Contest sponsors define the rules for their contest. The ARRL RTTY Round-Up
rules stipulate no more than two official breaks. That is intentional to
provide a strategic consideration by participants.
All the CAC and ARRL are trying to do is clarify the rules, not change them.
People have been confused on several points:
1. What is a break? (A break is a time period of at least 30 minutes where
no QSOs are made, in between your first QSO and your last QSO.)
2. Do I have to take exactly two breaks? (No, you can have 0, 1 or 2
official breaks in between your operating time.)
3. If I start late or finish early do those times count as breaks? (No,
official breaks only occur between your first and last QSOs.)
4. What if I take more than 2 breaks? (Additional breaks beyond 2 count as
operating time.)
5. How is my 24 hours of operating time figured? (The 24-hour period used
to score your log begins with your first QSO and ends after 24 hours of
operating time. Only two breaks of at least 30 minutes each can be counted
as non-operating time after your first QSO.)
6. What if I operate more than 24 hours? (Leave all QSOs in your log.
Your score will be determined by the first 24 hours of operating time. QSOs
made beyond 24 hours are used for log checking. Any QSO you delete will
create a NIL penalty for the other station.)
Note that starting late and/or finishing early are ways to take part or all
of the 6 hour off-time without using up either of the 2 breaks. When to
start, when to finish and when to take 0, 1 or 2 interim official breaks are
all part of what one needs to consider for maximizing their score. This is
different than Sweepstakes and other contests. All contests don't have to
be identical. Some people enjoy the variations between contests.
Ed W0YK
Bill W6WRT wrote:
> Why is the ARRL making this so difficult? If they want a
> period of six hours off, just say so WITHOUT counting the
> number of breaks. Just say that an official break time must
> be at least 30 minutes in order to count, an you can have as
> many or as few as you like as long as they add up to six hours.
>
> Total operating time is what is important, not the number of breaks.
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