[UK-CONTEST] New RSGB HF Contest... ?

[Rob Harrison]

Hi,

The problem is that there's a lot of contesters who would like to shorten 
the contest exchange to it's bare minimum, even to the point of dropping the 
report. To try and make the exchange longer is going to meet with stiff 
opposition, and there's the societies that want to run their own contest 
with their own rules, which is fair enough.

The simplest mandatory exchange would be report and serial, you then have a 
control element with the serial, if you want to add more then ok. But it 
seems even a serial is to much trouble for some op's given comments on here 
re others experiences yesterday.

I'm used to the Locator system, mainly operating on VHF where virtually 
everyone uses the full 6 characters for all contacts whether contest or not. 
But do you use the first 4 or all 6 characters, this is already mixed on 6M 
where most of the US only give the 1st 4 characters. Personally I'd like 4 
on HF, but it's not gonna happen.

So we're stuck with what we have, maybe education of the various contests 
running at the same time and there requirements will lead to a better 
understanding of what the called and caller wants, rather than the brusque " 
no XXX" or whatever.

73 Bob G8HGN

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Danny Higgins" <danny.higgins at keme.co.uk>
To: "'Bob Henderson'" <bob.5b4agn at gmail.com>; <uk-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Sunday, October 07, 2012 11:01 PM
Subject: Re: [UK-CONTEST] New RSGB HF Contest... ?


>I didn't take part in the 21/28 MHz contest today as there was not many 
>DXCC
> band slots to pick up and I had no chance of a trophy.  I did however make 
> a
> few QSOs in the California QSO party because I collect US counties.
> Obviously so do a lot of other people, as some of the serial numbers
> exchanged by CA stations were over 3000 with still quite a few hours to 
> go.
> If you want to generate interest, then you need to offer something that
> people want.  I don't think UK postal districts quite fill that 
> requirement.
> WAB squares, UK counties or QRA LOC squares would seem a better option as
> they are more collectable.  My preference would be for a universal contest
> exchange that includes the QRA locator, then I could take part in all the
> different national contests while working towards a global QRA 
> certificate,
> as well as individual worked all UK/DL/UA/?? QRA square certificates.
>
> Danny, G3XVR
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: UK-Contest [mailto:uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of 
> Bob
> Henderson
> Sent: 07 October 2012 20:42
> To: UK Contest Reflector
> Subject: Re: [UK-CONTEST] New RSGB HF Contest... ?
>
> I suspect it's inappropriate to measure the importance of awards by the
> number who claim them.
>
> In my experience people prefer to think they are doing something useful.
> Some collect stamps without competing for who has collected most, 
> similarly
> coins, butterflies and goodness knows what else.  Folks just like to think
> there is some purpose to what they do.
>
> When I was new in the hobby with little understanding of what contesting 
> was
> about I was encouraged by my elders (or elmers) to take part.  How could I
> hope to compete with such very loud stations sending CW at miraculous
> speeds?  You don't need to, I was told, that's not the point.
> Use the event to find stations you need for an award.  What award, I 
> asked?
> Any award, I was told, DXCC, WABC and heavens knows what else.  I had
> endless lists to tick providing motivation to make Qs.  Strange thing is,
> with the exception of DXCC, I never applied for any award.  I have no
> interest in collecting awards but this hasn't stop me ticking the boxes 
> just
> in case I might consider it worthwhile at some point.  Perhaps I am alone 
> in
> this but I somehow doubt it.  Folks just enjoy a sense of achievement.
>
> WABC to me was a worthwhile award.  The UK version of WAS.  I never 
> managed
> to complete it as some counties were rarely activated but the effort
> nonetheless seemed worthwhile.  Whether, had I managed to work all British
> Counties, I would have applied for the award is moot.  In truth, I 
> seriously
> doubt I would have bothered but it motivated me to work folks anyway.
>
> One man's perspective.
>
> 73 Bob, 5B4AGN
>
> On 7 October 2012 16:57, John G3LZQ <
> johndunnington at johndunnington.karoo.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> Not being a real active member of the UK Contest Reflector I was
>> pleased to see Fred had added me to this thread.
>>
>> There has never been any real interest in RSGB Awards directly linked
>> or associated with contesting. In my view collecting awards is
>> generally a different breed of operators as compared to contesters who
>> prefer names in lights and annual awards. Certificates for contest
>> section winners etc are different and in many instances keenly fought
>> after.
>>
>> The lifetime Commonwealth Series of Awards have the annual
>> Commonwealth Contest and in recent years this has been boosted by
>> various special anniversary awards but generally with the exception of
>> a hard core of applicants keen on reaching the ultimate supreme level
>> milestones take up is low I suspect due to QSL receipts and the cost
>> associated with obtaining them.
>>
>> As for Postal Districts well just looking at the RSGB District Codes
>> you will see there are 132 of them so that means in the context of the
>> new proposed contest every UK entrant would pretty much be a unique
>> multiplier and not all Postal Districts would be represented.
>> http://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/information/districtcodes.shtml
>>
>> Perhaps a simpler system of using RSGB Regions as multipliers although
>> I fear screams of foul from our IOM, Channel Is, Welsh, and Scotish
>> players.  Using region numbers would be easy to adjudicate the contest
>> and I am sure the contest Committee could pull out regional winners
>> plus overseas entrant winners.
>> http://www.rsgb.org/contact/regional/
>>
>> With my Awards Officer hat on it would not be too difficult to offer a
>> series of awards based on either system with Phone, CW, Digital and
>> single or multi-band options. However the key would be the general
>> level of interest.
>>
>> F.W.I.W.
>>
>> John G3LZQ
>>
>>
>>
>>
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