[UK-CONTEST] Re: IOTA Debate

[Dave Sergeant]

As one of the very small pipsqueak signals I would add my own 
comments about this contest.

I welcome the introduction of a QRP section. Unfortunately conditions 
were not favourable, but a K2 at 5W into a longwire is perhaps the 
sort of station which many small island operations could use. It is 
certainly right that there should be this section to encourage 
smaller island operations.

I think the 12 hour section should stay. For me this weekend there 
was little incentive to operate for longer, and it adds that bit of 
extra challenge choosing which 12 hours to operate in. As it happens, 
having planned my final session to start at 0400z, I was almost 
tempted to go straight back to bed when I found the bands in such a 
sorry state - and there were a few other times when I almost gave up 
due to lack of interest. But hopefully things won't be so thin next 
year....

As a small fry with all the big boys about I certainly found it hard 
to make an impression (completely different from my experience in 
CQWW and ARRL contests). Looking back at the log I clearly failed to 
work enough IOTA multipliers and perhaps it was that any QSOs of any 
sort at least kept the interest up.  Some of the pile ups seemed hard 
to break on QRP. I worked G5XV easily on 80, 20 and 15 when their 
signals were not that strong, but failed miserably to work them on 40 
when they were s9 +20 - and wasted far too much time!

As for scoring, I agree with other comments. The event must clearly 
favour the island stations, but it seems a bit strange that I get the 
same 3 points for working a non island DX (eg most of the USA) and 
for working a G down the road!

I have always had a passive interest in this contest (and IOTA in 
general) and this is the first year I have actually submitted an 
entry. But I am not really sure I enjoyed the weekend, something is 
not quite right.

73 Dave G3YMC

dsergeant at btinternet.com
http://www.dsergeant.btinternet.co.uk