DARC FT4 Contest
Contest Manager
DG9VH
Kim Hübel
DG9VH ( at ) DARC.de
With the DARC FT4 contest, DARC e.V. joins the series of regular FT4 contests. Emphasis was placed on an easy-to-understand set of rules in order to make entry into the world of contests easier in combination with an easy-to-master and stress-free operting mode. The length of the contest, which lasts one hour, is suitable for beginners and for occasional contesters who tend to see themselves in the group of participants with no chance due to the 24- or 48-hour contests. This format of the short contest in turn creates a real chance of a good placement for those who would otherwise only find a place in the lower ranks due to a lack of time.
FT4 has the advantage that the nervousness of the participant and the resulting errors or uncertainties in the QSO process are avoided by the very automated QSO process, which is guided by the respective program with software support. The technical implementation of the procedure itself also makes participation interesting for radio operators with low power, as it is basically a so-called "weak signal" transmission procedure.
Due to the very tightly organized QSO procedure, QSOs can be completed in less than a minute under ideal conditions, so that it can also be quite entertaining.
As the contest takes place once a quarter, every 2nd month and always on the 2nd Tuesday at the same time (in UTC), you can not only have fun with the QSOs but also observe how the band changes over the seasons in the conditions. Who knows, it may be possible to make one or two non-European connections as part of the contest!
We look forward to all participants who find their way to us in this somewhat different contest and if we can get one or two people interested in the contest, it will have been worth it! CU in test!