[UK-CONTEST] New HF CW Field Day rules

[Robert Chipperfield]

Hi Dave,

[Warning: slightly ill-considered rant follows...]

Firstly, is it really the case that a lot of people declare they'll 
never enter a contest again just because they don't believe they can 
instantly win it (any more)? This certainly isn't something limited to 
NFD, but it's a comment that gets posted often on this reflector, and 
I'm afraid it really feels like toys being thrown out of prams.

[...end of rant - sorry!]

Coming back to your point, remember that the field days do specifically 
include elements beyond just the operating - if you want a contest where 
operating is the primary part, any of the other contests where you 
operate from home presumably satisfy that requirement; field day adds 
elements of engineering, "survival" (well, OK, having to run the coffee 
machine of a generator for the weekend), and no doubt more than a few 
laughs or tears as masts don't quite go up as vertically as they could.

It's certainly a contest - but one that's not entirely won just by the 
person behind the key or mic, but also by those who support the design 
and construction of the station. The new rules seem to give the latter 
more of a chance to shine.

And maybe, given a year or two, we'll find the only winning formula is 
the "field day two element array on an 18m tower". At which point it 
might be time to change the rules again. But why not give it a try, and 
see what happens?

Cheers,
Rob

On 21/03/2012 15:31, dave at g4buo.com wrote:
> Fine, if there are a lot of groups out there who currently do not enter
> NFD because there is not enough scope for innovation. On the other hand I
> know for certain that there are a number of groups out there who turn up
> to NFD with scaffold poles on the roof rack and an NFD doublet. And I know
> some of those groups are considering not entering because they do not want
> to get involved with 22m towers etc.
>
> There is nothing to stop you experimenting with wire arrays in the Open
> section if that is your thing. What this rule does is to mess with the
> Restricted and QRP sections, solving a problem that does not exist in the
> first place!
>
> I like designing antennas and I was the one who came up with the Gravesend
> Loop that has been used by several groups to win SSB FD. But the
> excitement in NFD should surely come primarily from operating. After all,
> this is a contest!
>
> Dave
>
>> Well, it\'s a doublet at 22m in the centre, but 0m (well, as high as you
>> can pull the strings out) at the ends, since you only have a single 22m
>> support.
>>
>> The new rules seem to open the contest up to a lot of really exciting
>> innovations - you can\'t use commercial beams, so if you want something
>> directional, you\'ll have to build it yourself, and there\'s no doubt
>> going to be some interesting trade-offs in the number of supports vs
>> height vs amount of support used for elements.
>>
>> And don\'t forget you\'ll need to save enough of the 120m wire allowance
>> for the low bands - so no using a half-wave dipole on top band and 80m
>> if you want anything the rest of the bands!
>>
>> I might be wrong, but my impression was that previously \"restricted\"
>> basically meant you used \"the field day doublet\", and if you did
>> anything else, you were silly. Now, we\'ve got rules that allow for all
>> sorts of experimentation and variation with some interesting restrictions.
>>
>> To me, it\'s made it a much more exciting section that it was before...
>>
>> 73,
>> Rob, M0VFC
>>
>> On 21/03/2012 15:11, dave at g4buo.com wrote:
>>> Good point, but that system at 18m would still be an awful lot better
>>> than
>>> a doublet at 11m. So I repeat my question, is this really much of a
>>> restriction? And if you choose just to use a doublet you are still
>>> getting
>>> the full benefit of 22m height.
>>>
>>> Dave G4BUO
>>>
>>>> Dave
>>>> As I see it, and I\\\'ll stand corrected if I\\\'m wrong on this, but
> that
>>> 4m or
>>>> so cross arms will need to come off the 22m total support length as its
>>>> will be deemed as part of the support!!!
>>>>
>>>> regards
>>>>
>>>> Ken..G0ORH
>>>>
>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 21 Mar 2012, at 14:39, dave at g4buo.com wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Perhaps Ed or Ian could explain how the Restricted section is really
>>>>> restricted any more.
>>>>>
>>>>> Granted, you can still go out with your two 11m masts but does anyone
>>>>> seriously doubt that a doublet at 22m will outperform a doublet at
>>>>> 11m?
>>>>>
>>>>> So, to be competitive in the Restricted section you now need a tower.
>>>>> Add
>>>>> a 4m cross-arm and you can build a very effective 2 element driven
>>>>> array,
>>>>> with balanced feeders down to ground level youve got gain and instant
>>>>> direction reversal, on several bands. So the group that currently
>>>>> drives
>>>>> to NFD with a few scaffold poles on the car roof rack is going to be
>>>>> marginalised.
>>>>>
>>>>> While the 22m total height is a good idea, allowing for example a
>>>>> horizontal loop on three 7m masts if you want, I think it is a mistake
>>>>> to
>>>>> remove the 11m height restriction for the so-called Restricted and QRP
>>>>> sections.
>>>>>
>>>>> And, to be competitive you are also going to have to invest in an
>>>>> interlock, bandpass filters and perhaps a triplexer. This was great
>>>>> fun
>>>>> in
>>>>> WRTC but I simply do not feel it is appropriate for the *Restricted*
>>>>> section of NFD.
>>>>>
>>>>> Dave G4BUO
>>>>>
>>>>>> Just a postscript -- the initial ideas about antenna rules for the
>>>>>> Restricted Section were suggested by GM3SEK and GM3ZBE (SK) -- thanks
>>>>>> to
>>>>>> both.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 73,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Ed Taylor, GW3SQX
>>>>>> Chairman, RSGB Contest Committee
>>>>>>
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