From: NAME: Andy Burns
FUNC: Research and Development
TEL: 0324 493981 <BURNS,AL@A1@GRRD04>
To: "cq-contest@tgv.com"@rcwi01@mrgate@grrd04
ref the question last week on how to tell if a station is on Shetland.
The answer is that you can't unless you ask them.
Callsigns are issued in the UK in the format G*0ABC where the number and
suffix are sequential ie 2's then 3's then 4's then 0's (some logic!)with
AAA-ZZZ for each number. The * in the call is changed dependent which
country you are in. Example, I am GM0ECO but if I go mobile down south I
become G0ECO or GW0ECO(as I used to be). Each station has a main station
address and I he operates anywhere else must operate as /p. It is a
hassle changing station addresses so is not done as a matter of routine.
Shetland is not seen as a seperate area so is populated with stations
(not a lot) with arbitary suffixs. There is no way of recognising the
calls by any pattern. K1EA's list in Master Dat is probaly your best bet.
The call book is quite usefull as if the adress is listed as Shetland
then the likelyhood is that it is the correct location (see above).
There are currently no real active contesters on Shetland. GM3ZET (the
club station in Lerwick gets on now and again plus one or two others.
Joe, W5ASP, and myself looked at doing a multi single last year in WAE
from the shetlands but gave up the idea due to lack of equipment up
there. The bigest antenna is a 2 el tribander at 40'!!!!! Anything bigger
just blows down in the consistent 30mph winds..and higher. There are no
trees on the islands.....well maybe 4 or 5 in someones back yard half way
between Lerwick and Brae. It's just too windy. It is 350 miles north of
Edinburgh and the propogation is bad enough this far north compared to
the south of England....so it must be awfull up there. I don't know how
Jon OY5JD gets on. There is a big Oil terminal on the main island which
employs a few hams but it is a very transient community with G5RV's the
norm.
Not the best place for a big contest effort.....more of a challenge.
Andy
GM0ECO (not shetland)
Burns_al@grrd04.dnet.bp.com
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