Christmas 2024 Repeater Contest & Activity Challenge

The Christmas Repeater Contest 2024 will run from the 24th December 2024 through to the 2nd January 2025 inclusive. The aim is to increase ATV repeater use. On offer is a £100 prize and a BATC Trophy for the repeater with the most contacts recorded.

As well as the Repeater Contest, you are invited to enter any non-repeater contacts you make so that the Contest becomes an Activity Ladder Challenge too. There are no cash prizes for the winner of the Christmas Activity Ladder Challenge, but the first placed station will receive a personalised BATC Trophy and the second placed station will receive a certificate. Your name and callsign will appear in CQ-TV with attached bragging rights, kudos etc.! Many repeater groups have found that their income has been slashed by the pandemic precautions, so here’s a chance to help your local ATV repeater and stir up some activity at the same time.

The on-line entry and ladder system as used for last year's Contest on the BATC website will be used. The Ladder has fields for you to enter the points claimed and the repeater's callsign.

The rules are available in PDF form here: File:BATC Christmas 2023 Repeater Contest and Activity Challenge Rules.pdf

Christmas 2024 BATC REPEATER ACTIVITY CONTEST and ACTIVITY CHALLENGE RULES

1. Introduction. The main object of an Amateur Television Contest is to promote ATV activity. Anyone interested in ATV, whether they are members of the British Amateur Television Club or not, are welcome to take part.

2. Eligibility. BATC Contests are open to all licensed radio amateurs who are equipped to transmit pictures by analogue or digital Fast Scan. For this contest there is also a receive only section.

3. Dates and Times. The contest will run from 0000hrs GMT on the 24th December 2024 to 2359hrs GMT on the 2nd January 2025.

4. Location. The operating location must be within the terms of your licence. If operating away from your main station, please get the permission of the landowner. It is essential that you adhere to any local and national COVID restrictions in force.

5. Frequencies. Within the allocated segments of the 70cm, 23cm, 13cm, 9cm, 6cm, 3cm and 1.5cm bands for FSTV. The NoV bands of 71MHz and 146.5MHz are also eligible. Operation must be via repeaters to be valid for the Repeater Contest.

6. Power. Output power must not exceed that set out in the terms of your licence.

7. Exchange. Both a CALL SIGN and a FOUR-FIGURE code number (not consecutive & four different digits) must be conveyed via video and received via the repeater by another station. Reception of the repeater can either be via the RF output or the repeater's streaming channel. The same exchange should be used for direct contacts for points to be valid in the Challenge.

Confirmation of reception is by transmitting back the sum of the code numbers (not the actual transmitted number) on the repeater or on the talk-back channel. Confirmation via the streaming chat channel or other non-radio means is allowed as is confirmation by another voice repeater (analogue or digital).

Please note that all four digits in the contest number should be different and not consecutive. The numbers must be different for each band, e.g. these numbers are OK: 2741, 4820, etc, these are not:- 1111, 1138, 1381, 1234 etc. Reports should be sent using a 1-5 video quality report and a serial number, starting at 001 for each band.

8. Use of Internet streaming: a valid contact requires one station of a QSO to be using RF by either transmitting into the the repeater or receiving the repeater's RF output. Stream to stream contacts are not permitted. For scoring in the repeater contest, streaming stations must use the QTH locator of the repeater, not their home QTH locator.

9. Scoring. The following multipliers should be used: 71MHz & 146MHz @ 5 points per km, 70cm @ 3 points per km, 23cm @ 2 points per km. Contacts on higher bands @ 5 points per km.

For the Christmas Repeater Activity Contest, you can claim points for repeating contacts on each day of the contest.

A single callsign can be worked via a repeater from up to two locations with unique QTH Locators, on the same day, band and with the same callsigns. For example, you can work into the repeater from home and then you can go out portable to another location and the points earned /P can be claimed for working the same stations on the same bands earlier in the day from the home station. You may not claim points for multiple contacts with the same station via the same repeater on the same day on different bands for any one unique location. RF or Internet links between two repeaters do not count for additional points.

For the Challenge, on any day you may work the same station on different bands and claim points for each contact from any location with a unique QTH Locator.

10. Distance Calculations. All distances are calculated by the online entry program. For scoring purposes, all valid contacts shall be deemed to have taken place over a distance of at least 5 km, even if the two stations or the repeater in the contact have the same or adjacent locators. Scoring is be based on the distance between the centres of location squares, not map distance. Full 6-character length QTH locators must be used.

11. On-line logging. Use the Activity Ladder page on the BATC website here: https://batc.org.uk/contests/xmas-ladder and fill in the boxes for each contact as appropriate.

12. Receive only section. Send an e-mail to the Contest Manager with log sheet attached giving your Call sign / BRS No. and name and address, Band, Date/Time, Call sign of station seen, Repeater Callsign, Repeater Locator, Locator of other station, Code number received, km from your station to repeater, km from repeater to distant station and points claimed.

13. Disputes. The decision of the contest manager and/or the BATC Committee is final.

14. Spirit of the Contest. Don’t leave your video transmission on any longer than necessary. Let other stations use the repeater / frequency as well. Contests mean activity and good fun, join in and, even if you only work one or two stations, please use the Ladder to record your activity.

15. Declaration of Interest. Although acting as contest manager, I reserve the right to take part.

16. Submission of entries. Transmitting section entries will only be accepted via the on-line Activity Ladder web page. No paper or spreadsheet logs will be accepted except for the Receive section.

17. Contact Address. Queries can be submitted to: C. Reynolds, 49 Westborough Way, Anlaby Common, East Riding of Yorkshire HU4 7SW. Email: contests@batc.tv

Clive Reynolds G3GJA / G8EQZ BATC Contest Manager 26 October 2024