UKSMG Summer Es Contest Rules

The UK Six Metre Group

UKSMG Summer Es Contest Rules

A. Sections

A. Sections

Table & Marathon Leaders

Summer Contest Results

Table & Marathon Leaders

Summer Contest Results

The UKSMG welcomes you to the UKSMG Es Summer Contest

This is a great opportunity to get on the Six Metre band and work as much DX as possible in a 24 hour period. This contest always attracts stations in rare grid squares around the world, as many portable stations in the HF Field Day contests use this as an ideal opportunity to activate Six Metres as an extra band.

The objective is to work as many stations as possible between Saturday 7th June 2025 at 13:00 UTC and Sunday 8th June 2025 13:00 UTC (24 hours) on the Six Metre band.
The UKSMG Summer Contest is open to ALL amateur radio operators world-wide.
(UKSMG membership is NOT required.)
Through this Summer Contest, the UKSMG aims to promote and encourage activity on the Six Metre band.

Committee Member Bonus Points

An addittional 1,000 points be awarded to anyone working a comittee member during the contest. the callsigns to look out for are:

G5KW
G4IFX
EA5NW
G3OIL
SA4BKD
M1ABK
G0GCQ
G4FVP
G8FXM
G0VUH
GM3PPE

Notes:

Contest login programs will not be aware of these bonus points so you wont see them reflected in your score calculated by your favorite logging program. You can of course add them manually when submitting your 'Claimed Score'.
The above special stations will be submitting 'Checklogs' only.

G5KW

The use of G5KW is in honor of Ken Ellis, G5KW the founder of UKSMG whos callsign G5KW is now the official UKSMG's club call. This station will be operating periodically throughout the contest period and bonus points will be awarded for each of these stations worked.

Entrants may choose from one of the sections below :

Single Operator - Fixed Stations
Single Operator - Portable Stations
Multi Operator - Fixed and Portable Stations
6 Hour - Single Operator - Fixed Stations **
6 Hour - Single Operator - Portable Stations **
QRP 5 watts max - All Stations

** 6 Hour Sections

Stations may only operate for a maximum of six hours. Entrants may choose between any continuous six hour period in which to operate, starting at the beginning of the hour (e.g. 1500-2100, or 1900-0100), or alternatively split the six hour period into two segments separated by at least one hour off-time.

Contest exchanges are not allowed outside your chosen six hour period.

Serial numbers must start at 001 for your chosen six hour period.

We welcome logs from short wave listeners. If you would like to submit your SWL log, please contact the Contest Manager.

Checklogs can be submitted using the log-file entry system.

B. Exchange

Exchange will be RS(T), Serial Number (starting at 001), Six Character Grid Square (e.g. IO90IR) and your UKSMG Membership Number (compulsory if a member, or if one of a multi operator station is a member).

Example : G5KW de G7RAU ur 599 067 IO90IR / 2952

If a distant station only sends a Four Character Grid Square (FN41), for example as is customary in North America, this will not invalidate the QSO. However, all stations entering the contest must send a Six Character Grid Square. The score for the contest QSO will be calculated from the mid point of the large four character grid square received.

C. Scoring

The scoring for the contest will be 1 point per kM with multipliers for DXCC entities, Grid Squares and Membership Numbers. A weighting factor of 500 will be applied to each multiplier; 1,000 Bonus points will be awarded for working each of the above mentioned Committee Calls; score to be calculated as follows:

Total Kilometres + (Total DXCC x 500) + (Total Grid Squares x 500) + (Total Members x 500) + (Total Committee Calls x 1000).

For example, a station with total of 145,000 kM, 34 DXCC, 120 Grid Squares, 55 Members and 2 Committee Call stations worked =

145,000 + (34 x 500) + (120 x 500) + (55 x 500) = (2 x 1,000)
Total Claimed Score = 251,500.

