N1TA

Mike DeChristopher
Westfield, Mass. - FN32od

Live Contest Scheduler - BETA

Real-time multi-operator scheduling for contest weekends; built for the shack, not the spreadsheet. Running a Multi-Op or Multi-Transmitter contest means coordinating a team of operators across multiple stations and bands. The Live Contest Scheduler replaces the whiteboard, the group chat, and the shared Google doc with a single live tool every operator on your team can see - and interact with - in real time.

This may also be useful for distributed multi operations, like W1AW/x or the 13 Colony Special Event. Feel free to use it for whatever purpose you see fit.

What It Does

The director (that's you) sets up the contest once: enter the contest name and callsign, pick your start time in UTC, configure your stations and their bands, add your operators with their skill levels, and set your scheduling rules. The app generates a schedule grid - time runs down the left axis in UTC, stations run across the top - and you're ready to go. From there, operators join by visiting the link you send them on their phone or laptop, and log-in with their call sign. No accounts, no passwords. They see the same live grid you do. When they want a shift, they tap the cell to claim it. When they don't want a shift, they tap to release it. Every change appears on every screen within seconds.

Key Features

Live collaboration. Changes made by the director or any operator are broadcast to all connected clients instantly over a real-time WebSocket connection. The colored dot next to the contest code tells you your connection status at a glance.

Skill-aware auto-fill. Tag each operator as Expert, Intermediate, or Beginner. Hit Auto-Fill and the scheduler assigns operators to shifts automatically - Experts go to the highest-rate slots first, Beginners cover the quiet hours. Fairness balancing ensures no one operator hogs the prime time.

Band rate model. Every empty cell shows an estimated Q/h rate and a heat bar based on a built-in propagation model calibrated to competitive M/M contest logs, with adjustments for solar conditions. High-solar runs? Low-solar nights? Set it in setup and the heatmap shifts accordingly.

Rate goals. Separately from the propagation model, the director can enter target Q/h goals by band and UTC hour; this is useful for setting team expectations or importing your own historical log data via CSV.

Dead-band threshold. Set a minimum Q/h below which a band is considered effectively closed. Those cells are automatically marked CLOSED and shown with a distinctive stripe pattern. Operators can still claim them if they want to monitor the band, but they'll see a warning first.

Max consecutive shifts & minimum rest. Tell the scheduler how many back-to-back shifts are allowed and how many rest shifts are required between blocks. Auto-fill respects these limits automatically. The director can override them manually at any time.

Operator schedules view. Switch to the Operator Schedules tab for a personal timeline view - one card per operator showing exactly when they're on, what station, and what band, hour by hour across the whole contest.

Printable. The Print button opens a clean, landscape-formatted version of whichever view you're on - grid or operator schedules - and triggers the browser print dialog automatically.

Automatic data deletion. All contest data is permanently deleted five days after the contest ends. No cleanup required.

How to Use It

1. Director: Open the app, click Create New Contest, fill in the details, and hit Create & Open Schedule. You'll automatically be assigned a 6-character contest code.
2. Share the link. Click the code pill in the header - the share link is copied to your clipboard. Send it to your operators via whatever channel you use.
3. Operators join by visiting the link and entering their callsign. If they're on the roster, they're in. There is no password or pin required for operators
4. Run Auto-Fill to generate an initial schedule, then adjust manually as needed.
5. Operators can claim available shifts and release their own shifts. The director can override anything from the assignment modal.

Tips & Tricks

• Set up stations in band-stacking order (160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10) so the grid reads naturally top-to-bottom during the contest.
• Use the RUN1, RUN2, MULT1, MULT2, and IN-BAND station types for non-HF stations or role-based positions. These don't pull from the band propagation model but still show in the schedule and operator timelines.
• Import your own rate data. If you have a few years of contest logs, export per-band hourly QSO counts to a CSV and import them into the Rate Goals table. Your historical data will always be more accurate than any generic model.
• Auto-fill is a starting point, not the final answer. Run it first to get a balanced baseline, then make manual adjustments for operators with special skills on particular bands, known propagation quirks, or travel constraints.
• The director can assign anyone to any slot, even if they're over their consecutive-shift limit. Use this for last-minute substitutions or when conditions on a band are too good to leave unmanned.
• Dead-band threshold = 0 disables CLOSED marking entirely, useful if you want a fully manual setup without any automated propagation-based blocking.
• The contest code never changes, so operators who close their browser and reopen the link are automatically dropped back into the session where they left off.
• Print before midnight on Day 5 post-contest. All schedule data is permanently deleted five days after the contest ends. If you want a record of who worked what shifts, print the grid or the operator schedules before then.
• There is a "secret" button (lower left of your screen; you may have to scroll) that will change the theme to Classic

Support

I don't offer any guarantee related to this free application. If you are having trouble, email me and I will probably attempt to help you. I can make the source code available if you want to make your own version of this. I will also make (very, very) occasional updates; please feel free to make suggestions for improvement.

Return Home

Mike DeChristopher, N1TA