[UK-CONTEST] IOTA 2012

[Chris G3SJJ]

Bernie, reference your comment re 80m QSOs outside the contest sub-band on 80m. I am no longer on the contest committee but offer a few thoughts. I 
suspect without you submitting a list of actual offenders the committee would be powerless to police this rule and I doubt whether they would have 
observers around the world to constantly monitor all the sub bands. Cabrillo does log the frequency against each QSO but with over 2000 logs submitted 
I don't think the adjudicators would have the time to check each one to see if any sub bands had been ignored. I any case, anyone who knew they had 
breached the rules or who read this thread could easily adjust the QRG in their Cabrillo file!

I seem to recall on our last outing as GU8D in 2005 we heard MD4K moving stations initially to 14305 so sub-band abuse has been around for a while and 
no doubt will continue by many stations across the world in many contests. Have a listen to CQWW later in the year!

I think its more a case of the rule being included to appease non/anti contesters rather than being actually useful and enforced.

73 Chris G3SJJ



On 30/07/2012 10:28, Bernie McIntosh (GM4WZG) wrote:

  
Operated from home. 88ft doublet with short twin feeder to auto-atu located in attic (as per G3YNH Radcom article).  TS590S which continues to impress with its ergonomics and its rx ability.  SO2R would be a boon for me (lots of time on my hands while trying to run !) so keep having very nice dreams about walking in and finding two TS590's side by side one day......

It didn't feel like conditions were better than last year although I did manage more mults. QSO count was down slightly but that was perhaps the deliberate focus on getting those mults.  I think DX islands were harder to find and work but I need to sit down and make a proper comparison.   VK3TDX for example I didn't manage this year, and not for want of trying.

10m I thought very disappointing. It kept promising, promising and then promising some more but didn't deliver.  Next year's plan just has to include a separate 10m antenna if I can squeeze it in to the limited space in my beauty-spot QTH.  Perhaps a half wave vertical or maybe even a beam on a mast with a big placard saying "this weekend only" ! Or maybe we can sadly forget about it for another 11 years......

I "lost" several multipliers on 80m due to not calling  the stns working below 3.510.   Can someone on t' committee let me know if they'll get penalised ? If they don't then next year I might as well join in and work 'em.

It's always nice to work from a big-gun station but I hope I'm one of the folk who can demonstrate that with the right entry classes it really is fun, and competitive to work with a bare bones rig and a single simple wire antenna.

Thanks to everyone involved.

CW 24HR Single-OP Assisted. Fixed,

  Band    QSOs    Pts  IOT
    3.5      35     445   27
      7     158    1510   63
     14     192    1740   66
     21      99     965   42
     28      36     340   13
  Total     520    5000  211
Score: 1,055,000

Bernie
GM4WZG