[UK-CONTEST] The contest "exchange"....

[Dave Sharred]

Interesting observation Nigel.  

I actually wondered recently though why there isn't a QRA style award for
HF; since most folk put QRA's on HF cards. I was thinking the big square
(IO74)  rather than the little letters.

The reason I said this is, if there was a bigger award (you imagine the
Honour roll for that !!); then it opens up QRA as a valid HF exchange too
(Sorry WAB); not just for UK contests but many others too.

As far as I know, it is only the Stew Perry that uses this format

73

Dave
G3NKC

-----Original Message-----
From: uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Nigel G3TXF
Sent: 06 October 2010 22:37
To: uk-contest at contesting.com
Subject: [UK-CONTEST] The contest "exchange"....

 
Hello UK Contesters,

The use of UK Districts as an exchange in various RSGB Contests (including
the recent 21/28MHz) has always struck me as a bit of a waste of an
opportunity. Why use as an "exchange" something which is NOT collected for
any Award outside of the contest? In the Swiss H-26 Contest you receive
Swiss Cantons. There's a nice award for working all
26 Cantons. In the French REF contests ditto. It's Departments, and there's
a programme of awards for collecting French departments. The same goes for
US States in the ARRL-Contest and for Oblasts in some Russian Contests. But
in the UK, we use a contest exchange, which is not, as far as I know,
connected with any well known operating award. 

There's no incentive for award chasers to take part in RSGB contests if the
received "exchange" does not relate to any award and to anything
"collectable".

WAB Squares would probably be more useful/attractive in this respect than UK
Districts. It's quite common for people to ask in HF QSOs (both in and out
of contests) "what's your WAB OM?". But no-one has EVER asked me for my UK
District.
Why should they!

73 - Nigel G3TXF







-----Original Message-----
From: uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Mike Pemberton
Sent: 05 October 2010 21:07
To: uk-contest at contesting.com
Subject: [UK-CONTEST] RSGB 21 / 28MHz Contest 2010

Hi all,

well I did have a listen and had a few QSOs on 15m but nothing much seemed
to be audible on my very simple antennas.
It is a pity because I really used to like this contest. 

Unfortunately I am not sure the rest of the world wants to work UK and UK
districts any more and maybe a 21/28 contest with more international appeal
would help. Multipliers for UK districts and higher points for UK stations
too perhaps (a la IOTA island stations) but with an all work all format may
be more popular. The danger is all contests start to look alike. We lost the
7 MHz contests because the work G stations format (amongst other reasons).
It would be a pity to lose another unique RSGB event by not moving with the
times. I quite liked the "mixed or single mode" improvement of a few years
ago but that obviously did not hit the spot and bring back big numbers of
stations outside the UK.

Please try to keep this event in the calendar even if we have to change the
format a little to popularise it.

Like many others with non-radio interests the prospect of almost dead 21/28
lost out to other activities again this year.

Only my thoughts and I know this one has been around the buoy with the
contest committee a few times.

73

Mike G4DDL
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