[UK-CONTEST] UKAC Contests. My final thoughts.

[Rob Harrison]

Hello,

Mmmmm, I don't think there's an answer to the timing situation. Some people 
come home late and some go in early, some poor souls do both. You'll never 
fit in all entrants wishes on that one. There's nothing to stop you 
finishing early of course.

Cramming it into 2 Hours "to speed up the call rate". If I don't work 
someone in 2.5 hours, I'm not going to work them in 2 hours. I'm more likely 
to work them over more hours. If you've got a good station and a good site 
you might run out of time before you run out of contacts. Then you wouldn't 
have time for "chit-chat", most of us do have the luxury of a few words now 
and again.

As for contacts, in general that's not the case for most of the entrants, we 
are still searching at the end.  There will never be enough stations 
workable to occupy me, as a modest station, continuously for the whole 2.5 
hours. Then factor in turning the beam, stations not beaming my way, me not 
beaming at them, QSB, S&P, all slow the rate. You're still going to have to 
contend with that in a 2 hour session. The rate will remain the same, you'll 
just work less stations than you did in 2.5 hours.

One station I know had 13 QSO's with IO93 on Tuesday. Unfortunately I didn't 
make any with the square, but did work IO94 & IO83. Beam headings? Mabye 
next month.

I agree with your comments re cluster and club teams.

73 Bob G8HGN JO01fo





----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert" <m0oro at aim.com>
To: <uk-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2012 4:07 PM
Subject: [UK-CONTEST] UKAC Contests. My final thoughts.


>
> Many thanks for all your input and comments about the UKAC Contests, it's 
> appreciated.
>
> I am still of the opinion that the UKAC contests should stop at 10pm. 
> Reducing the time will serve to
> speed up the call rate and increase competitiveness. There is after all a 
> good deal of unnecessary
> chit-chat. As to the call rate in the last half hour, no matter how long 
> the contest is there will always
> be a last half hour with a bit of a flurry. A reduction will help portable 
> stations in various ways
> and be a benefit in some domestic situations where operating late hours 
> from a bedroom is a problem,
> spare a thought also about the worker who maybe to have start work early 
> doors the next day.
>
> On to the cluster, VHF radio contest operating is about tuning, finding a 
> station, peaking the beam and
> finally working that station. This is the skill in contesting. What it is 
> not is reading info from the web
> such as the callsign, frequency and direction. Therefore putting the 
> contact a click of a mouse away. There
> is no skill in operating this way. The cluster we can dispense with for 
> all contests, but unfortunately the texting and
> Skype will still remain.
>
> In the club ratings, the maths are simple, the club with the most members 
> wins. Which give credence
> to my opinion that multiple teams with a fixed number of contestants will 
> present a level playing
> field for clubs. Nobody would consider a Tug-of-War contest fair with 
> teams of differing numbers.
>
> Finally I would like to say how very enjoyable the Tuesday night contests 
> are, the patience and the
> politeness of operators is outstanding. Not to forget also a vote of 
> thanks to the adjudicators.
>
> 73,
> Robert. G8BUN/M0JRB and sometimes M0ORO.
>
>
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