[NLRS] 10G test Cabrillo question

[John Kalenowsky]

On Wed, Aug 7, 2019 at 1:32 PM Gary2 posed the following query:

>
> For the 10 G Cumulative, how do you handle On/Off times if the Cabrillo
> format?
>
> 73, Gary WBØLJC
>
> Good question, Gary.

Since the 10 G rules (in #2) do specifically state "Times off must be
clearly indicated in the log."

There IS a tag named "OFFTIME:" in the Cabrillo spec. (pasted below from
http://wwrof.org/cabrillo/cabrillo-specification-v3/ ):

*OFFTIME:* *begin-time* *end-time*

This tag is used to indicate off-time.

OFFTIME: 2002-03-22 0300 2002-03-22 0743

         yyyy-mm-dd nnnn yyyy-mm-dd nnnn

         -----begin----- ------end------

*Note: About on-time and off-time:*

QSOs in Cabrillo are logged with a granularity of one minute. The use of
one second granularity would lead to the question “during which exact
second did the QSO take place?”

The ARRL has taken the very sensible interpretation that on-time and
off-time also should be considered with a granularity of one minute. In
other words, during any given minute you can either be on or off. Therefore
1801Z-1830Z would be a 30 minute off-time, with 1800Z being your last
minute on before the break and 1831Z being the minute you resume operation.

If you make a QSO at 1800Z, take a break, and resume operating at 1830Z,
then you have completed a 29 minute off-time.

(Apologies that it did not 'paste' as cleanly above as it appears on the
web page for the spec.)

BUT... I think that the OFFTIME: tag has fallen out of use...letting the
log checking software verify total operating time (which, for the ARRL
Sweepstakes is mentioned in the rule set as follows: "In
electronically-submitted Cabrillo logs, off-times are calculated by the
log-checking software.")

As well, that may be a carryover from HF rule provisions...there is NO
mention of minimum offtime in the 10 G rules as there is in many of the
operating time limited HF Contests (from ARRL Sweepstakes rules again "Off
periods may not be less than 30 minutes in length.")

I suspect that WA7BNM's Web to Cabrillo form doesn't support that, so it
would be necessary to put any offtime's in manually if you used that to
enter your log data.

Might it be time for the wording in Rule #2 for the 10 G test to be
reconsidered? Does/has anyone ever even come CLOSE to 24 hours (let alone
exceeding 24 hours) of operating time amongst the 36 total hours allowed by
the two 18 hour windows, 6 a.m. local to Midnight local on the two days, in
a given weekend?

73, JK