[UK-CONTEST] (Was) HF NFD Results Published (Now) VHF/UHF QSO rules/rates

[Tim Hugill]

Good to hear from the Reigate/Crawley team !
Years ago, when the same complaint was made about 4m in VHF NFD, seperate
sessions for CW &SSB were introduced on that band.
These days, we have the potential of EU-wide QSOs on 4m to keep us on our
toes, not that it happened in VHF NFD this year.
Perhaps we all just need to look to improve our stations to match the
band-leaders (WE certainly need to), rather than juggle the VHF NFD rules.
Anyway, you can't complain about 1296MHz this year - it looks like you've
won it by a handsome margin !
 
73
Tim G4FJK    (one of the GW2OP/p 4m Ops)
 
____________________________________________________________________

> As for the rules, well they are in the process of being updated, but look
to
> be just as complex as before. Contesting at VHF & HF is different, it's
rare
> you wouldn't go 30mins on HF without a contact, but you would at 432Mhz
:0(

Indeed and for that very reason we should consider changing the rules
on the UHF and above 24hr contests to increase the activity rate, such
as allowing a contact per mode, or encouraging a data rate that allow
longer distance contacts (which the ongoing consultation seems intent
on banning).

Even for leading UHF stations on VHF-NFD it can be hours between
contacts in the period 2300 to 0800. Unless there is a burst of
topo, we make about  half of our contacts in the first couple
of hours and then it is just press the keyer - wait - press
the keyer - wait, and hurriedly wake from sleep if someone
actually answers.

Averaged over the whole 24hrs contest the QSO rate is about one
per 10 mins on 70cms and half that rate on 23cms.

73

Stewart/G3YSX (one of the G5LK 70cm Ops)