As predicted this contest was a disaster.
NOT DUE to the COVID19 pandemic, but due to the HFCC putting no effort into creating rules which would have allowed curtailed operations to continue.
I listened in and the only saviour to many bored operators were stations that decided to take matters into their own hands and operate /P from the island that they happened to be on anyway (summer holidays...remember those...when you were young...going off with the kids....a distant memory for those in HFCC it would seem).
I just hope that most of these /P operators knew about the ludicrous "home station only " rule imposed by the "Chief Medical Officer" of the RSGB HFCC. I can imagine that some operators would only find out that they had travelled to an island and spent many hours setting up and operating a /P station providing entertainment for RSGB members only to find out later that they have been disqualified.
The only way this contest can now be judged is for all the points distributed by these cheating /P stations to be removed from the logs of home stations that wrongly decided to try to work them.
Monday, 27 July 2020
Saturday, 4 July 2020
RSGB Contest Committee IOTA contest 2020
Does anyone else think the RSGB Contest Committee have got it wrong for the IOTA contest in 2020. Apparently the best they can do is suggest "single operator only" and "working from your home station" only?
Hello?
Most working people with kids will be on holiday on July 25/26 and will be away from their home stations.
I recon this ruling makes sense if you are retired and live down south where you have to travel extensively to reach an island. You need to plan and book ahead to get comfy accommodation and you are used to winning your category through year round planning and letting a large group of people take the strain of setting up the station and antennas for you. You only need to operate for a couple hours before your buddy comes to release you as your bladder probably can't go longer than that anyway. A large scale event with a nice sociable side to meet your buddies.
It completely makes NO sense if you are still working and stuck with taking holidays when the kids are off. You live up north and you are right next to an island. You don't need to plan ahead as you just drive over and operate from the car, completely on your own and setting up light weight portable antennas that will never let you win anything. You operate for 12 straight hours in a herculean effort to work your way up the rankings.
You'll notice I haven't mentioned COVID19. This is because when trying to discuss this issue with the contest committee I feel their situation is predominately tending towards the latter 'retired' category (above) and as such are ruling to suit themselves rather than putting some real effort into making IOTA 2020 the best it can be, despite COVID19. It is all too easy for them to put on their politician hat and a grave face and say things like "we had to make a decision in plenty time" Why? Single ops living next to an island don't need plenty time? or "We don't want to encourage travel" Eh, that's not up to you, I'd rather listen to the CMO! or "It's only a game, whilst people are dying" How long are you going to keep this up 1, 2 , 3 years? or until a cure is found? At least make a decision which is sustainable for everyone (and not just the retired) like "single op only" and "no island hopping". Their decision is final and not up for discussion.
It's really very disappointing to me personally that after more than a decade of competing in a COVID19 compatible format i.e. Single OP totally self-sufficient DXPedition, that the contest committee fails to recognise this category by blanket ruling "home station" only. ***Even if I weren't to travel to an island, I'm still technically excluded as I'm on holiday with the kids and not at my "home station"**** ridiculous! All the /m /a /p stations excluded in one stupid spoiler rule. However this will suit a lot of slipper wearing, pipe smoking, coffin dodging retirees and help them still win their category (get their moneys worth out that STEPPIR someone else installed for them). Arguably the premier RSGB contest event of the year almost completely spoiled by self-indulgence, scaremongering and nanny state behaviour.
I feel that the RSGB Contest Committee fails to realise that Radio is one of the few things left that is safe to do during these hard times and that we should be doing more to promote it to the bumper crop of new hams that have entered the hobby because of COVID19. Instead they have erred on the safe, easy side and spoiled what could have been a more interesting contest result where the large groups are banned by putting in place a simple "single op" rule.
I have a mind to take part from EU123 together with all the other tourist crawling over the islands. Imagine the pile ups on the bands for EU123! Then I won't enter the contest or submit a log as a two fingered salute to RSGB Contest Committee.
