<<< concluded from previous message >>>
interested in cognitive radio should
look up a copy of the August 2010 issue of the IEEE Antennas and
Propagation Magazine. The article "Cognitive-Radio Systems for
Spectrum, Location, and Environmental Awareness" presents an overview
of system-level issues and an exhaustive bibliography of detailed
papers on the subject.
These thin-film energy storage devices from Infinite Power Solutions
won't power your full-gallon
amplifier, but they can harvest energy and store it from all sorts of
nano-power sources. QRPPPers might benefit sooner than QROers. (Thanks,
Jack N3ALO from his "Break Points" column in
Embedded Systems Design )
Ameritron is a good source of amplifier
parts for builders and repairs. On the home page, select "Amplifiers",
then model, and at the bottom of the page is a parts list. If you
download the MFJ catalog in PDF
format, you can find the parts there, too.
EMI from switchmode power supplies is a growing problem. This EE Time
Design article
by Yong Li of iWatt about using BJT instead of
FET to reduce EMI and costs of controlling EMI is a good start.
Technical Web Site of the Week - RSGB's Propagation Studies Committee
has released Understanding LF and HF Propagation
,
a free eBook written by G0KYA and G3NYK and available for download. The
book is a compilation of Technical Feature articles written by the
authors for the RSGB's Radcom magazine.
(Thanks, Mark K6UFO)
==> CONVERSATION
You Can Go Home Again
As many of the Contest Update readers prepare to head over the river
and through the woods to Grandma's house for Thanksgiving festivities,
I'm here to report on a ham radio equivalent. While Norman Rockwell may
not have painted
it, the charm and goodwill of sharing the Sweepstakes operating duties
at one's alma mater club station certainly captures the same
essentials.
I was fortunate to make contact with my former club at the Missouri
University of Science and Technology, W0EEE ,
and secure an invitation for Phone Sweepstakes. This year's rule change
to allow alumni to operate School Club category stations made possible
my personal "ham radio homecoming". So early Saturday morning, I loaded
the car with toolbox, spare gadgetry, and a bag of cough drops (don't
ask) to make the 100-mile journey down I-44.
Right on schedule, I met club president Barry KC0YDZ for a hamburger
and we adjourned to the Electrical Engineering building to which
weekend access had been arranged. The station had been relocated from
the stone basement of the venerable Rolla Building, once adorned with a
60-foot tower perched on the granite chimney and a Mosley Classic 36
tri-band Yagi at the 100-foot level, a legendary 80 meter dipole
stretched completely across the campus quadrangle, the last dime
glass-bottle soda machine in central Missouri, and a brigade of belfry
bats to bamboozle beam builders. These days, the club has much more
modern quarters with a tower gracing another building's roof and a
great shot to the horizon in all directions. The bats stayed behind.
As the club's HF beam had been destroyed by a recent ice storm, a
multi-band dipole was going to be the antenna of choice, but for
Sweepstakes that's not the handicap it might have been for a DX
contest. Indeed, it proved to be more than up to the job! A different
challenge was presented by a piece of equipment that I knew well and
was still on the job - a grizzled veteran of many electromagnetic
campaigns, the club's SB-220. Yes, everything still lit up properly
without a whisper of complaint but keying the amp proved to be
problematic. Until the small toggle switch labeled "Standby / Active"
was discovered. One click of the antenna relay and an upward flick of
the power meter later, we knew we had a winner.
250 contacts later, my roborant homecoming came to an end over a
shared pizza. There were contacts to celebrate and future projects to
consider. I have three new friends at W0EEE and they have a new one not
far away. Already, alumni of our old rivals at Kansas State, W0QQQ, are
thinking about another Sweepstakes challenge. I'd like to put that "dit
dit dit" back on the air during a big contest, too. We shall see. I am
grateful to the club members - Barry KC0YDZ, Jim KD5TPH, and Andreas
KC0SU - who stuck around on the beginning of Thanksgiving break to
humor an enspirited alumnus somewhat soggy with nostalgia and let him
hog the operating chair for the day. I'll be back, guys, thanks!
While appreciating the plenteous season, though, let us not forget
that all is not an exuberant Thanksgiving cornucopia. Many are slicing
what they have extra thin this year and relying on the generosity of
others to get them through every day. Rockwell painted
that scene, too. Share ham radio's weal of helpful kindness and have a
great holiday season, no matter how you celebrate it.
