What would take you to go from here (general) to there (contesting)
We are all time poor even those who are retired.
Would a series of short,maximum two hour contests, interest you enough to get the radios fired up ?
Alan VK4SN has created a special contest scoring website used for the Trans Tasman and the RD this year.
It allows all sorts of fun events like a Where's Wally contest - where the major multiplier is working a guy called Wally
Put your thinking caps on and lets create some reasons to get on air - short and sharp is better than not at all
73
Trent
You know that I already operate in most Aussie contests. That is not news.
I think you are correct about most of us being time poor but we already have the Harry Angel Sprint at 104 minutes, though only once a year. A two hour contest isn't gigantically appealing to me though a three, four or six hour duration might be a bigger drawcard. That would be a Saturday or Sunday afternoon job, maybe a Saturday night as an alternative.
We have the Aussie VHF/UHF Field Days in January, June and November, JMMFD in March, RD in August, so what sort of interval and timing are you suggesting ? Once a year ? Twice ? Three times ?
What are you thinking: HF only ? All standard contest bands (HF/VHF/UHF/+) ? All HF bands including WARC - just for a change & despite IARU ? Phone versus Digital ? FT8 only ? One, two or three hour block format ?
Add in the international contests eg WPX, CQWW Phone and CQWW CW, Lighthouse, plus a host of others like the TransTasman and there aren't many weekends left for another new one(s)...
Mike VK3AVV could probably get VKCL to encompass a new contest format so logging wouldn't be the issue, just the basic rules to make it interesting enough to get people to participate.
Doug
PS IMO an update to the RD rules so that they are 3 hour block format rather than a rolling 3 hour format would make operating in it so much easier and probably create more activity. The next block starting would unleash a new burst of frenetic activity because every station could be re-worked in lieu of having to see if the rolling three hour period had elapsed.
Current RD Rules: "On all bands, stations may be contacted at intervals of not less than THREE hours since the previous contact on that band and mode."
Agree with you there Doug - the frenetic activity in the John Moyle -seems to be more attractive to keep interest up