ARCHIVE: Australian Ham Radio Discussion Forum ( AHRDF )

This is Denis Johnstone VK4AE contest manager for the John Moyle Memorial Field Day 2020.

This is a reminder that the contest will be held from 0000 UTC on Saturday 21st March to UTC 2359 Sunday 22nd March 2020.

This week I will discuss the effects of the devastating fires and the current floods on the contest and what you can do about it.
The weather this summer has been less than friendly, with catastrophic fires in many areas and in some areas flash flooding. The question as to whether the field day should even go ahead has been heard on air.

While at first sight it may appear to be an option to cancel the event, but there are plenty of other options.
Firstly, the devastation has destroyed many wonderful field day sites and access to other that havent been destroyed is for some time going to be tricky.
Secondly, the concept of a field day station is to set up and operate a station under less than ideal conditions. Why should not a club station set up a portable station at the local park or sportsground with appropriate approvals from the authorities. Why should not a single operator station (or a club station) set up as a portable station in the carpark near the local parts supplier?  Consider the advertising potential for Amateur Radio?

I consider the potential to attracting interested others is worth far more than the potential of creating a winning score in this contest.

I leave these thoughts with you and look forward to see what happens and I will continue to keep the webpage right up to date!
wia.org.au/members/contests/johnmoyle/  Thanks for listening, Im Denis Johnstone VK4AE contest manager for the John Moyle Memorial Field Day 2020.


From text edition for 2020 FEBRUARY 16 - VK NATIONAL NEWS BROADCAST ON VK1WIA : http://www.wia.org.au/members/broadcast/wianews/

Also in MP3 edition of news available at: http://www.wia-files.com/podcast/wianews-2020-02-16.mp3


Info :  http://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/johnmoyle/


Rules : http://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/j...202020.pdf

I found the following extract from the WIA news for 23 Feb 2020 intriguing enough to re-post here :

"
JMMFD
This is Denis Johnstone VK4AE contest manager for the John Moyle Memorial Field Day 2020 with a reminder that the contest will be held from 0100 UTC on Saturday 21st March to UTC 0059 Sunday 22nd March 2020.

This week I will discuss the suggestions heard from some club stations that they should operate as a portable station from their club premises.  Actually, this not permitted under the rules for a club station to operate as a multi-operator station at home.

The weather this summer continues to be less than friendly, but that does not mean that the effort should not be made ' particularly by club stations and set up a portable station at the local park or sportsground ' with appropriate approvals if needed from the local authorities.  The concept of a field day station is to set up and operate a station under less than ideal conditions.  Why should not a single operator station (or a club station) set up as a portable/mobile station in the carpark near the local parts supplier?  Consider the advertising potential for Amateur Radio in attracting interested others is worth far more than the potential of creating a winning score in this contest.

Next, the concept of using a fully computer system for a field day is to me an anathema to the spirit of the contest. The idea behind the contest is for providing practice at operating a portable station in less than ideal conditions, not simply amassing a Home Station high score. Further, if allowed, the WSJT modes would provide a decidedly unfair advantage for those so equipped.  So, the following year many stations would then be using this system. This would fully exclude the rest of the operators in the contest.

I leave you with those thoughts.

Thanks for listening
VK4AE.

"

I assume Denis refers to using a 'fully computerised system' (he missed the 'ised' bit)  to relate more to the actual operating aspect rather than the logging of contacts made.  

An operator using FT4 or FT8  (or similar variant) still has to 'log' the QSO manually and still has to occasionally press a button on the software display - but not too much else. Not really in the spirit of what is being undertaken in this event.  Not sure how slowly-discharging batteries might affect digital-mode stability, or running on unstable-speed generators, when running portable - maybe someone else could comment on that.

CW operators generally use both screen and ear - and sometimes fist - to make their valid exchanges so that seems a lot fairer.

Compare digital to the voice-mode operator who ends up hoarse after many hours of calling, exchanging callsigns and numbers, manually logging each QSO's details into the likes of the VKCL software.  Not a fair comparison in my view either, regardless of whether the operator has gone to the trouble of setting up portable or operates from the home QTH.  I operate for only 6 hours, or less, in the JMMFD , and by the end of that time I am 'done'.  The throat is sore and dry and often I can barely talk.  The guys/gals who do the full 24 hours voice as a single operator should all get medals / certificates / .... or at least a free beer.

Well it is only a month away now so I guess I should make sure that all is well in the VK4ADC shack and all antennas are ready to go well in advance.  Portable is not an option for me at the moment so home QTH is it - either that or nothing.  Even the 'family calendar' has been marked so the XYL doesn't plan anything else for me that weekend.

What are you planning on doing this time around ??

JMFD : this weekend.

The 2020 JMMFD is done for me. And shortly for all others too (< 10 minutes away). 

I have emailed in my log as per the VKCL option and had a personal reply from Denis, the Contest Manager, to advise that my log has arrived in his inbox.

Make sure you submit YOUR log too, as it helps confirm others' contacts.

My certificate for the first place in the section arrived late last week.  Took a while but better late than never...

Well done, that man ..........................