2018 Winter VHF/UHF Field Day - 23 and 24 June 2018

[VK4ADC]

An email with provisional results landed in my inbox overnight and I guess all other participants received one also. The final results should appear on the WIA web site before too long.

http://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/vhfuhf/

I know that the Winter FD is the least active of the three held each year due, at least, to the temperatures likely to be encountered going out to mountain tops. I worked only 8 VK4 callsigns (in SE Qld) and 5 VK2 callsigns (in northern NSW) in 6+ hours of operating on the Saturday afternoon on 6/2/70, some around every 2 hours and others only once. Not very impressive numbers of participants.

I freely admit to having 'wimped out' of going out portable in recent FDs but there have been a number of factors involved in that choice, but a failure in the microwave IF transceiver being the greatest point. I don't see the value in preparing to go all out with just 6/2/70 when little more is involved in my microwave suite too (with the IF transceiver working). Until I repair or replace the transceiver, microwave just isn't happening from my end.

I guess we should now look towards the Spring FD over the weekend of the 24/25th November 2018, having nearly 4 months to think about what we might do for that event.
What was that 6P's saying about: 'Prior Planning Prevents...'

It is probably time again to thank Mike VK3AVV for his continued development of VKCL because it makes the logging and submission work just so easy, long overdue actually.

Doug VK4ADC

[VK4ADC]

My inbox today contained an email advising that the Winter FD results are now final.  Attached were two files: (1) a PDF of the results and (2) A text Log Check document.

The body of the Log Check contained the following and it would be good for occasional contesters to read it:

The logging accuracy has not changed to any extent over the last couple of years, so maybe this is as good as can be achieved. Some logs, including high scoring logs, were excellent and some operators have improved but there is still room for much more improvement.

Incorrectly copied exchanges which are 'off by one' are still very prevalent, accounting for almost half of the incorrectly copied exchange errors. Personal observation during previous contests on at least couple of occasions indicated a problem at the sending end rather than receiving end. May need to consider ignoring such errors in future.

There were some "wild" contact time stamps errors in several logs and those logs lost a lot of points. Be careful when using Post-Contest Entry Mode to synchronise the time in VKCL with your paper log.

The algorithm to resolve which log may be correct when a time stamp error occurs can be explained by the following example. Station A logs a contact at say 03:00 with Station B who logs the same contact at 04:00, one hour later. If Station A then logs a verified contact (that is within 5 minutes in each log) with Station C at 03:30, then Station A is much more likely to have logged the first contact correctly and Station B looses that contact. To  resolve shorter intervals requires many verified contacts and there is never enough.

The rules require that all contacts made during the field must be in your log for cross-checking, irrespective whether 24- or 8-hour log. There was an 8-hours log again that omitted contacts made outside the 8-hours, and technically those contacts could be disallowed for the other stations as not being in the log. That would be rather unfair, but incomplete logs like this may be reclassified as 'Check Logs' in the future.

Following that was a list of "errors" found in my log that included... (callsigns have been edited to protect the innocent - or guilty)

Exchange Copied Incorrectly (QSO Removed):

--------------------------

    07:47    50  SSB  VK2xxx      045  <026>     Other Log:  025     -216 pts

Incorrect Worked Locator (Corrected, with 25% Points Penalty):
------------------------

    03:07   144  SSB  VK4xxx/P    010  003   <qg62nm>     Activated: qg62nl         -5 pts
    05:19   144  SSB  VK4xxx/P    023  006   <qg62nm>     Activated: qg62nl         -5 pts
    05:26    50  SSB  VK4xxx/P    025  004   <qg62nm>     Activated: qg62nl         -8 pts


Stations copying your call/band/exchange/locator incorrectly (Information):
============================================================

   VK2xx       :   04:21    50  SSB  VK4ADC        009 <016>           Your Log:  017
   VK4xxx      :   00:30    50  SSB  VK4ADC        004 <028>           Your Log:  025
   VK4xxx      :   <00:30>   50 SSB  VK4ADC        004  028            Your Log:  05:26 (1144 mins)
   VK4xxx      :   <05:35>  432 SSB  VK4ADC        004  024            Your Log:  05:21 (14 mins)

What I find strange is that I was using VKCL with a synchronised time clock, did not operate in the event until 0231 UTC yet there is a contact listed for 0030 - which should have been logged at 0526. Not my end.  By the way, the VK4xxx/p entries are all the one callsign so problems their end methinks...

It all goes to how accurately you do your logging. It doesn't matter how good your gear is (or isn't) if you can't get the exchanges logged correctly. And, if the serial number and grid square exchanges over the radio aren't confirmed, don't log it.

The results PDF is attached.

Doug VK4ADC