Very, very disappointed that people who have got this country through COVID19 by continuing to work 'at risk' are being excluded from things like the Hope contests and now IOTA....nuts! Bring on retirement!
Hello?
Most working people with kids will be on holiday on July 25/26 and will be away from their home stations.
I recon this ruling makes sense if you are retired and live down south where you have to travel extensively to reach an island. You need to plan and book ahead to get comfy accommodation and you are used to winning your category through year round planning and letting a large group of people take the strain of setting up the station and antennas for you. You only need to operate for a couple hours before your buddy comes to release you as your bladder probably can't go longer than that anyway. A large scale event with a nice sociable side to meet your buddies.
It completely makes NO sense if you are still working and stuck with taking holidays when the kids are off. You live up north and you are right next to an island. You don't need to plan ahead as you just drive over and operate from the car, completely on your own and setting up light weight portable antennas that will never let you win anything. You operate for 12 straight hours in a herculean effort to work your way up the rankings.
You'll notice I haven't mentioned COVID19. This is because when trying to discuss this issue with the contest committee I feel their situation is predominately tending towards the latter 'retired' category (above) and as such are ruling to suit themselves rather than putting some real effort into making IOTA 2020 the best it can be, despite COVID19. It is all too easy for them to put on their politician hat and a grave face and say things like "we had to make a decision in plenty time" Why? Single ops living next to an island don't need plenty time? or "We don't want to encourage travel" Eh, that's not up to you, I'd rather listen to the CMO! or "It's only a game, whilst people are dying" How long are you going to keep this up 1, 2 , 3 years? or until a cure is found? At least make a decision which is sustainable for everyone (and not just the retired) like "single op only" and "no island hopping". Their decision is final and not up for discussion.
It's really very disappointing to me personally that after more than a decade of competing in a COVID19 compatible format i.e. Single OP totally self-sufficient DXPedition, that the contest committee fails to recognise this category by blanket ruling "home station" only. ***Even if I weren't to travel to an island, I'm still technically excluded as I'm on holiday with the kids and not at my "home station"**** ridiculous! All the /m /a /p stations excluded in one stupid spoiler rule. However this will suit a lot of slipper wearing, pipe smoking, coffin dodging retirees and help them still win their category (get their moneys worth out that STEPPIR someone else installed for them). Arguably the premier RSGB contest event of the year almost completely spoiled by self-indulgence, scaremongering and nanny state behaviour.
I feel that the RSGB Contest Committee fails to realise that Radio is one of the few things left that is safe to do during these hard times and that we should be doing more to promote it to the bumper crop of new hams that have entered the hobby because of COVID19. Instead they have erred on the safe, easy side and spoiled what could have been a more interesting contest result where the large groups are banned by putting in place a simple "single op" rule.
I have a mind to take part from EU123 together with all the other tourist crawling over the islands. Imagine the pile ups on the bands for EU123! Then I won't enter the contest or submit a log as a two fingered salute to RSGB Contest Committee.
Very, very disappointed that people who have got this country through COVID19 by continuing to work 'at risk' are being excluded from things like the Hope contests and now IOTA....nuts! Bring on retirement!
Yaesu FTDX101 Spectrum Scope Mode : Cursor
After having played with other transceivers, I am disappointed in the implementation of CURSOR mode. I don't like having to push the spectrum scope along, as if you find a signal, you always have to back tune to find it. I would much prefer an auto scroll mode where (when the limit of the span has been reached) the scope jumps ahead by half the span leaving the tuning marker mid-screen. I know about the other modes and use FIX in CW and CENTER in DATA and feel CURSOR is most suitable in SSB. The implementation of CURSOR could do with a re-think though.
