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

[Chris Kirby]

Personally, I would expect the whole exchange needs to be completed before
the published "end of contest" time. If time catches up and the QSO isn't
complete, then it should be abandoned. It is not beyond the means of anyone
to have a timepiece accurate to a couple of seconds - if you can't trust the
laptop's clock, then use a watch instead!

Chris, G4FZN



-----Original Message-----
From: uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Roger Thawley
Sent: 03 November 2010 00:59
To: uk-contest at contesting.com
Subject: [UK-CONTEST] 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