73, Ward N0AX
==> CONTESTS
24 November through 7 December
An expanded, downloadable version of QST's Contest Corral in PDF format
is available. Check the
sponsor's Web site for information on operating time restrictions and
other instructions.
HF CONTESTS
SKCC Straight Key Sprint--CW, from Nov 24, 0000Z to Nov 24, 0200Z.
Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, Frequencies: Monthly on the fourth Wednesday
UTC. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, name, SKCC nr or power. Logs due: 3 days.
Rules
CQ World Wide CW Contest--CW, from Nov 27, 0000Z to Nov 28, 2400Z.
Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST and CQ zone. Logs due: Dec 21. Rules
Top Band Sprint--CW, from Dec 2, 0000Z to Dec 2, 0600Z. Bands (MHz):
1.8. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, ARCI number or Power. Logs due: 30 days.
Rules
NS Weekly Sprint--CW, from Dec 3, 0230Z to Dec 3, 0300Z. Bands (MHz):
1.8-14. Frequencies: Weekly on Thursday evenings local time. Exchange:
Serial, name, and S/P/C. Logs due: 2 days. Rules
ARRL 160 Meter Contest--CW, from Dec 3, 2200Z to Dec 5, 1600Z. Bands
(MHz): 1.8. Exchange: RST and ARRL/RAC section if US/VE. Logs due: Jan
4. Rules
TARA RTTY Mêlée--Digital, from Dec 4, 0000Z to Dec 4, 2400Z. Bands
(MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST and State/Province or serial. Logs due:
Jan 1. Rules
Top Operators Activity Contest--CW, from Dec 4, 1600Z to Dec 5, 1559Z.
Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST, serial, and TOPS/PRO number. Logs
due: Dec 31. Rules
AWA Bruce Kelly QSO Party--CW, from Dec 4, 2300Z to Dec 5, 2300Z and
Dec 11, 2300Z to Dec 12, 2300Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5,7. Frequencies:
Multiple operating periods. Exchange: RST, Xmtr type, power, name. Logs
due: 30 days. Rules
ARS Spartan Sprint--CW, from Dec 7, 0200Z to Dec 7, 0400Z. Bands (MHz):
3.5-28. Frequencies: Monthly on the first Monday evening local time.
Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and power. Logs due: 2 days. Rules
VHF+ CONTESTS
SKCC Straight Key Sprint--CW, from Nov 24, 0000Z to Nov 24, 0200Z.
Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, Frequencies: Monthly on the fourth Wednesday
UTC. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, name, SKCC nr or power. Logs due: 3 days.
Rules
==> LOG DUE DATES
24 November through 7 December
November 28 - High Speed Club CW Contest
November 28 - Run for the Bacon QRP Contest
November 29 - WAE DX Contest, RTTY
November 30 - 50 MHz Fall Sprint
November 30 - JARTS WW RTTY Contest
November 30 - W/VE Islands QSO Party
November 30 - SYLRA Contest
November 30 - ARRL EME Contest
November 30 - ARRL EME Contest
November 30 - ARRL EME Contest
December 1 - Feld Hell Sprint
December 1 - OK/OM DX Contest, CW
December 1 - CQ-WE Contest
December 4 - YO International PSK31 Contest
December 6 - SARL Field Day Contest
December 6 - RSGB 2nd 1.8 MHz Contest, CW
December 7 - DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest
December 7 - Ukrainian DX Contest
December 7 - ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, SSB
December 7 - NA Collegiate ARC Championship, SSB
==> ARRL INFORMATION
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==> ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ARRL Contest Update wishes to acknowledge information from WA7BNM's
Contest Calendar and SM3CER's
Contest Calendar .
The ARRL Contest Update is published every other Wednesday (26 times
each year). ARRL members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by
editing their Member Data Page as described at
http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/.
Copyright (c) 2010 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All
Rights Reserved
the ARRL COntest UPdate posted to the ls_arrl echo via
Radio REscue NEt operations BBS, 1:116/901 thanks to Daryl
Stout, n5vlz, sysop of the THunderbolt BBS, 1:382/33.
Address all comments and questions to the editor as described in this
electronic newsletter.
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* Origin: RRN BBS: Your fidonet ham radio connection! (1:116/901)
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