[UK-CONTEST] 144 mhz contests

[Ray James]

Hi Peter,
Good to see some positive input and suggestions from your good self.

The idea of clubs registering in advance of AFS gets a thumbs up from me though for the sake of flexibility I would suggest it would be a notification of members intent and not binding in case someone in a club decides to take part at the last minute or someone has to drop out for personal reasons.

I'm also concious that CC members have lives to lead so with technology as it is then perhaps an "open to view" internet solution would address this need. Something like a AFS2009 contest Yahoo Group would be fine as updates can be immediately undertaken by participants whereas your suggestion of using the VHFCC website would be restricted unless something page wise was possible that is amendable like the on-line submission system.....good idea though.  

On a similar vein, having 3 different formats for the same monthly UKAC event in a year would be awkward to say the least for the adjudicator.
It could also be confusing for entrants unless they had their finger on the pulse for all events. As 60% of all 2m UKAC entrants only operated 4 of 11 events in 2008, potential operators would certainly need to check each contests rules or mayhem would reign at adjudicator HQ!

One has also to take on board the excellent on-line submission system which would therefore also require changing 3 times a year and accommodating your suggested points system could be problematic.
It may also have the opposite effect whereby operators chose that a particular set of rules/multipliers makes them feel they would be pissing against a south east wind and decide to "opt out" altogether as is the case just now.

I think as far as UKAC's are concerned the simplest solution is M3.

The locator square on it's own is too large to attract more than once whereas the RSGB postal code element would create interest to work both too and from every UK location. I'm not against working into EU, I love to work continental stations but in a UK contest they should be icing on the cake not the bread and butter. 

For AFS.
Simplest solution is Points per Kilometre for all and for each AFS participant to carry a multiplier value of 1.
CC to correspond to all 368+ RSGB AFS contact points to request they provide information to their members about forthcoming HF, VHF and UHF AFS contests and promote activity from their membership including information that zonal certificates will be awarded (top 3?). They could also suggest to the contact point that they may wish to correspond with other AFS's in their zone in order to arrange competitive inter-club awards of their own as well.
 

73 Ray GM4CXM GS WoSARS