MSGID: 1:135/250@fidonet 68b4fa0d
PID: C-NET AMIGA BBS 5.36b
  How many people out there participate in Winter Field Day?

I have only had the opportunity to work WFD 2024 due to being out of the
country and inactive for 14 years.  I had fun, and I think it is a great
idea.  However the group that runs it does seem to be a bit full of themselves.

The amount of effort that is wasted screaming that IT IS NOT A CONTEST is a
bit stupid.  Call it what you want, but like sailing *Any time you see another
boat in front of you, you're racing!*  Get a bunch of hams and tell them to
make as many contacts in a specified amount of times, you have a contest on
your hands.

Some of their rules are a bit daft, such as this years NEW multiplier.  "
Operate six continuous hours during the event: Emergencies may last days or
even weeks. You may be expected to man a radio station between 4-12 hours if
you are operating alone or in shifts. Can you sit and operate for extended
periods of time with enough backup power? This does not necessarily mean you
are making contacts the whole time, but you are in front of the radio,
monitoring, and ready to pick up a microphone if you are called. OM x2"

Come on.. I am in my 50s, I can't sleep through an 8 hour strech without
getting up and going to the bathroom!  Does that mean I lose the multipler? 
When asked for clarification, not was really given...

Had another guy suggest that they make the exchange more geared to an actual
EMCOM excercise.   We have X beds full, X beds available, need food for X. 
While that might work for small scale localized EMCOM drill, could you imagine
the non WARC bands filled with such traffic?

Not to mention one of the main points of field day is to entice people to get
out and operate, that normally would not operate a contest while learning new
modes and skills.  How much of a turn off do you think it will be for new or
non really active operators if they have to send long formal messages?

How would you incorporate that into FT8/FT4?

I think ARRL Field Day does a good job of introducing you to formal traffic by
giving you multiplers for sending properlly formatted NTS traffic through
WINLINK or a traffic net.  I had a blast getting that multipler during the
ARRL Field Day, and enjoyed hearing from my friends/family that the messages
were recieved.

When I replied to them, that if I had to submit proof of 6 hours of continuous
monitoring my station, they would be getting pictures of the bottles, and that
the rules should follow the format of other contests, IE.. You must work X
hours, allowing for Y breaks not to exceed Z and clearly visable in the log. 
Otherwise I will just check the multipler and move on.

They basically told me they have the right to ban people who they suspect of
cheating.

Great, BAN ME!  You are not the only contest on the block.  If you want to
play word games, I have a pocket full of quarters.

I was then banned from the FB group.

Seems to me, that this is another GREAT amateur radio idea that gets ruined
because the organizers get too big for their britches! Sad.

Rug Rat (Brent Hendricks)
Blog and Forums  - www.catracing.org
IMAGE BBS! 3.0   - bbs.catracing.org 6400
C-Net Amiga BBS  - bbs.catracing.org 6840
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