[UK-CONTEST] Ending time

[Keith Maton]

My group always took the "I've started so I'll finish" attitude in the UKAC contests but since the long discussion on this reflector last year when the rules were clarified we've adapted and now follow the rules as they were explained.

Our shack is in a tiny room at the top of the Martello Tower with huge thick walls.  There's no way an MSF clock would work in the shack and we don't have an internet connection.  Before we go in the tower I load an app on my phone which uses multiple time sources on the internet to display an accurate clock and then once we're in the shack, I set the computer clock by that display.

It's not difficult to abide by these rules really.   I wear a mechanical watch which isn't accurate enough to set the computer time so I found a work-around using the iPhone.   I'm quite sure that the majority of people use quartz watches and surely it's no great hardship to set a watch before the start of a contest and use that as an accurate time source.

If the rules say that the last QSO must be finished before the clock ticks over to the finish time then why is that so hard for people to accept.  It's a rule, it's been explained multiple times and if you don't abide by the rules and get caught out then it's your own fault.

73
Keith, G6NHU
Martello Tower Group, G0PKT
http://www.martellotowergroup.com
QSO365: A QSO per day in 2011 http://qso365.co.uk