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

[Roger Thawley]

I should have stated in my original posting that we operate as a portable
station. The laptop in question is only ever used for portable logging and
very rarely gets to see an internet connection from which it could correct
it's time stamp, as such I update the time periodically from my watch, which
itself is likely to be slightly out one way or the other. I don't poses an
MFS clock!

 

Reviewing the log contents this morning, I see that the contact was actually
started at 2227 and likely took a couple of minutes to complete due to a
number of repetitions being necessary. The other party also persisted with
completion of the contact, so, clearly, he also felt that the contest was
still on!

 

It's interesting to see that, so far, the majority agree that the 'I've
started so I'll finish' approach (within reason) is acceptable. In my own
opinion, this is fair practice but clearly a minority disagree - I have to
wonder if there's a difference in opinion between HF and V/UHF contesters in
this area?

 

Someone, offline, correctly commented that contacts with an 'END' time
falling after the contest end would be excluded - in this case, no 'END'
time is submitted, so that point is moot.

 

Someone else suggested that I 'name and shame' the station causing
interference - unfortunately my concentration was on the weak signal, so I
didn't absorb any more than "G4". Given his signal strength, in all
likelihood, he was, broadly, in the Manchester area. I wouldn't describe the
interference as serious - two or three comments along the lines of "The
contest has finished" and "What time does this contest finish anyway" over
the top of the station I was trying to work - he did go as far as to give a
callsign. 

 

Keep the comments coming!

 

Roger, G0BSU

 

 

  _____  

From: Roger Thawley [mailto:Roger at G0BSU.net] 
Sent: 03 November 2010 00:59
To: 'uk-contest at contesting.com'
Subject: Contest end time - a consensus please.

 

My contest buddy and I have become regular entrants of the RSGB 6M, 2M and
70cms Tuesday evening activity contests. For logging a 'retired' laptop is
used with Minos logger. This evening, while trying to complete the last
contact of the evening, deliberate interference was received from a G4
station, whose view was that the contest had ended, however, according to
the laptop, when the contact was initiated, the contest still had a minute
to run. In the end, I felt justified in persevering for a further 30 seconds
to complete the contact, partly because I'd started the contact before the
end of the contest and, partly, because of the deliberate interference. 

The view I take regarding contest timing is that I start and finish
according to the time shown by the equipment I have. I accept that it's
possible that the equipment is out by a minute or two - this is a limitation
of the equipment. I operate for the duration of operation allowed by the
contest rules and what I gain or lose at the start of the contest, I loose
or gain at the end.

 

In the end, this is just a hobby! What's the consensus is my view of the
world reasonable?

 

Roger

G0BSU