RSGB contests - new rules

The RSGB has spoken…Do NOT post on SOTA alerts if you are going to participate in a RSGB contest.
It is now against the rules.
http://www.vhfcc.org/rules/07rules/rulechange.htm

Form an orderly line here for leg smacking!

In reply to G6LKB:

I would welcome the big-opportunity of arguing that the use of SOTA alerts is not covered.
Its insane to disallow the use of the alerts for advanced notice.
Its best advice to let people know where you are and when on the hills.

Is a legal case against the RSCB iminent if anyone should God forbid suffer injury

In reply to M0LKB:
As the RSGB represent ALL radio amateurs then there probably is a good case.

In reply to G6LKB:

Notwithstanding any arguments for and against SOTA alerts by RSGB contest entrants being allowed, a SOTA alert is inadequate and inappropriate as a safety notification.

There are many sources of advice available on the net as to what should be done.

Safe activating to all,

73 de Paul G4MD

In reply to G6LKB:

They don’t represent me, the ARRL and G-QRP do! :slight_smile:

In reply to G6LKB:

Form an orderly line here for leg smacking!

No leg smacking required, yet. It doesn’t start until midnight 30th April 2007 and if it was already alerted then removing it would be pointless.

In reply to G6LKB:
Whilst I can appreciate the arguement regarding self spotting of contest stns. However, if I am not taking part in a contest I have the right to spot whoever I want providing it is relevant to the reflector in use. If I spot a contest stn because it is an activator I am spotting it for the purpose of chasers to gain points not to enlarge the contesters bag of points. If the RSGB where to penalise a contester because some else had spotted them I think the RSGB could find themselves in trouble and would be in a position of having to prove unlawful intent.

Glyn…GM4CFS

MM0FMF said:

They don’t represent me, the ARRL and G-QRP do! :slight_smile:

In fact, as the only national society in the UK that has any influence whatsoever with the licensing authorities, the RSGB DOES represent you. Indeed it represents every radio amateur in the UK. What I think you meant to say is that you choose, by not being a member, to not support the RSGB in its work. That is regrettable.

G6LKB wrote:

The RSGB has spoken…Do NOT post on SOTA alerts if you are going to
participate in a RSGB contest.

I think some clarification should be sought on this one. I will ask the Contest Committee. There is no specific statement that SOTA alerts cannot be used and I would, myself interpret doing so as entirely reasonable. A SOTA spot by the contest station itself would be a different matter and would, I think be outwith the spirit of the contest rules.

I will advise if/when I get a response from the contest committee.

In reply to G6LKB:

I can’t see the problem here, but I think the new rules require better definition before coming into force.

If a station combines a sota activation and a contest while on a summit, it is only the sota activity which is alerted on sotswatch and not the contest info.

Also, a contester can’t stop any other amateur/swl from alerting via the cluster, sotawatch, radio comms, even word of mouth to friends etc.

Seems like a little bit of red tape silliness to me.

In reply to G3WGV:

as the only national society in the UK that…

We’ll just have to differ on this.

To the subject involved, the RSGB are quite within their rights to make the rules for their contests. It probably just needs a little clarification that they really only mean self-spotting and own team spotting. As for how much it will apply to SOTA, as far as I can recall the only activator who is/was a keen contester is Charlie G0PZO, so this rule change may only apply to him.

OT: John, is your email working? I have sent a few emails regarding the status change to West Cairn Hill & East Cairn Hill but they keep bouncing. The address shown for you in the Scottish ARM is g3wgv at aol dot com

Andy
MM0FMF

In reply to MM0FMF:

Hi Andy - don’t have your e-mail address so going through reflector. Wonder where you noticed the change to the status of West & East Cairn?

Have you down in my Saturday log as East Cairn. Pity - would liked it to have been West Cairn! Would have then Activated & Bagged it. Will have to wait until someone else has a go - hi!

73

Jack
GM4COX

In reply to GM4COX:

don’t have your e-mail address so going through reflector.

mm0fmf at hotmail dot com

In reply to MM0FMF:

Andy

Individual members of the SOTA Management Team can be reached at:

callsign@sota.org.uk

See Summits on the Air

Most Association Reference Manuals are stable documents and thus changes to email addresses are not reflected there.

The contacts for individual Associations are at:

http://www.sota.org.uk/association_status.htm

This page is regularly updated and is current.

73

Richard
G3CWI

MM0FMF commented:

We’ll just have to differ on this.

I see that most of your summit activations have been on 5MHz. Was it the ARRL or the G-QRP club that negotiated your access to that piece of spectrum?

In reply to G3WGV:

“Was it the ARRL or the G-QRP club that negotiated your access to that piece of spectrum?”

To be fair, the RSGB does have the monopoly when talking to government, or the ARRL and or G-QRP would probably been involved.

I am not a member of any of the three, just offering an unbiased opinion.

73 Mike

In reply to G3WGV:
Hi John
I can only say that all organisations have faults, but for amateur radio in the UK it is ONLY the RSGB that has negotiated on OUR behalf the use of bands for OUR use - we enjoy many more privileges than most if not all other national society members anywhere in the world, so they must be doing something right! That’s why they get my continued financial and moral support.
73 de CRIS
GM4FAM

As I have said to John, I take a differing view to his but I have no intention of arguing pro or con points of our national society in this forum, it’s simply not the correct place.

I’m happy to discuss such things with people over a pint or a nice cuppa as online arguments fail to accurately express the fine nuances of people’s true feelings. Online discussions on subjects as emotive as this generate lots of heat and don’t achieve anything useful other than alienating people.

If we all thought the same then the world would be a dull place and so a bit of disagreement is not the end of the world as long as we keep things in perspective. I would suggest that anyone who wishes to argue this further does not do so on here as it wont help SOTA.

I have made my views on the on topic subject known and happen to agree with the RSGB that self spotting in contests is poor form.

Andy
MM0FMF

Back to the original thread context:

Thanks to Les, G3VQO, who is a member of the RSGB’s Contest Committee we have an official statement from the RSGB, as follows:

“I don’t think SOTA participants announcing where they intend to be (locator
and/or frequency) will cause a problem. I also don’t think we have any
right to dictate outside of contest periods what people do or say on DX
Cluster/ON4KST etc. If they announce their frequency right up to the start
of a contest, we may have a quiet word about spirit etc but really there is
nothing we can do.”

The Management Team therefore recommends that SOTA stations that are operating in RSGB VHF contests DO NOT self spot on the SOTA system, nor ask others to spot them during the contest. There is no problem with using the Alerts facility in the usual way.

So in conclusion:

DO use the Alerts facility
Do NOT self spot during the contest
Do NOT ask others to spot for you during the contest

73, John.

In reply to G3WGV:

Thanks to Les and yourself for the clarification on this matter.

73

Mike