D. General

Use of the DX cluster and chat/forums is permitted, however, 'self-spotting' to arrange contacts during the contest is not allowed.
QSOs made via active or passive reflectors (repeaters or EME) are not permitted
Meteor scatter is allowed so long as all details are exchanged on air by the operators who must be physically present at the transmitter making the exchange.
All licence conditions must be observed.
Contest running frequencies must be outside the *INTERCONTINENTAL SECTION* 50.100-50.130 and are not to take place below 50.080 i.e. DO NOT CQ within these band segments. QSOs with intercontinental stations between 50.100-50.130 will be allowed so long as the station holding the frequency is not running in the contest.
Cross-band contacts are not permitted.
Aeronautical mobile contacts are not permitted.
The only modes are permitted for Summer ES contests are SSB, CW, FM, AM, SSTV & RTTY
MGM Contacts are not permitted.
Remote Station control is allowed as long as the operator is in direct control of the station, i.e. operators must be physically present at the transmitter or remote control terminal to operate it.
Each claimed contact must include real-time direct initiation by the operator on both sides of the contact.

E. Entries

All logs must be submitted on or before 22nd June 2025.

Logs can now be accepted in both IARU Region 1 EDI format and Cabrillo V3 format (REG1TEST EDI preferred), as this helps speed up the adjudication process.

Examples of the EDI format are available at EDI Example.

Examples of the Carillo format are available at Cabrillo Example.

Both EDI and Cabrillo entry files may be submitted to the Online Log Entry System.
This is the preferred method of submitting a contest log.

Paper logs and other formats may be accepted if you cannot produce either an EDI or Cabrillo file. Please contact us immediately after the contest at contest@uksmg.org for advice on how to submit these logs.

Some useful tips on Cabrillo log submission are available at W3KM Cabrillo Hints

CLAIMED SCORES PAGE
After the end of the contest until the contest results are published, stations can Enter a "Claimed Score" so that everyone can see all the scores immediately after the contest.

Entering a Claimed Score is NOT an alternative to submitting a contest log in the correct format - entrants MUST submit a log (as described above) to appear in the final results.

CONTEST LOGGING SOFTWARE
The following contest logging software is available free of charge and is known to support the UKSMG Summer Contest:

Minos
TACLog
Tucnak

Tucnak setup instructions for the UKSMG Summer ES Contest may be found here.

N1MM Contest Logger Version 12.03.00 or higher

N1MM setup instructions for the UKSMG Summer Es Contest may be found by clicking here.

GenLog by W3KM
UCXlog
TR4W Contest Logger can be made to log UKSMG Summer Es Contest QSO's but it won't score them. If you want to know how to do this, please contact the Contest Manager.

There are many other logging software solutions that will export your log in REG1TEST EDI and/or Cabrillo format.

But if your logger only has the capability to export as ADIF then don’t let this put you off entering the contest ! Please contact the Contest Manager who may be able to assist you in converting your ADIF file into REG1TEST or Cabrillo using one of the applications listed above. To help the Contest Manager convert your log, you must export from your logger using the minimum ADIF requirements shown here.

If you have any problems with your log entry, please contact the Contest Manager as soon as possible, as nearly all issues are resolvable.

We welcome logs from short wave listeners who will be acknowledged.

Thanks to the RSGB Contest Committee, in particular Pete Lindsay G4CLA and Mike Goodey G0GJV, for supplying the log-file entry system and the adjudication software for use with this contest.

F. Results

The Contest Results will be annoounced at the AGM and published on the UKSMG website.

For all correspondence related to this contest, please emal the UKSMG Contest Manager.

Good Luck in the contest.

Winter 2024 Marathon - Top 5
Legacy Modes

M1ABK

Grids

View the rules and full results

____________________________

Winter 2024 Marathon - Top 5
Digital Modes

View the rules and full results

____________________________

All-time Countries Table - Top 5

1	IK0FTA	266	Terr.QSOs
2	ON4IQ	260
3	ON4GG	259
4	SV1DH	258
5	IK5YJY	253

View the full All-time table

____________________________

2024 Countries Table - Top 5

View the full Annual table

____________________________

Summer 2024 Marathon - Top 5
Legacy Modes

1	IK7LMX	244	Grids
2	IK7EOT	230
3	IV3KKW	218
4	IS0BSR	192
5	IZ5HQB	128

View the rules and full results

____________________________

Summer 2024 Marathon - Top 5
Digital Modes

1	IZ5EME	649	Grids
2	IK7EOT	494
3	IS0BSR	450
4	IV3KKW	441
5	G0CER	425

View the rules and full results

2024 Summer Contest
Took place on the 1st/2nd June 2024

The results of the 2024 Summer Contest may be found here.

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