Radio Society of Great Britain – Contest Committee


RSGB - Contest Committee

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    RSGB Field Day Contests
     

    SSB FD 2020 is Single Operator ONLY

    This change is in response to the UK Government's advice on combatting COVID-19

    If you have any queries about these rules, please email hf.query@rsgbcc.org

    Changes for 2020:
    (i) Entry eligibility criteria have been clarified
    (ii) High Power Assisted section replaces Low Power Assisted section for SSB FD only
    (iii) Only Single Operator entries will be accepted for SSB FD
    (iv) No prior registration is required for any section in SSB FD
    (v) No trophies will be awarded for SSB FD
    (vi) For this year only, SSB FD will have a club element, where single-op entrants either portable or fixed, will contribute to a total club score.
    1. Objective To work as many stations and multipliers as quickly and accurately as possible.
    2. Date & Time 5th/6th September 2020    1300-1300 UTC
    3. Frequencies  & Modes SSB only
    80, 40, 20, 15, 10m
    Only one signal may be transmitted at any one time.
    4. Entrants and Sections

    This contest is primarily intended for indidivual RSGB Members and Affiliated Societies. Non-Members may only enter if they are entering on behalf of an Affiliated Society.  Non-UK&CD stations may also enter.

    All sections including entries for Affiliated Societies are for Single Operators ONLY. 

    National, regional and local COVID-19 social distancing restrictions must be obeyed at all times including during station assembly/disassembly.

    Definition: Single Operator - a station operated by a single person, with no operational assistance of another person or persons during the contest period. 

    Definition: Assisted - an operator is using support in order to locate and identify callsigns. Examples are the DX Cluster, RBN, local or remote multi-channel decoder such as CW Skimmer, internet spotting applications, receiving an SMS from another person on the whereabouts of stations, etc.

    Definition: Unassisted - an operator is locating and identifying every callsign that they put in their log, where locating means to tune into each signal. (this is the opposite of "Assisted" above). The operator may not use any outside tools such as the DX Cluster or RBN network to locate new contacts, neither may they use any local decoder which will identify signals other than on the frequency to which they are tuned.

    QRP Unassisted Portable: Single transceiver, 5W max. One single antenna (vertical, dipole or loop) comprising a single element with traps and/or removable links - maximum of two elevated supports not exceeding 15m above ground. Receiving with more than two receivers or receiving while transmitting is not allowed.

    QRP Get on the Air, Renewable Energy, Unassisted Portable: Single transceiver, 5W max. Total operating time is a maximum of 6 hours; off-periods, if taken, must be at least 60 minutes. One single antenna (vertical, dipole or loop) comprising a single element with traps and/or removable links - maximum of two elevated supports not exceeding 15m above ground. Power must be from batteries or a renewable energy source.

    Low Power Unassisted Portable: Single transceiver, 100W max. One single antenna (vertical, dipole or loop) comprising a single element with traps and/or removable links - maximum of two elevated supports not exceeding 15m above ground. Receiving with more than two receivers or receiving while transmitting is not allowed.

    High Power Assisted Portable: Maximum legal power. No restriction on equipment or aerials

    Fixed Assisted QRP: 5W max. No restrictions on equipment or aerials

    Fixed Assisted Low: 100W max. No restrictions on equipment or aerials

    Fixed Assisted High: Maximum legal power. No restrictions on equipment or aerials

    Affiliated Society (club) entries: 
    (a) A club may be represented by any number of stations, all of whom must be located within the UK&CD.  

    (b) The operators of Stations representing an Affiliated Society must be members of that Society, but need not be RSGB members themselves. All Stations representing an Affiliated Society must be Single Operator.

    (c) There is no maximum distance stipulation for members of club teams i.e. stations are not required to be 80km or less from a club’s nominated meeting place.

    (d) Scores will be normalised for each section as follows:
    Score for each Station = (Score achieved x 1000) divided by (section leader's score)

    (e) Scores from non-UK&CD stations do not contribute to Society scores

    Addition Rules applicable to all sections including Affiliated Society entries:
    (i) Operation must be from a single Station location where all transmitters, receivers, and antennas are located within a circle of a radius no greater than 500m. Remote receivers outside the Station location are not permitted.

