Summer Field Day 2012 (Jan 14/15) thread...

[VK2GOM]

Having taken part in VHF contests both here in VK and back in the UK, there are a few inevitable conclusions I've come to.

1. There are simply less amateurs per head of population in VK.

2. These amateurs are spread out over great distances compared to the UK.

Both these factors make it difficult to raise many contacts, as some of our friends in parts of VK4 have already noted.

Back in the UK, it was normal to work loads of grid squares across the country, and be run off your feet pretty much for the whole contest whenever you called 'CQ Contest'. Add in the fact if you lived in the SE of the country you had a load of European callsigns coming back to your calls too even under flat conditions. The population density of active amateurs in the UK alone made the Practical Wireless QRP Contest a roaring success. No more than 2.5W, but the opportunity to work HUNDREDS of stations on 2m.

Perhaps the contest planning / run-up here for the VHF field days needs more thought? Maybe more interactive facilities like online 'stick a pin on the map' for each state (there are online apps for this) to signal proposed activity locations. Picking the wrong site coupled with flat conditions can mean a very disappointing day out, due to (going full circle now...) lack of amateurs spread out over great distances.

Just my $0.02 AUD (£0.013 GBP)

73 - Rob VK2GOM / G0MOH

[VK4GHZ]

...Picking the wrong site coupled with flat conditions can mean a very disappointing day out, due to (going full circle now...) lack of amateurs spread out over great distances.

Which is why it's absolutely mind boggling why there is so much reluctance in using VK Logger etc, to help maximise QSO count.
Unbelievable that this backward pre-internet mentality still exists in 2012... almost 18 years after internet was taken up in the average home.

[VK2XQ]

There seems to be very few on 50MHz when a VK or VK/ZL VHF contest is on, looking at the 2m and above logger I see many grid squares I need but they are not on 50MHz.

Propagation let 50MHz down this last weekend, the band only opened here on Sunday around 30mins before closing time for Field Day.

True, everyone is jam packed along the east coast from Melbourne through to Cairns, many don't want to, cannot or cannot be bothered joining up with some mates and doing a Field Day operation from a rare or semi rare grid square.

Yes, many are not interested in contest, even so, I always give someone a number just to be part of the fun whether I need their grid square or not, costs you only a few seconds to give a signal report, grid and number, it makes their effort more worth it and adds to their tally.

Awhile back I expressed interest in going to King Island and activating some grids there for contest, the response/interest I received? Zero!

Yes, the Americans, JA's and Europeans all get involved in the contest spirit, but the VK's? Jack VK2XQ QF-56ne.

[VK2JDS]

well , I liked it. it shows what the weather and propagation can throw at us and what its like out on mountaintops and conditions to expect.
While the 9cm gear didnt get stoked up , there was some activity on 23cm from here down into vk1, a portable and a home station.
rain and storms passed over, high winds etc. broken dish mounts, feedline broken off 2m yagi , all good fun
as usual 2m was flying and contacts made on the backup yagi secured with fencing tie wire to the mast.

i am hoping the st george club will bring all bands up to 10GHz next outing as there is activity over the mountains on these bands, a growing group of microwave experimenters out here and they had set up in a great spot at the Bindo repeater site.
73's from Dave vk2jds

[VK3PY]

Meanwhile, we at VK3UHF had a ball. Plenty of local and DX contacts to keep us busy from 50MHz to 47GHz. We only operated ssb on each band as there was always so much happening that we didn't venture onto the FM parts of the bands. I doubt that using the logger would have helped us make any more contacts. Perhaps others "spotted" us during the event - I don't know. Fortunately, we have a fairly good FD site with a great outlook for VHF DX operation, and clusters of really keen microwave groups within striking range.

The weather was pretty good, too. Not too hot, not too cold and not windy or wet (unlike the Spring FD last year!). There was no particularly enhanced propagation, but we still worked into Adelaide on 2&70, not an unusual situation from our FD QTH. We also made a few AEP contacts into VK1/VK2 on 2&70.

We only experienced two equipment malfunctions, a rarity for us. The 2.4GHz transverter developed an intermittent TX fault (probably a cracked chip cap somewhere in the TX signal path). We replaced it with the spare transverter. And the microphone on one of the FT-290R "IF" radios died. Replaced that with a spare, too.

Thanks to all the operators who yet again helped make this an enjoyable event.

Chas
VK3PY

[VK2HRX]

Awhile back I expressed interest in going to King Island and activating some grids there for contest, the response/interest I received? Zero!

.

When are we going to King Island?
Compton
VK2HRX
QF56NE

[VK2KRR]

There's something desperately wrong with our hobby if we need to tempt amateurs on to the air with gifts and prizes.

Maybe because other pastimes offer incentives & prizes etc so people would prefer to do those pastimes?

