[UK-CONTEST] 432MHz AFS Sunday 7th February

[Ray James]

--- On 12/2/10, Rob Harrison wrote:

> I would wager the UK spotters are non-contesters. 

Nowadays Bob, in the main, yes. Competitors are now reluctant to give away any potential advantage when finding a new multiplier or DX station.
Should someone spot something "required" and within workable range you can rest assured anyone "running" and within range will stop and go for the meat someone has put on their plate. 
As I've mentioned previously, I was in the habit of spotting fellow GM's and then noted the immediate occurrence of loads of stations suddenly become audible to work who I'd spotted, only to return to a previous beam heading and never to be heard again in GM. So I stopped serving meat in favour of letting folk search for GM multipliers/DX themselves. You want the meat then look for it yourself.  

> I've said before setting up skeds in a contest for me breaks the flow of things. If it were allowed I still don't think I'd use it. 

To be perfectly honest, stations within spitting distance of the EU activity don't usually require the facility unless wanting to really push the envelope on a few more 700Km+ or 800Km+ contacts whereas in remoter parts of the UK with no great chance of actually winning overall, it provides the opportunity for some challenging distant contacts that like microwaves, require some scheduling as long as all contact information is carried out over the air. Time has moved on, new technologies are a natural result and the community will use them. As long as they are not abused and everyone has the choice to use them or not then I see no reason for banning schedules on VHF+. It is so different to HF contesting though I guess I might miss a lot if I had 2 x 23 elements on 40m like I do on 70cm!  

> You have to take account of the larger number of Eu
> stations active, there must be a least 25 countries in
> Europe active on a NAC evening, so relatively speaking, the
> percentage of spotters per active stations is small.

Way off Bob, sorry!
NAC stands for the Nordic Activity Contest.
It's a contest for Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark that has been in existence long before the RSGB dreamed up the UKAC's.
The majority of spots are intra-Scandinavian or Scandinavia to countries within workable range on whatever VHF, UHF or Microwave session it happens to be. The Baltic states plus UA, SP, OK, DL, and PA countries total way less than your 25 countries!
Some of the UKAC's coincide with the last 2 hours of the NAC's which means a reasonable number of the EU's who can work Scandinavia are also in range of working into the UK so though they have no contest themselves, they come on because there is a guarantee of activity. That will obviously produce spotting of UK stations and EU self spotting which then results in UK operators going for meat they wouldn't otherwise work or otherwise have to find for themselves. DR3M is a very good example. 


> It'll be interesting to see what comes out of the IARU
> meeting re 'KST, either way, and how the Amateur population reacts.

Hopefully, common sense will prevail.
The REF proposal is dire because it is a total ban and covers all bands which would decimate UHF and Microwaves where some means of scheduling and talk back is essential. 
I can't understand the REF proposal because.....

-------------------------
"CT08_C5_39 CONTEST RULES/PROCEDURES

There was a very wide divergence of views on this paper. As it was,
in any case, a late paper, it was suggested that the authors be asked
to rewrite it and circulate the revised proposal via the newsletter
for feedback before resubmitting the paper to the next Interim
meeting of C5. This was agreed. Action point: F6ETI.
-------------------------

The divergence of views was centred on frequency coverage so why on earth have the French ignored input and submitted an all encompassing proposal?

The Slovenian counter proposal fits the bill with scheduling permitted but no "off air" information exchange, self spotting or direction/frequency announcing. 

Those deviating from the spirit of a contest should be disqualified unlike the present RSGB CC stance whereby everyone in the UK is hammered instead.

David has already stated here of his personal objection to scheduling but I fervently hope he puts UK WIDE VHF+ interests above his individual consideration. Lets wait and see what he brings back, how he voted on our behalf and what the rest of the Region 1 representatives went for. 

73 Ray GM4CXM