![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rsgb.org\/main\/files\/2019\/08\/cricket2019-bronze-447-300x212.jpg\")
<\/p>\nA total of over\u00a0 440,000 QSOs were made using these call signs, the highest total ever in a special event organised by the Society.\u00a0The huge success of the marathon gave the opportunity for some 200 RSGB members to experience pile-up operation on the HF bands, some for the first time and often using wire aerials and low power.<\/p>\n
Schedule<\/h3>\n
The radio club coordinating the marathon will maintain an operating schedule for the special call signs. These special calls might be activated by individuals or by groups, typically supervised by a member of the coordinating club.<\/p>\n
Operating a Special Station<\/h3>\n
Special Stations can efficiently log QSOs using a contest logging package such as N1MM or Wintest. Both of these have a DXpedition mode which allows QSOs to be recorded without the conventional exchanges that would be used in a contest. They are also appropriate to the speed of operating that callers expect.<\/p>\n
Unlike in contesting, occasional self-spotting is a good idea when using modes that do not generate automatic spots.<\/p>\n
It is important to operate on multiple bands and modes as the participants in the marathon are trying to achieve awards and need to have lots of QSOs with each special station in the marathon.<\/p>\n
If there are a high number of callers, it can be more effective to operate split-frequency\u2014typically listening 1 kHz or more up on CW and 5 kHz or more up on SSB. The main advantage of split-frequency operation is that your callers are able to hear your replies as your signal is not buried under all the stations who are calling you. It is also advantageous to the marathon special stations as those calling can be spread out somewhat.<\/p>\n
After each operating session the log must be uploaded so that participants can keep track of the QSOs that they have made with the special marathon stations. Typically, this involves the activator of the special station creating an ADIF file which contains all the QSO details and then sending this online to the marathon sponsors.<\/p>\n
Working a Special Station<\/h3>\n
Special stations will tend to attract a high number of callers all transmitting at the same time. In such cases, the station will advise callers that they are listening within a nearby range of frequencies. This is called \u201csplit- frequency\u201d operating. It is important, therefore, to<\/p>\n
\u2022 Listen carefully to the special station before transmitting. The operators will announce if, and when, they are working \u201csplit\u201d and give an indication of where they are listening
\n\u2022 Not to transmit on the special station\u2019s run frequency (where they are calling) if they are working \u201csplit\u201d<\/p>\n
By carefully monitoring both the run frequency and the range of receiving frequencies, you can determine which frequency the special station is listening on at any instance and can plan your call to maximum effect.<\/p>\n
Marathon plans<\/h3>\n
RSGB recognise the valuable operating experience that can be gained from both operating special stations and working special stations. Building on the success of the Cricket World Cup 2019 Marathon, we are actively looking for new opportunities to engage RSGB members in radio marathon operation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What are radio marathons? Amateur Radio Marathons (or QSO Marathons) are international events that encourage QSO activity, particularly on the HF bands. \u2022 They may be established to celebrate an anniversary or to accompany a significant current event \u2022 They may run for several days or weeks \u2022 They typically involve the activation of stations […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20371,"featured_media":0,"parent":21151,"menu_order":7,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-21099","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rsgb.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rsgb.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rsgb.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rsgb.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20371"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rsgb.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21099"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rsgb.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21099\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rsgb.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rsgb.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}