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2008 Southeastern VHF Society Annual Award for Design Achievement The SVHFS is pleased to announce the continuance of its "Design competition for the advancement in circuit design of VHF through Microwave and related circuitry". This competition commonly know as the SVHFS Design Contest will take place again this year culminating with the final judging at this years conference in Orlando FL on April 26th. This competition has brought about many great designs for the VHF/UHF/Microwave amateur community. This year it promises to keep the tradition by attempting to attract designers from outside of the Southeast region of the United States. Rules for the contest are simple and straight forward and can be reviewed in the judging criteria section on the following pages. Basically the designs should be "Hardware Oriented" centered around VHF, UHF, and Microwave operation and auxiliary circuits. This years awards will be like the past. The First place Winner will receive the Grand prize of $2500 in prizes and gift certificates. The second place prize will have a $500 value. Third and fourth place prizes will carry a $200 value. After reading the Judging Criteria, If you have any questions and/or wish to express the desire to participate, please contact Steve Kostro, N2CEI, Design Contest Panel Chairman by e-mail at design@downeastmicrowave.com. I will be more than happy to discuss any details with you concerning the Design contest, contest rules, design criteria, Deadline Dates, or your design in general. Judging Criteria for the 2008 SVHFS Design Contest Circuit designs should focus on VHF through Microwave applications or IF signal processing for this range. Competition is open to any SVHFS member. Conference attendance includes your membership fee. Design entries will be final judged by the Design Contest Panel ( the Panel) at the 2008 conference on April. 26th. The Design Contest Panel Chairman is Steve Kostro, N2CEI (design@downeastmicrowave.com) and is responsible for selecting the Panel.
Entries will be critiqued in 5 categories listed below. Point vales are 0-5. per category with a perfect score being 25 or more points. Extra points may be awarded as stated below. Judging Categories 1. For new and innovative circuit designs, or novel uses of the components used. Complexity is not the key to winning. A simple circuit may demonstrate the novel use of a component and will be judged on par with all other entrants. An example of Innovation may be a control circuit or interface (including microprocessors) that promote ease of use, protection, safety, or improved performance of any VHF/UHF/Microwave RF or IF device used in Amateur Radio. Extra points will be awarded for "Extreme Cleverness" by impressing the judges! 2. For exceptional circuit performance measured against established norms. Demonstration of functionality is mandatory! All designs submitted will be subject to a performance test during the conference at the Panel's discretion. Example: You may be responsible to demonstrate the function of a power amplifier or make a contact with a laser transceiver. Extra points may be awarded for performance beyond what is considered the established norm. 3. For construction technique, craftsmanship, and aesthetics. This is a design contest but neatness does count. If you submit a black box, the Panel will require a visual internal inspection. You are not required to have professionally made circuit boards but if your construction skills are lacking, you may have the submitted design assembled by some one else. The goal is to provide the Judges the opportunity to establish the relationship of the hardware to the documents provided and provide a clear view of the physical design. 4. For documentation, schematics, publication of design and presentation. Full documentation of the design will be made available with the hardware at design submission time. Neatness and organization is a must! A short presentation (15 Min. Maximum) of the design made to the Panel and is mandatory. Expect a question and answer period. A proxy presenter may be utilized with advanced permission of the Panel chairman. Designs submitted in time for inclusion in the Conference Proceedings will receive extra points. Extra points will also be awarded for a conference presentation and will be used in lieu of the Panel presentation. 5. Designs should be original work, practical, and use readily available components. The design should be reproducible by any willing amateur radio operator. It should be generic in nature but in example, could be focused on one type of amateur transceiver or accessory. No exotic software driven designs! Components utilized may be surplus or obsolete as long as a valid source for procurement is listed. No "One of a Kinds" ! It should be original work but sometimes there is a better way of doing an existing circuit. Please state the design goal and inspiration of the design in the documentation. Design Contest Deadline Dates and Times Feb. 15th. Notification to Chairman by e-mail of design entry Feb. 29th Submission of paper to be published in SVHFS proceedings (SVHFS2008@downeastmicrowave.com) This is extra credit. Mar. 21st Preliminary Documentation due to Chairman by e-mail Apr. 25th Design submission by 10 AM. (Preliminary Judging) Apr. 26th Design presentation starts 1 PM. (Final Judging) |
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This page updated December 28, 2008.