[UK-CONTEST] CARA NFD G5BK/P (Restricted Section) & Food for thought

[Ken Eastty]

Started off in the sunshine finished cold & wet! Conditions were rubbish 
too, less QSO's on 15 & 10m than last year. The solar cycle is on the 
up, really?

Raw QSO's/Scores:

160	118	860
80	127	436
40	265	829
20	259	792
15	77	255
10	64	394
Totals	910	3566

K3 + 265ft Doublet + N1MM

Ops. G3NKS, G3MZV, M0PCB, G4ENA, G3LVP.

NO Skimmer or RBN! We think that such aids should be limited to the open 
section, it's only a short step towards fully automated operation
which we could set up & go home or to the pub for the rest of the 
contest. A similar system has been used for years in the commercial 
world it's called ALE (nothing to do with pubs!).

To put the record straight computer logging has been used in NFD for at 
least 25 years as G4KF/P used a Commodore Pet with a program written by 
G3OIT sometime prior to 1986.

Food for thought....We note that increasingly the top places (5 last 
year, 6 in 2009) in the restricted section are being taken by 'Contest 
Groups' whilst the majority of entrants in the restricted section are 
club stations.
It appears that as one might expect CG's consist mainly of small groups 
of experienced operators who in some cases travel long distances so that 
they can operate from (hopefully?)superior locations.
Whilst there's no objection to CG's it does seem that it might become 
necessary to have separate sections for CG's & Club stations (a club 
should have a real membership open to all, regular meetings, 
constitution etc. & operate on 'home turf' as defined for AFS - CG's in 
AFS is another topic).
Club stations are the mainstay of NFD & it's where many new operators 
get their first experience of contests & need to be encouraged, how many 
inexperienced operators get invited to join CG's?
This has nothing to do with the fact that CARA would have been second in 
the restricted section last year & 7th. instead of 14th. in 2009 if it 
hadn't been for CG's!

73...

Ken

G3LVP

(first NFD ~1959 with the Ilford RSGB group in the days of 25W & 
straight keys, A & B stations, HRO's & Homebrew TX's run off float 
charged batteries & dozens of operators etc. etc.)