As there have been issues elsewhere, it seems timely to remind people of the requirement for all equipment be located within the boundaries of a reference when operating. To establish reference boundaries, GxFF recommends using DEFRA’s Magic Map. For Northern Ireland references consult DAERA map viewer. Please bear in mind, car parks, roads etc may not always be inside /part of the reference, it is your responsibility to check.
To maintain the integrity of the program the National Co-ord or Log manager can request documentary proof of valid operation. Team GxFF intends to implement two changes related to this from 1st Jan 2022. The first will be the introduction of random checks for valid operation, the second will be to verify the location of all operators who wish to activate a reference from their home address. Neither of these should place any great additional burden on activators.
For /P operations, many people already post photos to the GxFF or WWFF Facebook Group, where these do not show a verifiable location, the addition of a suitably detailed screen shot from a GPS programme, google maps, OS App etc would suffice as proof, should that activity be selected for checking. We would recommend that adding this becomes the default for any activators who use the Facebook Groups.
For those not posting activations to facebook, there is also the option of creating activation reports for gxff.uk website (login required), we would encourage any activators to do this, as it show cases our activity to a wider audience.
If you are not going to create a post, you should take and keep a screenshot of your activating location, these normally have a time/date stamp info attached. Again we recommend that you send these in with your logs as proof of location should it be required.
Inability to provide proof of operation within the boundaries may result in the activation being declared void.
In the case of activating from home, activators are requested to contact me directly with the reference their home is in and their address. This is a one off verification process to validate future QSOs.
There’s no suggestion that there are issues with GxFF operations, but the more rigorous approach to checking location data, brings us in line with some other branches of the WWFF program.
If you know any activators who do not avidly follow the Facebook Grps, or check gxff.uk please pass on. Any questions, drop me a line.
Adrian G1UBL
Team GxFF Co-ordinator
