Heavy Metal Bedlam

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Good point. I guess the problem would lie in whether Steve's Excel cells line up with the converted ADIF output.

Electronic logs required (Excel or .CSV files) - I will write the necessary software to gather whatever information we need from the submitted data.

Suggest using the standards for electronic logging, ADIF or Cabrillo.

Note: for anyone not familiar with databases, CSV stands for Comma Separated Values, and is an interchange standard which can be read by virtually all database type programs.

I can't speak with any authority about either of those (ADIF or Cabrillo), but if they can generate .CSV files, they could be used if an operator choose to do so.  Once in .CSV form, persuming the raw data is there, I can write the appropriate piece of software to gather whatever we might want.

I use Excel because it's easy and lots and lots of people have it, but any number of other applications that can create a CSV as output could be used, and there are many of them out there 

I wouldn't worry about the logging software.... there are several FREE converter apps, that take ADIF and Cabrillo format logs, and will convert them to CSV, text, XLS.... just about anything you want to convert to and  from.

There's also some apps to dig through the filesand do log checking etc... those you probably have to pay for...

[K5UJ]

By mid to late March you can start getting thunderstorms in the South; Noise from these propagate up here in the Midwest at night.  You can get thunderstorms up here in late March.  Jan. and Feb. much better.

[W9GT]

There have been lots of very good and very useful comments about this!

I think we've come with something that might work pretty much for everyone....

1) If you want to "contest", you can - and the event will support this.

2) If you DON'T want to "contest", you can do that too, and the event will support THAT as well.  

In fact, I suggest adding a category - "Stations that show up in the most logs".  Operators that just operate, but don't necessarily want to "win" (and therefore may not even send in a log) are absolutely vital to the success of an event such as this.  They are part of the "glue" that holds such an event together.  The top 10 or 5 or some number should be recognized as such.   Electronic logs required (Excel or .CSV files) - I will write the necessary software to gather whatever information we need from the submitted data.

3) There is a lot of fun built into the event - and there will be operator suggested, "fun" awards many of which
have been suggested already.  These will be user-suggested, on a per-event basis, and most likely there will be some "standard" fun awards as well...

We need to pick a date !    Really, don't we want this in January or February when "coast to coast AM" is possible on 75 and 160 meters (and the static season has not yet begun in the Northern hemisphere)?

Steve,

I think you have some great ideas for the AM Fest.  It is really funny reading through the comments and seeing the contest proponents vs the no contesters and all the controversy.  Bottom line....you can't please everyone!  I like your idea of providing for both.  If you want to run in the "contest mode" you can.  If you want to run in the casual rag-chew mode, that's OK too.  As far as the dates....pick a date and go with it.  Solution to this problem is to have more than one event during the year.  If you can't make one,  you can participate in another later.  I think you are well on your way toward pulling this together!

73,  Jack, W9GT

[k4kyv]

Remember the "AM jAMborees" instigated by W2NRM with his original Press Exchange?  I recall they generated an incredible amount of AM activity in an era when AM was much more in the minority than it is to-day.

The jAMborees were for one band at a time.  There would be a 160m jAMboree one weekend, a 75m jAMboree a few weeks later, and maybe a 40m jAMboree later in the season.

[steve_qix]

I looked at the Contest Corral... 

Jan 30 or Feb 6 might be good possibilities.

There are events EVERY weekend, but I didn't see any events on either of those days that would clash with our event.  The remainder of February looks pretty booked up with stuff, and March calendar isn't up yet.

A good way to head off the winter blues (and they definitely set in by then!) and warm up the shack with heavy metal 

[w3jn]

To keep in the spirit of things, I submit that everyone who decides to go the "contest" route must ALSO, in addition to submitting a log, provide one nomination for a station for whatever the entrant wants.

IE, W3JN submits a log for 27 contacts, with a nomination for "W0XXX as best station from Kiester, Minnesota"

Or K1JJ nominates W2XYZ from his log as "Best audio from a modulated TenTec Powermite"

Other possibilities include the obvious "best audio", "best S-meter bender", etc in addition to any fun, made up category like "station least competitive with telephone company audio quality".

[WA3VJB]

Nice job John.

This gets beyond simple points to award/recognize.

To keep in the spirit of things, I submit that everyone who decides to go the "contest" route must ALSO, in addition to submitting a log, provide one nomination for a station for whatever the entrant wants.

[steve_qix]

To keep in the spirit of things, I submit that everyone who decides to go the "contest" route must ALSO, in addition to submitting a log, provide one nomination for a station for whatever the entrant wants.

IE, W3JN submits a log for 27 contacts, with a nomination for "W0XXX as best station from Kiester, Minnesota"

Or K1JJ nominates W2XYZ from his log as "Best audio from a modulated TenTec Powermite"

Other possibilities include the obvious "best audio", "best S-meter bender", etc in addition to any fun, made up category like "station least competitive with telephone company audio quality".

I think that's a good addition.

No comments about the date.  Is that a good thing or a bad thing? 

[W2VW]

To keep in the spirit of things, I submit that everyone who decides to go the "contest" route must ALSO, in addition to submitting a log, provide one nomination for a station for whatever the entrant wants.

IE, W3JN submits a log for 27 contacts, with a nomination for "W0XXX as best station from Kiester, Minnesota"

Or K1JJ nominates W2XYZ from his log as "Best audio from a modulated TenTec Powermite"

Other possibilities include the obvious "best audio", "best S-meter bender", etc in addition to any fun, made up category like "station least competitive with telephone company audio quality".

I think that's a good addition.

No comments about the date.  Is that a good thing or a bad thing? 

How about a pair of dates like they did in the old days. That way people with scheduling conflicts can still join in the fun?