Yaesu FTDX101 review
I own an FTDX101D. Having owned and played with a lot of other transceivers, I am left with a sense of disappointment in the lack of ease of use (in particular) the lack of settings memories available on the 101. I feel that the designers of other transceivers have spent more time considering the owner experience and usability. After studying this, I have focussed down on several settings related to the scope on the 101 which are not remembered in the band-stack:
1) Spectrum Scope operation mode FIX/CENTER/CURSOR
2) FIX frequency
3) SPEED
4) SPAN
5) LEVEL
For instance, I set up the triple band-stack for CW/Data/SSB for the 10m band.
I like the following scope setting on CW
1) Spectrum Scope operation mode: FIX
2) FIX frequency: 28.000
3) SPEED: FAST3 (as I like to decode by eye)
4) SPAN: 50KHz
5) LEVEL: Effects of tight roofing filter (300Hz), and low span means high level gain required
I like the following scope settings on Data
1) Spectrum Scope operation mode: CENTER
2) FIX frequency: 28.074
3) SPEED: SLOW1 (As I like a longer period of history visible)
4) SPAN: 5KHz (In FT8 only 4KHz required)
5) LEVEL: Effects of tight roofing filter (300Hz), and low span means high level gain required
I like the following scope settings on SSB
1) Spectrum Scope operation mode: CURSOR
2) FIX frequency: 28.400 (If I change to FIX)
3) SPEED: FAST1 (As I like a medium period of history visible)
4) SPAN: 100KHz
5) LEVEL: Effects of wide roofing filter (3KHz), and high span means low level gain required
Unfortunately none of the above settings are remembered in the band-stack. This means that on each change of band (with the exception of FIX frequency) or band-stack, the previous settings of these parameters just pass through, meaning I have to manually alter all the above settings every time...very very tiresome! You'll recognise this failing if you've been using FIX in CW and you change the band-stack to SSB...the cursors fly off the screen and the scope is looking at the CW FIX frequency and the VFO is up in the SSB portion of the band....crazy!
By changing the band-stack to remember these extra parameters the ease of use factor will go through the roof (this will also work when changing band).
Do you think remembering these parameters in the band-stack would be helpful to your usage case?
Doug GM0ELP/MM3T
1) Spectrum Scope operation mode FIX/CENTER/CURSOR
2) FIX frequency
3) SPEED
4) SPAN
5) LEVEL
For instance, I set up the triple band-stack for CW/Data/SSB for the 10m band.
I like the following scope setting on CW
1) Spectrum Scope operation mode: FIX
2) FIX frequency: 28.000
3) SPEED: FAST3 (as I like to decode by eye)
4) SPAN: 50KHz
5) LEVEL: Effects of tight roofing filter (300Hz), and low span means high level gain required
I like the following scope settings on Data
1) Spectrum Scope operation mode: CENTER
2) FIX frequency: 28.074
3) SPEED: SLOW1 (As I like a longer period of history visible)
4) SPAN: 5KHz (In FT8 only 4KHz required)
5) LEVEL: Effects of tight roofing filter (300Hz), and low span means high level gain required
I like the following scope settings on SSB
1) Spectrum Scope operation mode: CURSOR
2) FIX frequency: 28.400 (If I change to FIX)
3) SPEED: FAST1 (As I like a medium period of history visible)
4) SPAN: 100KHz
5) LEVEL: Effects of wide roofing filter (3KHz), and high span means low level gain required
Unfortunately none of the above settings are remembered in the band-stack. This means that on each change of band (with the exception of FIX frequency) or band-stack, the previous settings of these parameters just pass through, meaning I have to manually alter all the above settings every time...very very tiresome! You'll recognise this failing if you've been using FIX in CW and you change the band-stack to SSB...the cursors fly off the screen and the scope is looking at the CW FIX frequency and the VFO is up in the SSB portion of the band....crazy!
By changing the band-stack to remember these extra parameters the ease of use factor will go through the roof (this will also work when changing band).
Do you think remembering these parameters in the band-stack would be helpful to your usage case?
Doug GM0ELP/MM3T
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