment must be derived from an on site generator, battery, wind or solar power.

6. Contest exchanges

a. On each band a report, serial number (starting at 001 on each band) and a 6 character (e.g. IO91OJ) locator must be exchanged.

b. All times must be logged in UTC

7. Sections

7.1 Open section (O):

a. Maximum output power as permitted by standard licence conditions.

b. General rules apply

b. Operate on any bands from the following list, but only the best 4 normalised scores will count to the final total:

50MHz (6m) 1400 to 2200 Saturday (all mode)

70MHz (4m) 0800 to 1400 Sunday (all mode)

144MHz (2m) 1400 Saturday to 1400 Sunday (all mode)

432MHz (70cm) 1400 Saturday to 1400 Sunday (all mode)

1.3GHz (23cm) 1400 Saturday to 1400 Sunday (all mode)

7.2 Restricted section (R):

a. The power output on any band must not exceed 100W PEP at the transmitter, except on 4m where output must be restricted to 40W

b. The height of any part of the antenna's driven element must not exceed 10 metres above ground level.

c. Only one antenna per band may be used (i.e. no stacked, bayed or colinear arrays or switching between two or more antennas). A slot fed Yagi or Quad antenna is permitted. Dish or Backfire antennas must not exceed 2m diameter.

d. Operate on up to 4 bands from the following list:

50MHz (6m) 1400 to 2200 Saturday (all mode)

70MHz (4m) 0800 to 1400 Sunday (all mode)

144MHz (2m) 1400 Saturday to 1400 Sunday (all mode)

432MHz (70cm) 1400 Saturday to 1400 Sunday (all mode)

1.3GHz (23cm) 1400 Saturday to 1400 Sunday (all mode)

7.3 Low Power section (L):

a. The power output of any band must not exceed 25W PEP at the transmitter, except on 4m where the power output must be restricted to 10W.

b. The height of any part of the antenna's driven element must not exceed 10 metres above ground level.

c. Only one antenna per band may be used (i.e. no stacked, bayed or colinear arrays or switching between two or more antennas). A slot fed Yagi or Quad antenna is permitted. Dish or Backfire antennas must not exceed 2m diameter.

d. Operate on up to 3 bands from the following list:

50MHz (6m) 1400 to 2200 Saturday (all mode)

70MHz (4m) 0800 to 1400 Sunday (all mode)

144MHz (2m) 1400 Saturday to 1400 Sunday (all mode)

432MHz (70cm) 1400 Saturday to 1400 Sunday (all mode)

1.3GHz (23cm) 1400 Saturday to 1400 Sunday (all mode)

Note: other than the selected entry bands, operation on any other band or bands is not permitted, even for the purposes of talk-back.

e. Each band may be operated for no more than 16 hours (except for 6m and 4m: see 7.3.d above) during the contest period. Each rest period must last at least 1 hour.

7.4 Mix and Match (M):

a. A group can elect to place different bands into Restricted, Low-Power or Open sections. E.g. 4m in Restricted, 2m and 70cm in Open, and 23cm in Low Power. This decision must be made at registration time. At least one station must be in a different section to the other stations (e.g. 6m, 4m and 2m in the Open section, 70cm in the Restricted section)

b. Individual band entry will be tabulated in the appropriate main section, and a normalised score for the band produced on this basis.

c. The sum of the normalised scores will appear in a separate Mix & Match section table.

d. Operate on up to 4 bands from the following list:

50MHz (6m) 1400 to 2200 Saturday (all mode)

70MHz (4m) 0800 to 1400 Sunday (all mode)

144MHz (2m) 1400 Saturday to 1400 Sunday (all mode)

432MHz (70cm) 1400 Saturday to 1400 Sunday (all mode)

1.3GHz (23cm) 1400 Saturday to 1400 Sunday (all mode)

e. Note that 2m, 70cm or 23cm stations entered in the Low Power section may be operated for no more than 16 hours during the contest period. Each rest period must last at least 1 hour.

7.5 Single Transmitter (MS):

a. Portable stations only

b. Operate on up to 3 bands from the following list, however simultaneous transmision on more than one band at a time is not allowed. The chosen bands must be selected during registration and operation on any other bands is not allowed. Indicated output powers are PEP measured at the transmitter.

50MHz (6m) 1400 to 2200 Saturday (all modes, 100W maximum output power)

70MHz (4m) 0800 to 1400 Sunday (all modes, 40W maximum output power )

144MHz (2m) 1400 Saturday to 1400 Sunday (all modes, 100W maximum output power)

432MHz (70cm) 1400 Saturday to 1400 Sunday (all modes, 50W maximum output power)

1.3GHz (23cm) 1400 Saturday to 1400 Sunday (all modes, 10W maximum output power)

Note: other than the selected entry bands, operation on any other band or bands is not permitted, even for the purposes of talk-back.

c. All antennas must be installed on a single mast and only one antenna for each band may be installed on that mast. Backfire or parabolic dish type antennas must not exceed 2 metres in diameter. No stacked or bayed arrays are permitted. The maximum height for any part of the driven element of any antenna is 12 metres above ground level. Note: a mast of greater than 12 metres in height is permitted as long as the antenna height restriction is complied with.

d. Operation for no more than 16 hours out of the 24 hours on 2m, 70cm and 23cm. Any break must last for at least 1 hour.

e. All 3 normalised scores will count towards the final total

See separate FAQ.

7.6 Fixed Station Sweepers:

8. Inspections

a. All stations are subject to inspection by members of the Contests Committee or nominated representatives.

b. Should the inspector be unable to locate the site due to inadequate or incorrect information, the entry may be treated as unregistered so ineligible for awards.

c. In the event of a last minute site change it is the responsibility of the group to make suitable arrangements for the inspector to find the site.

d. The inspector must be given immediate access to all parts of the site with the right to stay as long as desired, and the ability to return at any time during the contest.

9. Entries

a. All entries must be uploaded no later than 22 days after the date of the contest

b. Log files should be uploaded here, or use the Web Logging System here. Paper entries are acceptable, but are subject to the restrictions set out in the general rules and must be addressed to Contests Committee, c/o 5 The Howsells, Lower Howsell Road, Malvern WR14 1AD.

c. A Form 427 cover sheet or near facsimile is required for each band

10. Awards.

a. The Surrey, Martlesham, Arthur Watts and G5BY Trophies will be awarded to the overall winners of the Open, Restricted, Low Power and Mix & Match sections respectively.

b. The Tartan Trophy will be awarded to the leading resident Scottish entry in the Open section, the Cockenzie Quaich to the leading Scottish station in the Restricted Section and the Scottish Trophy to the leading Scottish entry in the Low power section.

d. Certificates will be awarded to the winners and runners-up on all bands in each section.