GARES Summer 2015 Challenge: Rules
This is a club-sponsored opportunity for you to do some targeted operating and to share your results with others.
You are invited to work stations in as many locator squares as possible during the period of the challenge.
Although we will “keep score” to give the activity a bit of purpose it is not meant to be excessively competitive. It is more important that as many people as possible join in and add to the fun.
WHEN: 1st May 2015 to 31st July 2015, both dates inclusive.
WHERE: On the 6 metre amateur band.
MODE: CW, Voice, Data in any combination.
ENTRIES: Contacts may be made from locations (e.g. main station, alternative, portable. mobile) within the IO81 locator square. (if you wish to operate from another square please seek advice!)
POWER: No restrictions up to and including your legal maximum. The power used for each contact should be recorded however.
AERIALS: No restrictions.
SCORING: Each Locator Square worked, irrespective of your location within the IO81 square and the mode, power and aerial in use, is worth one point.
Contacts must be made by you, using your own callsign (with a suffix if appropriate). (Notes 1, 2, 3 and 4).
REPORTING: Please report progress to and seek advice if necessary from G3XMM (contact details on request). For each square claimed please list square (4 characters), callsign of station worked, date, mode, power (p.e.p.) at the output of the transmitter, aerial, your callsign suffix where appropriate (e.g. /A, /P, /M)
Note 1: If you are licensed to use more than one callsign a square may be claimed once only for scoring purposes irrespective of the callsign in use.
Note 2: Accurate exchange of callsigns, squares and signal reports should be considered the minimum requirement for claiming a valid contact.
Note 3: Contacts should be made directly on a one-to-one basis without assistance from others. This precludes the relaying of real-time contact information by repeaters, internet links, other amateur stations or any other mode of indirect transmission. The use of DX spotting sites such as, for example, DX Summit is acceptable however.
Note 4: It would help me considerably if claims could be made using a standard spreadsheet format. A suitable template is available.
Appendix: Locator Squares The IARU (Maidenhead) locator system uses six-character "locators" to pinpoint the position of an amateur station. An example should make things clear.
The locator for G3XMM is IO81vv
IO refers to a large area called a field
81 refers to a smaller area in a field called a square
vv refers to a yet smaller area in a square called a sub-square
For the purposes of this activity the first four characters of the locator are significant i.e. my "square", and almost certainly yours too, is IO81. The first four characters of a received locator indicate the "square" of the other station and should be noted for scoring purposes.
If in any doubt about any of this have a word with G3XMM.