>From the RSGB IOTA Home Page comes news regarding credit for islands where there is a remote operator
Participants in the IOTA Program who at times use a remote receiving or transmitting station should be aware of the amended rule in the new IOTA Directory relating to contacts that may be credited. In short, the remote site should be land-based, contained within a 500 metre (547 yard) radius circle, not located more than 100 kilometers (62 statute miles) from the operators location and should be nominated as being in use on the applicants personal profile on the IOTA database. The applicant and the remote site must both be located within the same DXCC entity. Use of more than one remote site or a network using multiple sites is not permitted for credit. Additional Note: In 2011 IOTA Management introduced a slightly different version of this rule. It has now amended it in two important respects. It has removed the restriction on the control system that required a radio link since most equipment now available on the market relies on an Internet link. It has also expanded the distance allowed from the operators location to the remote station from 50 kilometers to 100 kilometers. For the full text and accompanying reasoning, see IOTA Rules 2014 on http://www.g3kma.dsl.pipex.com. So, if you work a remotely operated station on an island, you may not receive credit for that island unless the operator is in compliance with the above rule. With more remotely operated stations coming on-line, how would you know? Maybe we need a new Q-Signal? Q100 Metric Version: Are you within 100 KMs of your shack? I am within 100 KM. Q62 US Version: Are you within 62 statute miles of your shack? What! How would that work? You might try . . .CQ, CQ, IOTA within 100 KM? . Or CQ IOTA <= 100M Remote Try that on CW or RTTY! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This is one recent phone contact ME: QRZ, QRZ Q62. [Im thinking. Maybe Ill get lucky.] IOTA Station: HI OM UR 59 here, Name is Ralf. IOTA Blah, Blah, BTU. [Hmm So far, so good ] ME: Thanks for coming back to me Ralf. What is your exact QTH? Are you within 100 KM of your shack? Over IOTA Ralf: What shack? Hey man, this is a nice place, not a dump. UR 59 hr too. Over. [Im thinking maybe Ralf is not really up on the new Q codes or he needs to update his GPS.] ME: I really need your island for IOTA credit. Are you operating remote and are you less than 100 kilometers from your antenna? BTU Ralf IOTA Ralf: That's some long feed line. I dont know. I havent looked lately. Does that matter? BTW, WX is blah, blah, blah. Rig here is . . .blah, blah, blah. Antenna is blah, blah, blah. Do you want my Grid Square? How about you? Over. (Obviously Ralf missed the e-mail. Lets cut to the chase Ralf] ME: Thats great Ralf. Yes, I need your island for my 100 Island award. IOTA Ralf: Man, I never heard of that one! Thats some crazy award. I dont do kilometers, how many feet is that? [ARGHH! OK, maybe we are getting somewhere at last.] ME: Its about 328,000 feet. Over IOTA Ralf: Sorry OM, there was some bad QRM that time. A lot of guys are calling me like Im some rare DX all of a sudden. Say again, how many feet is that? [Panic is setting in.] ME: Three Two Eight Zero Zero Zero. IOTA Ralf: That is a lot of feet dude. Dont think I have a tape measure that long. Do you mean from the center of the island? [Getting desperate.] ME: Can you just estimate? IOTA Ralf: You mean guess? I guess so. ME: Cool, Good enough for me. Got you in the log. Thanks Ralf. 73 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 73, Ron, K5HM [email protected] www.qrz.com/db/k5hm _______________________________________________ BVARC mailing list [email protected] http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org
