[UK-CONTEST] Power Limitations

[Rob Harrison]

Hi Don,

I think you are missing my point.

Station improvements are to be encouraged and of course any antenna gain is 
useful on RX too.

My point is WITHIN contests, the sections are arbitarily divided up by 
power, not erp. So you have a station with 400W and a dipole competing along 
side a station with 400w and stacked beams. Likewise a station running 100w 
to stacked beams along side one with 100w and a dipole. The antenna is NOT 
taken into account. That can't be right, otherwise the top contest stations 
wouldn't bother with large antenna systems, apart from the RX benefit. You 
can't tell me they just put them up for RX and don't bother using them on 
TX, as a "dipole will do".

Let's move into the 21st century and lead the way in contest innovation.

73 Bob G8HGN


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Don Field" <don.field at gmail.com>
To: <uk-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 28, 2012 12:17 PM
Subject: Re: [UK-CONTEST] Power Limitations


> Surely setting an ERP limit goes against everything amateur radio is 
> about.
> Station improvements are surely what we should strive for - antennas are a
> major part of that, along with low loss coax, etc. ERP can be achieved
> simply by turning up the output power - no skill required. Those other
> station improvements might help your receive performance, too!
>
> Don G3XTT
>
> On 28 January 2012 11:43, Rob Harrison 
> <robharrison at g8hgn.freeserve.co.uk>wrote:
>
>> Hi Ray,
>>
>> I find this argument re accuracy of ERP frankly poor. I've put this idea
>> forward for consideration for VHF/UHF contests, but it would apply to HF
>> also. I get the same old weak arguments against, when frankly the 
>> arguments
>> for power only are weak too, as they don't take into account antennas of
>> any
>> sort, which is bizarre.
>>
>> Everyone seems to be hung up with the Nth degree of ERP accuracy, surely 
>> we
>> can agree on generic gain for certain antennas, we know the power out,
>> feeder loss, it's relatively simple to work out a figure for any given
>> station to within fairly accurate limits. Not taking antenna gain into
>> account at all is utterly wrong.
>>
>> It seems there is a reluctance to even try it, are vested interests at 
>> play
>> here?
>>
>> 73
>>
>> Bob G8HGN
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Ray Hills" <g3hrh at btinternet.com>
>> To: <uk-contest at contesting.com>
>> Sent: Saturday, January 28, 2012 11:21 AM
>> Subject: [UK-CONTEST] Power Limitations
>>
>>
>> >I don't think using ERP to set the limit will work because few, if any,
>> > actually have the ability to determine it accurately.  They would have 
>> > to
>> > rely on the antenna manufacturers' claims, not all of which are 
>> > reliable
>> -
>> > or even credible.  Power into the antenna is OK because many (most?) 
>> > have
>> > a
>> > Bird, especially if it has the peak power modification.  I find it very
>> > reassuring to have a Bird permanently in circuit, as part of the 
>> > antenna
>> > patch panel set-up, to make sure that all is both healthy and within 
>> > the
>> > power limit for any particular contest.
>> >
>> > Ray  G3HRH
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
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>> > UK-Contest at contesting.com
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>>
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