[UK-CONTEST] IOTA DXpeditions

Wed Jul 22 11:08:32 PDT 2009

This is getting a bit pathetic.

You travel wherever you want to travel for the contest; and you are all
prepared to pay the cost and put in the time; other wise you wouldn't do it,
right ?!  Could be a plane to 6Y, a Scottish island, no matter - YOU commit
to your own plan, and clearly buy into  it !

Perhaps we should ask the Committee to introduce an "expense" category ??

For the record, I never remember people going over in droves to Anglesey; 1
group did (in the 3 years I was personally involved); and some locals also
came on for the contest ! And the 1 group never had multiple towers - we
lugged 1 tower up from the Midlands; and we used ginned scaffold poles for
all other antennae! It was not an easy option by any stretch of the
imagination !

And yes, a lot of folk were peeved when Anglesey was struck off for EU124;
and I guess I was.

I have moved on, suggest others do too. If they have a grievance with the
IOTA definitions, suggest you vent your spleen to the IOTA committee; it
ain't gonna help here !

Enjoy the contest at the weekend; revel in the RSGB's Premier contest which
you are dying to take part in !

73

Dave
G3NKC

-----Original Message-----
From: uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com]On Behalf Of tom wylie
Sent: 22 July 2009 18:24
To: Fred Handscombe
Cc: UK-Contest; G3NKC; G5LP
Subject: Re: [UK-CONTEST] IOTA DXpeditions

Sorry Fred the amount I quoted was just for the ferry fare NOT for the
hire of vehicles or equipment.   I assume you didnt have to pay a Toll
on the menai strait bridge??

:-)    Tom

Fred Handscombe wrote:
> Without wishing to open a long dead can of worms; both Tom and Chris
> obviously have no idea how much it costs to hire a decent towing vehicle
for
> just one mobile mast (assuming you can actually find one available for
hire
> at all in the first place) for a 5 day weekend, let alone fuel it for a
> towing trip from East Anglia to NW Wales and over the bridge.
>
> Have a good IOTA Contest!  Its too hot for Dxpeditions in July!
>
> 73 Fred
> A65BD
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Chris G3SJJ" <g3sjj at btinternet.com>
> Cc: "UK Contest Reflector" <uk-contest at contesting.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 2:20 PM
> Subject: Re: [UK-CONTEST] IOTA DXpeditions
>
>
>
> Hi Tom, I recall there being a change of status but it wasn't connected
> with the contest. It was made by the IOTA Committee in a review of a
> number of island's status, (statii?) Whilst I have always enjoyed the
> contest I have never really understood the criteria used. I am always
> amused that mainland VK is OC001 That is one big island! I think the
> other changes were made after my time as adjudicator.
>
> Our GU8D trips were very expensive. Currently a car and two people costs
> £380 to Guernsey, I know 'cos I have just booked a week for Yvonne and
> myself in late August. In the early years of 1996 - 2001 we also had the
> additional cost of chartering a small boat to ship the gear over to
> Sark. They were good days though, we all had a great time and gained a
> lot of friends and knowledge of GU, including some excellent
> restaurants! The 15m pile-ups to JA on the Sunday morning were exciting.
> Aaah, if only now!!
>
> 73 Chris G3SJJ
>
>
>
> tom wylie wrote:
>
>> G3SJJ could probably gove you the definitive reason why Anglesey is no
>> longer considered an Island.
>>
>> I remember in the early days of the IOTA Contest, it costing a fortune
>> on ferries to take even one mobile mast or tower across to a Scottish
>> Island, even to the Island of Gigha which was only a 15 minute boat
>> ride. Our first venture in the mid 1990s cost us over £150 on ferry
>> fares which was our drinking money for the weekend ;-)
>>
>> In the meantime our English and Welsh friends were driving across the
>> Menai Straits bridge in their droves towing multiple trailers for free.
>> The rules of the Contest at that time permitted them to enter the same
>> category of Contest as all the teams travelling by boat to the Scottish
>> islands. I have to say we felt ourselves at a considerable disadvantage,
>> for Contesting purposes. Personally for the IOTA Scheme itself I
>> couldn't care less if Anglesey and Skye are counted as Islands or not,
>> but in order to make the playing-field level, the following rule was
>> added.
>>
>>
>> 5.2 The definition of DXpedition for this optional listing is one:
>> • where the island can only be reached by boat or air (islands which can
>> be accessed by bridge or causeway - man-made or natural - are not
>> eligible),
>>
>>
>> Don't you want to beat off the competition on a level playing field
>> where skill plays a part, or is it back to the good old days of win at
>> any cost????
>>
>> Oh, and I have just checked the rules as they are printed on the
>> Internet and I see NOTHING mentioned of a 10 minute rule. Me, I'd ignore
>> any reference to it - all you do is compound the rumour. If in doubt ask
>> G3XTT.
>>
>> Have a great weekend, enjoy the Island hopping, enjoy the Contest.
>>
>>
>> Tom
>> GM4FDM
>> Stewart Rolfe wrote:
>>
>>
>>> I gather recent IOTA eu124 status of Holy Island is due to some sort of
>>> 'cumulative' rule, viz -
>>>
>>> Ynys Mon -> Mainland = 196m = EU005 (<200m); Holy Island -> Ynys Mon =
5m
>>> = 201m -> Mainland = island (all measurements subject to arguments about
>>> state of tides etc...)
>>>
>>> But the argument above has just designated Ynys Mon as Mainland eu005
>>> therefore the 5m separation of Holy Island is to Mainland - isn't it??
>>> Circular logic or what?
>>>
>>> Perhaps the definitive algorithm is:- "rule -> silly result = silly
rule"
>>>
>>> 73,
>>>
>>> Stewart Rolfe, GW0ETF
>>>
>>> --- On Tue, 21/7/09, G3WPF <g3wpf at sky.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> Holy Island on which Holyhead is
>>>> located is connected to Anglesey by both a
>>>> "bridge" and a causeway.
>>>>
>>>> Presumably, it counts because Anglesey is an island which
>>>> is not an island
>>>> and, although connected to the mainland, is not mainland
>>>> either.  So,
>>>> although Anglesey = EU-005 and you can pretty much .--.
>>>> across to Holy
>>>> Island, Holy Island obviously should be treated the same as
>>>> Puffin Island
>>>> (Priestholm/Ynys Seriol)?  Hmmm.
>>>>
>>>> 73
>>>>
>>>> Reg
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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