BATC Forum

I have had a few suggestions about the format of activity weekends, and would welcome comments on the points below or any additional suggestions:

- Current time period (1200Z Saturday - 1800Z Sunday) might be too limiting. What do you think about increasing the time period to include all of the Saturday and Sunday?

- Guidance could be given to promote activity on certain bands during certain time periods. My view is that this can be coordinated locally through this forum, rather than constrain operation. What do you think?

- There has been a concentration on the new, technically advanced, modes recently. Should we have a day or weekend dedicated to the older modes?

Please reply - even if you agree with me!

Thanks

Dave, G8GKQ, BATC Contest Manager

How about a 10 Ghz and above day?

The number of bands available is getting a bit overwhelming now.

- Charles

If it's not also a contest, then there's no need to put time limits on activity.

I wouldn't want time periods for bands. You could have people queuing up to work each other, when they could be working someone on another band. If you couldn't be on site in time for a certain band period, then you might miss out if people had packed away the equipment for that band.

I wouldn't want to restrict modes. Not everyone has both modes. You use the mode that works. Digital may not work in the presence of radar.

I'm not sure about certain days for certain bands. It's an effort to pack all the equipment for the few bands that I have, but if you're in the field, you want to maximise your contact potential.

Brian

In the Netherlands, we have four ATV activity weekend/contests a year.
It is always the second full weekend of the last month of the quartiles: March, June, September, December.
We use the rules and logsheets of the IARU ATV contest so the participants are familiar with it and smooth participation of the IARU contest (June) is guaranteed.

Our ATV activity weekend/contests are not ‘stand alone’, we connected these weekends via a method I will describe below. The benefit of this is that participants are more willing to join the next time again. Also a kind of solidarity arises. (I am really four times a year portable, even when there is snow or rain).
Maybe this system could help other countries to create a kind of connectedness.

The system we use.
It is not possible just to just sum the number of points of every individual ATV contest because activity and conditions are not always the same. So we assign ‘weights’, per band.
“After each contest is calculated per which participant has earned the most points per band. This station gets per band the maximum number of cup points.

Band (cm) to achieve maximum Cup points
70: 1000
23: 1000
13: 1250
9: 1250
6: 1500
3: 1500
1.2: 1500
0.6: 1500

The other participants (depending on their own score achieved) gets a number of cup points proportional to the maximum possible points for that band. For the final result, all earned points are added together. The top three finishers participants will receive a cup”.

This may sound difficult but for example see the following example for the 70 cm band:
70cm
No Call Points Cup points
1 F9ZG 5179 1000
2 F1AEA 2076 401
3 F6ANO 1602 309
4 G8GTZ/P 1470 284
5 F3YX 1428 276
6 G8GKQ/P 1064 205
7 F6AQO 942 182
8 PA3WEG 470 91

As can be seen the one with the highest score on the specific band defines the ‘1000 points’ (for 70 cm). The other stations gets the proportional number of points.

This method is mainly the reason why the number of bands used in the Netherlands is so high. On the 1.2 cm band, once an other amateur and I made a contact over a rather short distance and we both had the maximum number of cup points for that band (1500). The next contest, several stations showed up on this band!

To show how this all looks like, please see https://vhf-uhf.veron.nl/wp-content/upl ... i-2016.pdf with below (in that document) the cup (beker) scores. It is even possible to have a winner with cup points that is not even the winner on one of the bands.

(The software we use to calculate the results, includes calculating the cup points).

An other possibility: forget all the rules and points, just call it activity weekends. What we then should develop is a tool to show the ATV activity on the web, in magazines etc.

Best regards,
Chris PA3CRX

We have around a dozen active ATV stations in the Luton and Dunstable area; three of us participating regularly in the activity weekends. We have lost at least four stations since the start of the weekend events; and I know that the four don't have reduced bandwidth transmit capability. Is it possible we are placing too much emphasis on "reduced bandwidth" ATV? There will always be stations that for various reasons at this time are unable to go reduced bandwidth. If a weekend or day were allocated to “older modes” the event would be publicised locally here by way of an email group list.

Our July activity weekend on Dunstable Downs was only possible because three of us (G4CPE/G0WFT/M0SKM) went as a group. We're all a little physically challenged so operating from our home QTH is going to be the norm. It's certainly in our interest to have the whole weekend available rather than the lunchtime starts.

It was I who raised the issue of activity on certain bands at certain times. My shack space is very limited and on more than one occasion I've set up kit for 2m only to find everyone on 70cm. By the time I've cleared the bench and got the 70cm kit setup the band has gone quiet. It was a selfish thought on my part; so unless others have similar issues best quietly forget that one.

73 all
M0SKM

A lot of stations with RBTV are using DATV-Express and switching to 'normal' DATV is just a mouse click.

So I hope people are not being put off by all this talk of RBTV.

Different frequency bands seems to be more of a challenge.

- Charles G4GUO

A whole weekend of activity means that less people are on at the same time/day.
Single all-day events would align activity better, could also alternate between Saturday/Sunday.

Or have RBTV on Saturday and regular ATV/DATV Sunday or vice versa.

Just a few possibilities there, i don't mind what band or mode or day, as long as there's someone on to have a qso with!

Rob

I would like to respond on some issues mentioned above.

Split activity times to specific bands:
At the time a contact is made, the antennas are aligned and the other station is present. Alignment of antennas some late later (in the timeframe for the other band) cost unnecessary time and possibly the other station is no longer available. However, it could be the individual choice to work this way, it is not forbidden!

RB, D-ATV or analogue:
In fact it does not matter. All weekend you can do what you have, like and what the other station has. In the Netherlands, analogue signals are the most used. But the digital modes are going to be more often used.

Reduce contest time:
It was by request of the BATC/ RSGB to have the contest time of the IARU ATV contest extended because of portable stations. Depending on conditions, more time could be helpful in general. Also in case some station could only be present one time period, it is likely within the current timeframe. Reducing the timeframe indeed ensures that the available stations are all active at the same moment. If the timeframe is limited, less stations will have the possibility to join and (especially in case of conditions) stations that would like to be active a longer time are limited. It is not forbidden to join only one hour! Even with the IARU ATV contest some stations made only one contact with each other. (To get an idea when stations are active: please see https://vhf-uhf.veron.nl/wp-content/upl ... eriode.png )

Enjoy ATV,
Best regards,
Chris PA3CRX