I know that with everything else that I am involved with they do offer trophys, money incentives, vouchers etc. Sponsorship for events, dontations of prizes.

Like Adam has mentioned about the internet and people living in the past, every big event has some sort of sponsorship etc. This radio type of competition stuff needs to advance forward or again stay in the past.

Here u go just did a quick search for an example - Australian Lawn Bowls Championships. What do the competitors have to supply to compete ?? their BOWLS! Total prize money - $135,000.00. The Singles winner gets $18,000.00.

Do you need to sit numerous exams to play bowls? no.

Typical Lawn Bowls set cost? maybe $500. Approx cost for just the 'radio' for a good weak signal station? maybe $2000 ? Of course you then have the multitude of accessories attached to that radio.

This is just an example of why people prefer lawn bowls over radio. I think I might look into it, no wonder my Dad has been playing bowls for years!

Just showing a different point of view here.

[VK3PY]

I can assure anyone who goes to King Island for the Summer FD they would have an absolute ball. There is so much activity out of VK3 and SE VK5 on VHF through to microwaves they'd be flat out coping with the pile-ups, on microwaves too. Four grids converge on King Island which would also make it attractive for a roving exercise. The main challenge would be getting all the necessary gear onto the island.

Chas
VK3PY

[VK3TPR]

This year Alan VK3XPD, Michael VK3KH and myself entered as VK3TPR/P from Arthurs Seat (Dromana), we had all bands from 2 meters to 24GHz.
With 3 yagis for the lower bands, a 1.2meter dish for 2.4GHz to 10GHz and and a separate dish for 24GHz the 3 of us were always kept busy moving from radio to radio.
Alan was particularly busy changing feeds on the big dish for each contact, at one stage we worked VK3UHF on 4 bands in 13 minutes, thats four feed and transverter changes !

The weather was good, not too hot or cold and very light wind although enough wind to have the 2 meter and 23cm yagis kiss the ground early on but only minimal damage to the 2 meter antenna as it "saved" the 23cm loop yagi. We had full cloud in the sky until very late afternoon when the sun broke through and we all got a bit sun burnt !

Highlights were many including success on 24GHz (not always guaranteed), we worked VK3UHF twice but could not make a contact with VK3ALB on 24. We made many contacts on 2.4GHz including on memorable occasion with simultaneous signals from the front and rear on the dish from opposite compass points. Needless to say these two stations were actually working each other, VK3UHF and VK3WRE.

Another mini highlight was that we had no gear failures at all, just a little bit of element bending on the 2 meter yagi.

Our longest QSO was 2.4GHz to VK5SR (393km) though as hard as we tried we could not work them on any higher bands, propagation was not great during the 8 hours we operated on Saturday. 10GHz was also pleasing with several stations worked including our "old" mate Gavan VK3HY on Mt Terrible with 3cm for the first time.

So at the end of 8 hrs three tired but happy operators packed up after a thoroughly enjoyable day, looking forward to the next VHF/UHF/Microwave outing.

Many thanks to all the stations we worked on the day.

Peter

[VK4FB]

Leigh you are absolutly right !
This is a Hobby an incredable exciting Hobby, we get pushed to the side.

The so called NONE PROFIT organisations RSL's Clubs are surviving with "POKIES" nobody cares if RETAIL is struggling.
If we promote a contest in a way so many Hobbies get promoted we would be right up there no dought. Fishing is on TV and has competitions, you name it
in our hobby we are backwards in many ways, we just don't know how to promote it.
We sell ruffels we give donations of all kinds to Dxpeditions.
You create the Contest of all Contest in Australia and watch what is going to happen.
If the Clubs and RSL can do it, so can we!! "NONE PROFIT" Organisations
We would have the biggest wave of new amateurs in history.

[VK4NM]

There's something desperately wrong with our hobby if we need to tempt amateurs on to the air with gifts and prizes.

Maybe because other pastimes offer incentives & prizes etc so people would prefer to do those pastimes?

I know that with everything else that I am involved with they do offer trophys, money incentives, vouchers etc. Sponsorship for events, dontations of prizes.

Like Adam has mentioned about the internet and people living in the past, every big event has some sort of sponsorship etc. This radio type of competition stuff needs to advance forward or again stay in the past.

Here u go just did a quick search for an example - Australian Lawn Bowls Championships. What do the competitors have to supply to compete ?? their BOWLS! Total prize money - $135,000.00. The Singles winner gets $18,000.00.

Do you need to sit numerous exams to play bowls? no.

Typical Lawn Bowls set cost? maybe $500. Approx cost for just the 'radio' for a good weak signal station? maybe $2000 ? Of course you then have the multitude of accessories attached to that radio.

This is just an example of why people prefer lawn bowls over radio. I think I might look into it, no wonder my Dad has been playing bowls for years!

Just showing a different point of view here.

