[UK-CONTEST] 144AC Contesting

[Ray James]

--- On Mon, 10/11/08, Ray Hills <g3hrh at btinternet.com> wrote:

> So for me personally a rule change to introduce either a
> distance multiplier 
> (especially from IO70) or  UK squares only, or both,  would
> really move me 
> up the scoring table.  But would it actually encourage more
> activity? 

I honestly believe it would make a start in the right direction Ray.
We cannot afford to be complacent and do nothing to correct the downward trend that has been evident since the 80's despite having many more UK licences in force.
Activity breeds activity so encouraging more UK licence holders to participate in a monthly UK Activity Contest, be it 6m, 2m, 70cm, 23cm, 13cm or all gives the potential for a much healthier hobby in the UK.
The benefits in turning things around in the UK are many and not limited to:

The potential for:
More entrants available or participating in other RSGB/IARU contests.
More individuals coming together to participate as a group or club team.
More activity to be available outwith contests for general or DX contacts.
Continued interest by commercial manufactures for design and supply.

I'll stop though I could go on and on...so many benefits and no negatives except for the potential of the Contest Committee having to spend a bit more time on adjudicating an increased number of contest entries and Radcom requiring a more space when results are published.

The Contest Committee are the only body that can put this into motion because they decide the rules and they are not above criticism if fellow RSGB members believe they could do a lot better.
The UK Activity Contests are the simplest and obvious choice of where a start can be made without impacting on cross-European logging/entry systems that are mutually compatible for many of the other main contests.
With the UKAC's we have the luxury of being able to design rules pertinent to our own countries needs and that is the crux of the matter.

So, how do we get more participation from within the UK in UKAC's?
Certainly not with the current or planned rules.
The M2 multiplier basically means QSO points earned are multiplied by the TOTAL number of every locator square worked. Stations located in the South East quarter of the UK therefore have the the shortest distances to overcome in order to work far more squares on the continent than is possible from elsewhere in the UK. With M2 it therefore will only ever be really competitive for stations in JO00, 01, 02, 03, IO90, 91, and 92.

As Ray has probably found, and I certainly have, white noise or constantly trying to get the attention of stations beaming into the continent much of the time isn't much fun and doesn't do a thing to encourage participation and far more importantly, activity in the countries that make up the UK.
Locator squares are a useful multiplier tool for international contest scoring arrangements and tabulations but we need something more parochial to kill two birds with one stone with UKAC's. The easiest solution is partly already in place as M3.

Post Code, Country and QTH Locator Multiplier. The multiplier for a band is the sum of the number of different DXCC countries, U.K. post code areas, and large QTH locator squares (e.g. JO01,IO91 etc.) worked on that band.
A full list of Postcodes can be found here www.vhfcc.org/rules/08rules/postcode.htm

If I was to tinker, I'd call it M5 and drop the country bit and make only UK squares count as multipliers. I'd retain "points per Km".
This would definitely be a UK Activity Contest!
It does not inhibit stations working into the continent should they wish to build up a good score.
It encourages greater inter-UK communication to grab those postal codes.
Someone even a short distance away becomes a contact of big value.
No matter where one is in the UK, somebody else the length and breadth will want to work you.
A great 2.5 hours for newcomers to cut their teeth and get enthused about contesting and finding out what they can do to improve results each month.
Some additional "fun" for old hands!
You'll get up to all sorts of tricks to get those postal codes.
Things I've done in contests with the M3 rule in the past include telling folk in advance on FM simplex or via the repeaters there's a contest on and I need postal codes that evening...amazing how many obliged and then started all working each other for fun. The more folk learn, the more folk are interested, the more folk take part, the more folk are active. It becomes infectious and would be GREAT and is needed for the future good of VHF/UHF and Microwave contesting and activity in the UK.

It's all up to Don Field and the rest of his Contest Committee.
It's on his watch.
I can only put forward an opinion and suggestion based on 39 years experience. This isn't an demand to accede to as Don recently wrote.
We are all capable of putting forward ideas to improve contest participation and I hope many readers will have found something positive in what I have put forward.

73 Ray GM4CXM