[UK-CONTEST] IOTA DXpeditions

[Gerry Lynch]

Steve Knowles wrote:
> The same basic IOTA rules indicate that the presence of the Chunnel does not 
> affect our 'Island' status, but may well prevent anyone coming here and 
> entering the DXpedition category in the contest (not that I can imagine 
> anyone wanting to)!
>   
Nah, strip the Poms of their EU-005 status (and the Danish islands as 
penalty for their manic bridge building) which would leave us and Sicily 
as the only EU IOTAs with a population bigger than the average school disco.

Somebody could, of course, enter the 'DXpedition' category from EU-115 
as long as they brought their gear via Stranraer or Holyhead, which is 
sort of taking the mick a wee bit... it's a bit easier to pop out for 
supplies here if a PSU fails or you run out of barrel connectors here 
than it is on even EU-009 or EU-116.  Or indeed, you could enter the 
DXpedition class from AS-007 which is only the centre of the world 
electronics industry.  Speaking of which, we had a badass JA opening on 
20 CW on Saturday evening, I think the first time we've done the quartet 
of big Japanese home island multipliers, and I'm still recovering from 
FO5RH coming back to a CQ call on 40 CW at sunrise on Sunday.

While we're on the illogical stuff, why is OC-001 an island but not the 
Antarctic mainland?  I'm also still recovering from a *loud* R1ANB 
coming right over the top of an EU packet pileup on 40 CW on Saturday 
evening and finding out he was only worth the same as a DL.

Sorry, just got back from EU-006 (a *real* group of islands), five and 
half hour drive back from the ferry even with no traffic, even in the 
South Tyrone roadworks, calling into my neighbour's to ask her had my 
house blown up in 3+ weeks away and her telling me no, but she had lost 
her job on Thursday.  So I got her drunk and also started celebrating my 
32 years on this planet since midnight; first time in four years my 
birthday hasn't been celebrated doing IOTA from EU-006.

PS - at EJ0GI we were once again outclassed by GJ6YB, M8C, GM2T and 
various people in points south eastwards, but we had fun in our fifth 
year on the trot from Inis Oirr, and given the limitations being on an 
island without an RORO ferry imposes, we were happy with our 5.1M points 
and hope we made many people happy with some EU-006 multipliers.

73

Gerry GI0RTN