REF, RSGB Contests

[ve2zp at bbs.ve3jf.ampr.org]

I am looking for the rules of the RSGB's 7MHz, 21/28MHz and the REF's annual
contests.  Can you offer any guidance?
Thanks, Dave VE2ZP/VE9CB  ve2zp at BBS.VE3JF.AMPR.ORG

>From Lau, Zack,  KH6CP" <zlau at arrl.org  Wed Oct  5 19:48:00 1994
From: Lau, Zack,  KH6CP" <zlau at arrl.org (Lau, Zack,  KH6CP)
Date: Wed, 05 Oct 94 14:48:00 EDT
Subject: VHF Manufactured Contacts
Message-ID: <2E92F566 at arrl.org>



 ----------
From: John Zapisek

In this context, I think it's OK.  And not just letter-of-the-rules OK, but
even generally-accepted spirit-of-the-rules OK.  VHF-contest ethics are a
little different from HF-contest ethics; they always have been.

In the pre-grid-square, pre-rover years, we'd sometimes send out captive
rovers to several nearby sections.  To comply with the "one-transmitter
one-callsign" rule, we'd have one car with, say, three operators, and, for
each band, one receiver, one antenna, and three transmitters -- one per
operator/callsign.  This was good for three new sections on each band.
(Sure was nice being in New England with all those close-in sections!)

The rover rule actually helped W2SZ/1, they were building a station
for each grid square!  Now, the rules explicitly say you can use the
same station in more than one grid.

> If there are those who feel there are unfair advantages in VHF contesting
> due to "legal loopholes" in the present rule structure, please give the
> ARRL CAC a chance to refine the wording of those rules.

I think an ideal set of rover rules should do the following:

Preserve club competition.  The big 2 or 3 clubs generate most of the
entries in the January VHF contest.  Not surprisingly, they wield a 
considerable
amount of influence on the people who make the rules.  Simply not allowing
rover scores doesn't work because the number of entries is just as important
to some clubs as the score.  It isn't always easy getting enough entries to
qualify for the Unlimited category.  And, if you have a local club, you 
might not
have any "spare" entries to give up.

Encourage people to activate rare grids.  This is extremely difficult.  The
nature of VHF and microwaves gives a tremendous advantage to someone
that is right in the middle of the activity.  Look where all the high scores 
come
from.  Look at the results of people that have gone to rare grid 
squares--unless
you have lots of bands, lots of antennas/power, or a really favorable band
opening that shuts out your competition, you aren't going to do as well.


Requiring rovers to work three grids would probably *encourage* grid 
circling.
You work the home station and two nearby rovers to get three easy grids.

Kent, WA5VJB still claims that the 1M pt rovers cheated.  I don't see 
how--they
checked all the fuzzy rules interpretations  with the contest department 
before
the contest.  The amazing thing about the ridiculous scores is how poorly 
the
effort was planned and implemented.  With better planning and a little
assistance from my arsenal of microwave gear (includes 9 narrowband
10 GHz transverters) they could have done much better.

Speaking of ethics, what about a single op lending microwave gear to
Unlimited Multi's like K1TR/Mt Washington but on Kearsarge due to bad
weather?   So far, nobody has complained, but it could affect the January
club competition, where microwave contacts count twice as much.  Looks
like a couple could use help on 5.7 and 10 GHz.