[UK-CONTEST] RSGB Topband contest rules

[Don Field]

For the record, neither I, as contest committee chairman, nor my predecessor
Justin G4TSH (who was chairman for six years) has any note or recollection
of the "numerous requests, once again pleas for a rule change have been
ignored" that Chris G3SJJ talks about. A touch of sour grapes Chris?
Speaking personally, given the lack of new QSOs to be made in the latter
hours last weekend, I hardly think the contest is short of space for QSOs
(space being a product of bandwidth and time, of course). And it behoves us
to take up as little bandwidth as possible for our events - just today I
have had yet another "letter to the editor" copied to me, complaining about
the bands being full of contests every weekend (and the issue of the AFS SSB
allocation rumbles on). It's a difficult balancing act and the whole issue
of contest preferred segments has become extremely controversial in the
run-up to this month's interim IARU meeting in Vienna at which RSGB will be
represented by John G3WKL.

Don G3XTT

On 2/11/07, G3SJJ <g3sjj at btinternet.com> wrote:
>
> Hi Chris, that's interesting because I see similar results event though
> I am almost 50% up on your Qs. My UK Qs were around 40% and the other
> stats follow the same pattern. I had done some work on the antenna so
> that each end was lifted up to around 40ft, the centre though is still
> only at 57ft but I noticed a general improvement even so.
>
> The two RSGB 1.8MHz contests historically follow a pattern. The November
> one is early in the big contest season and attracts a healthy
> participation. Many stations are gearing (pun) up for CQWW CW. The Feb
> one has always attracted less interest. I think there are several
> factors - late in the season, CQWW160CW had been and gone, FOC Marathon
> the weekend before and then PACC Contest where other Eu stations are not
> interested in working G, plus it is multi-mode.
>
> I was disappointed that despite numerous requests, once again pleas for
> a rule change have been ignored. WHY? Continuing the sub-band limit of
> 1820, when other contests are running and operating below 1820 just
> doesn't make sense. Hellooooo, HFCC, anyone there?  !!!
>
> Now, of only I could get the Super grid lines turned off for 4 hours!!
>
> Chris G3SJJ
>
>
>