[UK-CONTEST] Contest end time - a consensus please.

[Dave Sergeant]

On 3 Nov 2010 at 8:59, Eddie G0EHV wrote:

> What's wrong with a watch? I goes well with a paper log!
> I use a small MSF locked clock which sits nicely by the radio.
> 
> I'd be interested in what tolerance in timing is employed by the contest
> adjudicator, not just at the beginning and end of the contest but also
> during the event.
> 
> WRT timing, if a QSO starts in the last minute it usually completes in
> the last minute and I see nothing wrong with it running over by say 30
> seconds or so.
> 
> Deliberate QRM cannot be condoned in any circumstance.

A measure of common sense is required... There is nothing in the 
contest rules to say that clocks must be synchronised to the second, or 
even that a computer is used during the event (you can prepare your log 
post event). In most contests I log on an old Windows 98SE laptop, and 
although I periodically synchronise its clock to MSF time, it may often 
be out by 10 seconds or so. But this only affects the start and end 
times. I never start a QSO within 10 seconds of the end time, but if 
the last QSO continues after my computer says it is the end I log it 
anyway, ensuring the time in the Cabrillo is 2029 or whatever. It is up 
to the adjudicators whether a particular QSO is out of the time slot - 
and that must be apparent from BOTH sides of the QSO. Errors in the 
station clock will be apparent from ALL the station's QSOs, and the 
adjudicators have discretion to penalise for bad time keeping, I guess 
they only do that for errors of 15 minutes or so...

Causing deliberate QRM to stations believed to be having QSOs after the 
contest end time is never acceptable. It is OK to politely tell such 
folks, after they have finished their QSO or if they call CQ 
afterwards. Remember some casual operators may not even be aware of the 
contest times, which happened to me many years ago - I even worked 
quite a few other casual ops before somebody told me!

73 Dave G3YMC

http://www.davesergeant.com