[UK-CONTEST] IOTA Logs Deadline

[Don Field]

The deadline for this year’s IOTA Contest is just 3 days away. There are
still many high-scoring logs missing. If you are one of them, please do make
the effort to send in your log. Indeed, please send your log anyway, even if
it is not a high scoring one – it all helps with the adjudication. Logs
should be emailed to: iota.logs at rsgbcc.org (please note, some sources still
show the old rsgbhfcc.org address, which is no longer valid)

We have almost exactly 1900 logs so far, so (with the expected “last minute
rush), it could well be another record year, despite rather indifferent band
conditions. Thanks, as always, to all who took part, especially the island
expeditions who do so much to make this an interesting event. So far we have
received fewer than a dozen paper logs, which is a big reduction compared
with previous years. Adjudication is already underway, with the robot, along
with MM0BQI and I, having checked some 9,000 QSOs where there was a mismatch
between the two logs. As usual, we hope to have results ready in time for
the RSGB Convention in early October.

I have refrained from entering the recent discussions on here about rules
and scoring, as we will take input for Ed’s (GW3SQX, Contest Committee
Chairman) promised review and must, in any case, spread the net wider than
just the UK, which will take time. Can I just, though, comment on the
suggestion about single-band categories. I have strongly resisted
single-band categories or multi-multi because I suspect they would result in
endless CQing on marginal bands with detrimental effects, e.g. causing
problems to the Sunday morning nets on 80m, which does the contest community
no good.  At present this is less of a problem, as participants will have
moved to the more productive bands at that time. I also question whether a
single-band category would actually help the “little pistols” as experience
from other contests suggests that such categories tend to be dominated by
those with big systems tailored to a particular band – an 80m 4-square, 10m
stack or whatever. But I must emphasise that this is a personal view, and
may not reflect the views of the Committee as a whole.

Finally, if you have submitted a log but not activated it yet, please do so.
The activation page also allows you to upload a photograph, link to Google
maps and link to a YouTube video, should you so wish. Or you can email
photos direct to me at iotacontest at rsgbcc.org We particularly welcome hi-res
photos (which the activation page does not allow) for possible publication
with the contest write-up, etc. A list of logs received and activated to
date appears at: http://www.iotacontest.com/contest/iota/2010/listOfLogs.php



Don Field G3XTT

IOTA Contest Manager