[UK-CONTEST] Mega stations in the UK and elsewhere

[Don Field]

This thread seems to have split into several different lines of
thought. It started with the 4O3A write-up and I, for one, was pleased
to see some antennas on the front cover of RadCom and a description of
a well-engineered station (I didn't get to visit Ranko's station, but
was referee for the Serbia/Montenegro team at the last WRTC and saw
some of their early efforts to take contest station engineering into a
new dimension - most impressive). I would make a few observations:

1. Contesting is a competitive activity and, as some contributors have
said, is a good reason to extend our stations (within the restrictions
of the licence, as G3LVP will no doubt remind us :-) ). All part of
the "self training" which is part of our raison d'etre. We all benefit
from the sort of stations that the HC8N team, the Voodoo guys and
others put on for major contests - they make it easier for the "little
pistol" to work a rare one. So why shouldn't 4O3A (and others) do the
same? I'm sure many little pistols in the US would never work
Montenegro if it wasn't for station's like Ranko's. And, as Bob says,
the station builders are often kind enough to let others of us have
the experience of operating from there (I have been fortunate enough
to operate HC8N and to be on several Voodoo trips, for example - none
run either illegal power or more power than the contest rules allow -
two different things in most cases).

2. There may well be a case, in some domestic contests, for trying to
level the playing field. This is quite a different issue. The 80m CC
events try to do this with a 100 watt power limit which, with a few
possible exceptions, everyone appears to adhere to. I don't believe
there needs to be an antenna restriction - a high dipole can be worse
than a low G5RV in these events - much depends on the prevailing
propagation situation and how it affects radiation angles. The Contest
Committee continually review the rules on antennas, power, etc.

3. That said, there are two countervailing views on contest rules. One
school of thought is that they should prescribe in great detail. The
other, equally strong argument, is that the rules should not include
anything that cannot be enforced. And we are unable to check out
everyone's station, all we have to work with are the actual logs.
Generally we walk a line somewhere down the middle and trust people to
follow the rules.

4. Yes, the gradual creep of high power amplifiers is unfortunate.
Some countries do, indeed, have high power licences, particularly out
of the main towns. 2kW is the norm in a number of European countries.
Hence why CQ Magazine introduced a 1500 watt limit for their events
(so US entrants were not disadvantaged I guess!). But whether there is
any chance at all of their being able to enforce it is a different
matter. But don't assume, for example, that everyone in the UK who has
a 1kW amplifier runs 1kW, anymore than ssuming that everyone who owns
a BMW or Aston Martin (or whatever) drives at 150 mph! My early
experiences running 48 hour contests with an FL-1000 quickly convinced
me that the advertised 400 watt power output was something to be
achieved only in very small doses! And for high duty cycle modes like
RTTY a 50% derating is pretty much essential.

Don G3XTT



2009/2/22 Bob G3PJT <g3pjt at btinternet.com>:
> Hi
>
> In my experience the key aspect of  'mega' stations is that the
> fortunate few who own them  seem to be so willing and generous to offer
> access to those of us who are much more limited in what they can put up.
> So let's encourage those who have the vision and resources to assemble
> these stations and thank them for their generosity in making them
> available to the rest of us who have, though circumstance, have had to
> settle for something more modest.
>
> 73 and thanks
>
> Bob G3PJT
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