Leigh You have to be a professional to receive prize money for any sporting event not allowed to win money if you are an amateur..........always love an opportunity to use the phrase "pardon the pun"

[VK4FB]

If you can sell a ruffle ticket at a Hamfest or at a club meeting, than you should be able to win a price or a trophy at a contest. I got a trohpy when I was playing soccer and ski racing I was not a professional. Who wants to stop you if you donate a price for a achievment in a contest, no one!

[VK5ZT]

Hi all

Those of you that have attended the foxhunt weekend at Mt Gambier on Queen's Birthday weekend should recall that a swag of prizes and trophies are presented to the winners.......


Cheers

Tim

VK5ZT

[VK4TS]

Checkout the results of the VHF UHF QSO party on ARRL.org -

Out of 700,000 licensed hams that had 2500 callsigns in the contest and the TOP scorer worked 500 individual callsigns

As a ratio thats roughly 3.5%

We have roughly 16,000

Where does that leave the scope for improvement in the contest scene from VK ???

[VK4FB]

Insentive
you want to let the hobby survive, than that's what needs to happen. Here in Australia you can legally bet on everything that moves
no protection in place to protect the people who can not afford it.
In Monaco, residents of Monaco are not allowed to gamble in the casino
In Austria Pokies got out-lawed in the early 1990 because it was affecting retail ........
If you go to the Casino in Austria you have to show your ID to enter and they will know if you can afford it or not. Why do you think Casino Austria is in Australia because Australia is not protecting there citizens.
In China gambling is illegal.
2009- 2010 I was in China for 8 month, I didn't see a speed camera, after China I went to Austria, Germany and Italy I did not see a speed camera on the side of the road,
when we got back to Brisbane we saw the first speed camera within 24 hours.
In Australia we call it pokies revenue and count it into the retail figures. Soon we will pay for breathing.
Democracy gone crazy.
freedom of speech is all we got left.
that's on here, thanks to Adam.
We wouldn't be allowed to do that on the RADIO.
So why are we worried about giving trophies or prices.

Without the pokies many RSL's, PUB's and Clubs would have gone broke many times over, instead we have got palaces now they can spend millions on there renovations. Don't forget they are none profit organisations giving away cars and cash prices and pick you up to the get the last dollar out of you.
But she'll be right mate!!!

[VK4TS]

VK4VDX - I fail to see any point in your post - I have been a director of a managed club and am fully aware of the turnover and profits that can be made - but the relativity to ham radio ??

My estimates were our VK improvement could be around 300% over the current levels - based on the USA entries - but is that realistic ??

One of the BIGGEST problems in VK VHF contesting and VK contesting in general is MULTI operator stations - every time a group join together the actual stations on air drop -

Take for example VK4GHZ - VK4CP VK4WR VK4CZ VK4FI - all these calls are missing from the roster because they competed as a multi op - this is done all over VK -

If the same team rotated callsigns there are suddenly much greater numbers .... it might take some good lateral thinking to make it work but it could be done - maybe even a different category like a "teams" category - so rather than VK4GHZ Multi Op its the VK4GHZ team comprising of VK4CP VK4WR VK4CZ and VK4FI - would need some smart programming from VKCL but achievable - each op signs on the PC on the network that is attached to each band / rig combination ...

So the big questions is !!

Should all VK VHF UHF Contests limit multi ops to single transmitters to encourage more call-signs on air ??

[VK3ALB]

Trent,

Why not start a new thread related to the VHF/UHF field day rules?

[VK4FB]

Ok Trent!
If you didn't get my point than you didn't read my posts, easy.
the point I'm making is about trophies prices to attract more stations, every other hobby or sport does it,

as VK5ZT said in his last post, there are trophies and prices to be won at a Foxhunt, see and I didn't know, yeap, promotion is a key too and that's my point in every of my posts. If you don't do anything special why should people make the effort, What do you think would happen if you have a category for F-Calls with a price of a FT-817
a category for Standart calls with a price of a Transverter for 5.7ghz
a category for Full call with a price of a Transverter for 10 ghz or whatever else it may be.
I would love it and I wouldn't be the only one.
How much do we pay for our licence every year.?
How much do we pay to the WIA ?
Take 1 dollar from each member and see what magic that can do with Trophies and Prices.
Businesses should love the opportunity to donate a price or Trophy.
It's tax deductible and the best way of promoting a business.
Anyway that's my point .

[VK4NM]

People should enter contests for the love of it not for the priZes. I'll continue to enter contests to beat my previous years score and try and obtain a PB (personal best for the non sporting). Same reason I play golf every Saturday - yeah sure you can win a $70 pro shop voucher if you win but the main reason I am there is to improve my handicap and see if I can beat my PB.

[VK4NM]

You guys want more people to talk to - enter a HF contest

(yeah he's dicing with danger mentioning that in this thread)