Trig point activation criteria
Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2015 12:49 pm
The rules for the trig point award state:
"To be valid for the award, the activating station must be located within 30m of the pillar measured horizontally or vertically whichever is the closer." [emphasis in the original]
I have thought about it long and hard and the only interpretation I can put on it is that either the horizontal or vertical separation between operator and trig point must be less than 30m. It cannot mean, as some seem to be suggesting, that you must be within 30m of the trig point (which could be said much more straightforwardly without the complicated references to horizontal and vertical).
Is this really what is intended? In relatively flat parts of the UK, it means that trig points could be activated from kilometers away. There are likely to be places which are within 30m vertically of several trig points simultaneously. My home QTH is within 30m vertically of the Little Ouse trig point, which is about 35km away horizontally. It makes no sense to me at all.
I raised a discussion of this on the SOTA forum and some suggested that I should apply "common sense". I really don't see that as reasonable. If there is a rule, it should say what it means and mean what it says. If the intention is that you should be within 30m of the trig point, why not just say that?
"To be valid for the award, the activating station must be located within 30m of the pillar measured horizontally or vertically whichever is the closer." [emphasis in the original]
I have thought about it long and hard and the only interpretation I can put on it is that either the horizontal or vertical separation between operator and trig point must be less than 30m. It cannot mean, as some seem to be suggesting, that you must be within 30m of the trig point (which could be said much more straightforwardly without the complicated references to horizontal and vertical).
Is this really what is intended? In relatively flat parts of the UK, it means that trig points could be activated from kilometers away. There are likely to be places which are within 30m vertically of several trig points simultaneously. My home QTH is within 30m vertically of the Little Ouse trig point, which is about 35km away horizontally. It makes no sense to me at all.
I raised a discussion of this on the SOTA forum and some suggested that I should apply "common sense". I really don't see that as reasonable. If there is a rule, it should say what it means and mean what it says. If the intention is that you should be within 30m of the trig point, why not just say that?