[UK-CONTEST] HF SSB Field day rules ..

[Ray Goff]

Hi have been sitting on the sidelines watching this debate and I think it is
about time I added my tuppence worth before irreparable damage is done!

> As you said in a previous email :-
> >This year in the Restricted section of NFD three of the top ten
> >groups used single-RX radios (TS930 TS940 IC756).
>
> Yep and I guess they were placed 8,9,10 out of 10 entries!

I have been a member of the Oxford RS contest group, G5LO, for a number of years
and our group has consistently been at the top of the NFD tables despite the
fact that we do not use FT1000 rigs! Our main station rig is a contest grade
ICOM rig, which because it is not my rig the model number escapes me, although I
can say that it is old enough that it does not include DSP etc. Our second
receiver is a TS870 with the TX disabled.

Winning a contest is far far more than the quality/quantity of receivers in use,
here are a few other factors which I feel are important.

The first would undoubtedly be the skills of the operators and the way in which
they are used. The operating rota very important - make sure that operators have
a feel for the shape of the bands by working the second receiver before their
stint of operating. A small number of operators seems to work better than a
large crew, they get to know the other stations on the band and can save
precious time by recognising calls etc.

The second is the contest strategy, which bands to be on at what times, when to
use the run station and when to go searching and pouncing. Know in advance what
stations are you planning to work to get the points, which is always contest
dependant.

A third consideration is the contest site, we are lucky to have an excellent
site with a good takeoff in all directions where the worst QRM is the bleating
of the sheep outside the tent!

Next comes aerials, we have experimented with different designs over the years.
Again they will depend on where you expect to pick up the QSOs/points.

After that you need to look closely at contest logging software, gone are the
days when you could win a contest using only paper logs. If you run two
receivers, you will need networked software to be sure that the station you are
listening to has not been worked before.

Accuracy, make sure your log entries are correct and that the station at the
other end received your report correctly, don't loose valuable points by sloppy
logging after you have made the QSO.

Finally, and this is something you cannot control, the band conditions during
the contest!

Having said all that, this year G5LO will be well down the table for NFD,
something went wrong! We had the same site, the same radios, the same operators
but our QSO rate is well down on last year. We have been asking ourselves why
and have come to the conclusion that we made a strategic mistake about band
conditions and where we would get our points and ended up erecting the wrong
aerials.

Jim talks extensively about a 'level playing field' but it never seems to have
occurred to him that QTH plays an important part in the equation. For example,
in NFD you get double points for working portable stations on 10 Metres. If your
contest QTH lends itself to short skip propagation into Europe should you be
penalised for picking up the extra points? The list could go on and on.

Dave mentioned calls of 'foul play' after G5LO experimented with its operating
software hoping it would produce an edge for us whilst still working within the
rules. Well it was an interesting intellectual exercise to write, but it we
abandoned it some time into the contest as we decided it was actually loosing us
points!

Finally, if you don't like the rules for a specific section of the contest,
enter different section. This year G5LO entered the SSB FD contest for the first
time that anybody can remember. We did it to intrigue the M3 calls and decided
to enter the open section although we could only muster 100 Watts. This would
allow the use of an extra receiver! Apart from the M3's we had the usual NFD
crew and it became immediately apparent the none of us are SSB contesters -
which goes to highlight my point about operator skills. Expect to see us at the
bottom of the table and don't mention band conditions!

Don't become fixated on the idea that you can only win a contest if you have
access to a dual receiver rigs such as the FT1000, there are many many more
factors to winning a contest than the availability of a second receiver. The
playing field is never going to be a bowling green for all sorts of reasons, but
contesting is still fun!

73's

Ray G4FON