21 Tuesday Jul 2015
Posted in Reports
Lee ZL2AL was a regular entrant to the Commonwealth Contest for many years and was the founder and leader of the ZM4T (formerly ZM2M) contest team which has entered the contest regularly since 2009.
10 Friday Jul 2015
Posted in Reports
From: ve3hx [mailto:ve3hx@rogers.com]
Sent: 10 July 2015 04:43
To: John Gould
Subject: Comments on White Paper 2015
Dear Dr. Gould,
Below please find a copy of a letter I am sending to the Contest Committee.
BERU has been my favourite contest for many years and I trust proposed
changes 2.10 and 6.9 won’t be made. They seem to be a sure way to ruin a
well run and adjudicated contest.
Sincerely,
Alan Goodacre VE3HX
1286 Woodside Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K2C 2G9
Canada
July 9, 2015
RSGB Contest Committee
Radio Society of Great Britain
3 Abbey Court
Priory Business Park
Bedford
MK44 3WH
England, UK
Gentlemen,
In the July issue of RadCom you very thoughtfully ask for comments about
the Contest Committee’s 2015 White Paper so I would like to offer the
following comments:
1. I welcome the proposed requirement in rule 6.5 to provide the power
output used by the entrant. In past BERU contests when I was in the open
category I could have listed my power as 1000 watts which is what the input
power to the final stage of my transmitter was and this was in accordance
with Canadian regulations. But who lists their input power when submitting a
log? My output power was 500 watts which is within Canadian regulations
whereas 1000 watts output power is not according to Industry Canada
publication RBR-4.
2. Having participated in BERU for many years I am AGHAST at proposal
2.10 to let the whole world work Commonwealth stations! I thought that the
purpose of the Commonwealth Contest is to promote friendships amongst
amateurs in the Commonwealth countries. In addition, you will basically
remove those entrants who are running 100 watts to a wire antenna from
contention in making contacts with the rarer Commonwealth prefixes
because non-Commonwealth operators running kilowatt plus stations will be
mainly interested in those rare entities and not the run-of-the-mill
Commonwealth stations (such as VE3s).
3. To whom does proposed rule change 6.9 cater? What is wrong with
remembering that the contest has its roots in the British Empire Radio Union?
In addition, CQ BERU sounds much better on CW than CQ CC.
In summary, proposed change 6.5 is welcome but as far as proposed changes
2.10 and 6.9 are concerned “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it”.
Best regards,
Alan Goodacre VE3HX
07 Tuesday Jul 2015
Posted in Reports
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed rule changes. My notes are highlighted in red below and are limited to the BERU as this is the only contest on the list that I have experience with. Best of luck with the ongoing discussions. 73, John, VE3EJ
2.10. Commonwealth Contest – Change the format so that the World can work the Commonwealth
In my opinion this would completely change the flavor of the contest which has made the BERU so unique. I do not favor this change as it will effectively end the BERU contest as we have know it for decades. The BERU will become just another QSO volume events like so many already on the contest calendar. Don’t destroy the tradition.
6.8. BERU – To assist identifying QRP stations, remove the requirement to put QRP in the Cabrillo header and add a requirement to enter the power output used when submitting the log
No problem here, whatever makes log processing easier is fine.
6.9. BERU – In the rules, change all references to BERU to Commonwealth Contest and suggest entrants call CQ CC not CQ BERU.
This is a matter of tradition. I am OK with the formal rules making reference to “Commonwealth Contest” rather than BERU but I suggest that the tradition of BERU in the “CQ” will be a hard habit to break and frankly for what purpose? What is the motivation here? This sounds like an effort to be politically correct.
02 Thursday Jul 2015
Posted in Reports
I am writing to provide my comments to some of the proposals outlined in the White Paper.
I am a regular participant in the RSGB Commonwealth Contest. I have placed as high as #2 in the Open section. I have entered the BERU from VO1, VO2, VE9, VE2, 9M6 and ZL7. I am an occasional participant in the RSGB IOTA contest, always on expeditions to IOTAs.
I will comment only on the following sections of the White Paper:
1.4. Reduce the entry period for all contests (except IOTA) to 7 days except by prior arrangement
with the contest adjudicator. The entry period for IOTA will remain at 21 days.
Comment: I support this change.
2.1. IOTA – Introduce a 6 hour duration section to IOTA.
Comment: I oppose this change. IOTA has far too many categories.
2.10. Commonwealth Contest – Change the format so that the World can work the Commonwealth
Comment: I oppose this change. The intra-Commonwealth nature of the BERU is its great attraction to me. There are plenty enough contests in the format you suggest, and they are so numerous as to be banal. BERU has a unique attractiveness because it is so different. BERU is my favourite contest, and a change like this is too drastic for my taste.
Counter-comment: If you must do this, please make changes that keep the focus on the Commonwealth for all entrants. One example you might follow is the RAC Canada Day Contest and the Canada Winter Contest:everyone can work everyone for points, but QSOs with a Canadian station are worth five times as many QSO points as with someone outside Canada, and only Canadian provinces and territories count as multipliers. The keeps the focus for all entrants on working Canadians, but if well-meaning station calls you from someplace else, you will still work them. A similar implementation for the Commonwealth would have QSOs with non-Commonwealth stations worth one point, QSOs with Commonwealth stations worth five points, and only Commonwealth Call Areas would count for bonuses or multipliers. This would kill the old BERU and replace it with something hugely different, but it would alleviate the irritation we now cause my ignoring or dismissing non-Commonwealth callers.
6.8. BERU – To assist identifying QRP stations, remove the requirement to put QRP in the Cabrillo header and add a requirement to enter the power output used when submitting the log.
Comment: I support this change.
6.9. BERU – In the rules, change all references to BERU to Commonwealth Contest and suggest entrants call CQ CC not CQ BERU.
Comment: Your proposed changes are superfluous
– You have proposed to remove something that has already been removed. The contest is called the Commonwealth Contest, and rules have reflected that for over forty years. The current rules make no mention of “BERU” except in two URLs. One of these is an RSGB site where a sample Cabrillo-format log can be consulted. The other is G3PJT’s site where one can find additional information on the contest. Change the RSGB site URL if you must, but frankly, who cares about a URL?
– The rules currently do not recommend a method of calling CQ. What you suggest was attempted in the late 1970s, and was almost universally ignored. I will still call CQ BERU, and I am certain that however I call CQ, you will accept and adjudicate my log. You wish to modify the rules to inform participants that many will solicit contacts by calling “CQ BERU” or “CQ CC.”
Thank you for your hard work to keep the RSGB contest programme humming along.
73,
Dave Goodwin
VO1AU / VO2AAA / VE9CB / VE3AAQ
RSGB life member
Commonwealth Contest 