    (ii) Remote operation of a Fixed station is allowed where the operator is situated within the same country on the DXCC list. Additionally an operator's home station, as shown in the licensee's licence documents, may be remotely operated from a location in another country.

    (iii) A remotely operated station must obey all station licence, operator licence, and category conditions. The callsign used must be one issued or permitted by the Regulatory Authority of the remote station location. The address of the operator must be included in the 'Address of Operator when operating Remote from Station Address' box on the Station Information Page and the address of the remote station must be included in the Cabrillo header 'ADDRESS:' box. The RSGB HF Contest Committee may place remotely operated stations in a separate results table.

    (iv) Special Contest Callsigns or Club Callsigns may be used. All Portables must sign /P.

    (v) Portable stations must be powered by generators or batteries and must not be set up in a permanent building or structure; antennas and antenna supports, other than natural ones, must not be pre-existing.

    5. Exchange RS(T) plus serial number - starting at 1 and incrementing by 1, irrespective of band. If you are not sent a serial number, log a zero.
    6. Scoring All Sections :
    Portable and Mobile stations in Europe (including UK&CD): 4 points per valid QSO
    Portable and Mobile stations outside Europe: 6 points per valid QSO
    Fixed stations in Europe (including UK&CD): 2 points per valid QSO
    Fixed stations outside Europe: 3 points per valid QSO.
    Note: Stations signing /A count as Fixed Stations

    Multipliers:
    DXCC entities per band

    The same station may be contacted on each band for points and multipliers

    The final score is the total of QSO points multiplied by the total DXCC entities
    7. Log Submission
            and Adjudication
    Submit in Cabrillo format here within 5 days of the end of the contest. View the correct Cabrillo format for this contest.

    If the robot finds format errors, it will reject the log and ask for resubmission of a corrected logfile. Second and subsequent log uploads may be subject to analysis of any changes that have been made.

    If you have difficulties preparing or uploading your Cabrillo logfile, please contact the contest adjudicator to ask for assistance, before the submission deadline.

    If you are entering on behalf of an RSGB Affiliated Society, you must select your club's name from the pull-down list when you submit your log. Your club's name will not be read from the Cabrillo log.

    Adjudicated results will be online and will include online logfiles for all entrants. Errors will incur penalties as outlined in the RSGB HF Adjudication Principles. This penalty will be the loss of an additional 2 QSO points.

    The use of CAT Control to log the correct frequency and mode is highly recommended - you will lose QSO points for frequency and mode errors.

    At the present time, it is not possible to automatically enter logs into the Region 1 (DARC) Field Day Contests. If you wish to also enter the Region 1 Field Day Contests, please submit your log for the Region 1 SSB Field Day Contest here. The rules for the Region 1 Field Days are available here.
    8. Results and Awards

    There will be separate table of results for each section.

    There will be a table of results listing the scores of Affiliated Societies

    Section winners will be indicated in the results tables complete with downloadable certificates

    A certificate may also be downloaded by all entrants showing their position in their entry section

    No trophies will be awarded for this contest

    9. Supplementary Rules (a)  Any infringement considered to be outside the spirit of the contest may result in QSOs being disallowed, the entry being reclassified as a Checklog, or the entry being disqualified.
    (b)  Self-spotting or asking to be spotted is not permitted.
    (c)  Call signs logged must be the same as those exchanged over the air by the entrants during the QSO. Correction of logged call signs and exchanges after the contest, by use of any database, recordings, email or other methods, is not allowed.
    (d)  All requests for contacts, responses to calls, and copying of call signs and contest exchanges must be accomplished during the contest period using the mode and frequencies of the contest.
    (e)  You must send your callsign at least every 3rd QSO and no less often than once a minute .
    (f)  Proof of contact e.g. an MP3 audio recording, may be required as part of the adjudication process.
    10. Declaration By entering any RSGB HF Contest you declare that:
    (a)   Your station was operated strictly in accordance with the rules and spirit of the contest, within the conditions of your licence, and that the power output from your transmitter was no greater than that permitted in the section of the contest that you are entering.
    (b)   You agree that decisions of the RSGB HF Contest Committee will be final in cases of dispute.
    (c)   By submitting a log entry, entrants give the RSGB permission to score, amend, publish, republish, print, and otherwise distribute that entry by any means.
    11. Adjudicator SSB: John G4CZB
    Updated 23rd August 2020