Rules of the contest French HF Championship "Coupe du REF SSB"
https://concours.r-e-f.org/reglements/actuels/reg_cdfhfdx_en_20250315.pdf
F stations send RST+Dept number (or Prefix for overseas French stations) Ex for F6XXX: RS 59 dept; 75 So it's simple to know who the department number is.
Bands 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m
https://www.contestcalendar.com/contestdetails.php?ref=260
What is a French département?
https://www.axl.cefan.ulaval.ca/europe/france_departements.htm
A department is a territorial division that can be either an administrative district or the territory where the departmental authority operates. The departmental capital is generally the seat of the prefecture and the local government services, but some exceptions exist.
There are 101 departments as administrative districts and 94 departments as territorial authorities
The other territories of the French Republic are not departments. They nevertheless have a similar code.
Five overseas collectivities:
975: Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, a department from 1976 to 1985, has not been part of the European Union since 1985 (OCT);
977: Saint-Barthélemy, a single collectivity, formerly attached to Guadeloupe, has not been part of the European Union since 2012 (OCT);
978: Saint-Martin, a single collectivity, formerly attached to Guadeloupe, is part of the European Union (OR);
986: Wallis and Futuna, a single collectivity, has never been part of the European Union (OCT);
987: French Polynesia, also designated an overseas country since 2004, has never been part of the European Union (OCTs).
An overseas country with a sui generis status:
988: New Caledonia, has never been part of the European Union (OCTs).
An overseas territory with a special status:
984: French Southern and Antarctic Lands, without a permanent population, composed of five districts: the Crozet Archipelago; the Kerguelen Archipelago; Saint-Paul and Amsterdam Islands; Adélie Land; and the Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean.
A unique collectivity, falling under the State's private domain:
989: Clipperton Island, formerly part of French Polynesia, without a permanent population.
Seven overseas collectivities of the French Republic share their territory with departmental constituencies:
Three collectivities with special status (CSP):
69M: Lyon metropolitan area with the Rhône constituency (69);
75C: City of Paris with the Paris constituency (75).
The collectivity of Corsica with the constituencies of Corse-du-Sud (2A) and Haute-Corse (2B).
Three single territorial collectivities (CTU) located overseas:
972R: Martinique (972R) with the Martinique constituency (972);
973R: French Guiana (973R) with the French Guiana constituency (973);
976R: Mayotte (976R) with the Mayotte constituency (974);
Example: Île-de-France region
Paris is the French department number 75
In this region there are 12 271 794 inhabitants
I remember in the 90s when i was younger, I listened to all the French departments on the weekend of this contest
French overseas departments and territories
FG Guadeloupe
FJ Saint Martin
FH Mayotte
FK New Caledonia
FM Martinique
FO French Polynesia
FP St. Pierre & Miquelon
FR Réunion I.
FT TAAF
FW Wallis & Futuna Is.
FY French Guiana
Beware of excess: how many cups of coffee does it take to consume too much caffeine?
According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), a healthy adult should not exceed 400 mg of caffeine per day, the equivalent of four 200 mL cups per day. Consuming too much coffee can have harmful effects on your health.
1. It's a proven medical fact that we should sleep in multiples of 90 minutes. Most sleep 90 mins on early Sunday morning, and some on Saturday morning too. In general, it seems like a good idea to get 3 hours in before the contest starts, which is easy in Europe, but difficult in West USA. Varied feelings about whether to get a'lie in' on the Friday morning, but certainly not good to have a very late night on Thursday. 'Adrenelin' seems to be a big factor for some in keeping you going through the weekend. For others, the opposite is true - relaxed and laid-back gets them through. Whether you're wired or tired, it makes little difference to the final result. It's the ability to sustain concentration that matters.
2. Drink in moderation, but regularly. Drink to quench your thirst. Do not drink caffeinated beverages. Caffeine will lower the blood sugar level thereby affecting the ability to concentrate. Coke, tea and coffee contain caffeine. Milk will make talking difficult - radio and TV news readers avoid milk. Unsweetened fruit juice, a little often, is good. It is far more difficult to wake up if you have managed to get to sleep with a high caffeine level.
3. When to eat? Stick to eating at regular intervals. Every 6 hours with a small snack at 3hr intervals is good. Normal eating times are also good. It's what your body expects.
4. What to eat? The objective is to maintain a steady blood-glucose level of around 4-5 mmol throughout the weekend, with a slightly higher than normal intake of protein. In normal healthy individuals, high blood-glucose levels lead to poor concentration and drowsiness whilst low blood-glucose levels lead to iritability, short temper and loss of aptitude. 4-5 mmol, a moderately low level, will be achieved by avoiding anything containing simple carbohydrates like sugar or bleached pure white flour. So, good is wholemeal bread, bad is plain white bread. Good is potato skins, bad is creamed potato. Good is natural fruit juices, bad is sports drinks. Good is fruit, bad is sweets/candy. While sports drinks will give the body a big hit of energy, this hit is followed by a very deep low in blood-glucose levels. Complex carbohydrates (vegetables, fruits and grains) are good, in that they take a long time to digest, help maintain a stable blood-glucose level and help avoid surges.
So what should we eat and drink?
sandwiches of wholemeal bread, with meat or cheese
fruit/grain/granola bars (but watch out for high sugar content)
pure orange juice
water
nuts
apples
banana
5. How much to eat? In general, it is best to eat less food than you would normally.
6. Avoid smoking.
7. Keep fit. This is really quite important. If you are fit your body will react less badly to poor sleep patterns.
8. Avoid alcohol and sexy ladies !!! I joke
9. Avoid working on 'stuff' right up to the wire. Prepare well for the contest and 'know' what you have. There is a hidden side to knowing that you are well prepared. This will help you relax prior to and during the event, which is one of the keys to making it through the full 48 hours. It feels good to feel loud, and believe that your signal is getting through - 'I know what I'm doing'. Learn from the previous year. Immediately after a major contest write down what was wrong, what went wrong, what was good, and what was bad. That way, next year you will be a little more prepared, and a little more relaxed.
10. Smile when you talk. Sound happy. Even if you feel like death, don't let the other guy know it! People like to call happy people. Not a lot of good on CW, of course.
Other points worth noting...
Vitimin B can help you feel less tired over a period of time, and may be beneficial. I would not take this as a recommendation to take vitamins though - see your doctor first!
Ask your doctor before the if you have health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.
Be careful if you are a real OM (old man).
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