[UK-CONTEST] VHF Contests too long

[Ray James]

Roger G4OCO wrote:

  I think to be fair to all contesters, the use of any internet support 
has to be discouraged to make it fair to all contesters, remember most 
of the portable stations  do not have internet support and if you was  
to allow  it , think of  your mobile phone bill! Remember one of the 
main reasons of portable operation is to operate your station  with not
 "house" support, but to rely on generators, batteries or  even solar 
cells (not this summer!).
Reading between the lines of the VHFCC, certain stations was using the 
ON4KST system but and a very big but, it certainly is not available to 
all contesters so there is no parity across the board.
Where I live you are lucky to even get mobile signal in a town, as for 
the country side you must be joking!

  *******************************************************
   
  VHFCC did not impose the new rules for the reason Roger interpreted but because in their opinion operators were abusing the system by self spotting themselves on the Cluster and ON4KST chat rooms. There inference was also present of stations using both these systems for confirming information in order to claim a scoring contact and that this totally unacceptable proceedure was widespread.
   
  This was totally without foundation and further more, no evidence was produced.
  Numerous operators and contest groups have trawled the historical details of DXC spots and ON4KST chat reviews and found the reasons put forward by the VHFCC do not stand up.
  In the minimal number of observations abuse was identified (spotting a station worked but on the spotters operating frequency) a simple letter of warning to the operator(s) concerned should have been sufficient or deduction of points. 
  For continous breaches then disqualification.
   
  One aspect of DXC/ON4KST that VHFCC don't like is the fact that a stations locator is part of the information contained on the screen This information is of course used for calculating distance and bearing at all times and not just during a contest. We cannot get away from the fact that databases and logs contain information we are required to exchange over the air within a contest exchange. There is therefore no great advantage to it's presence on KST against any other reference source an operator already has at his/her disposal.
   
  The new rules have had a few months to bed in.
  The result, as expected is a lot more "low activity" and "last hour dead" comments.
  Reduced or no activity from the less populated areas of the UK.
   
  Despite VHFCC trying to encourage DXC use for spotting activity, spotting by UK participants has gone down incredibly as it appears everyone bar the non-contesters shudder at the tought of giving a fellow contester any advantage over themselves!
  This is so different to the past unselfish ways before the ridiculous rule change.
   
  73 Ray GM4CXM
  IO75TW
      

       
---------------------------------
 For ideas on reducing your carbon footprint visit Yahoo! For Good this month.