If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at:   
   http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/?issue=2015-02-11   
      
   The ARRL Contest Update   
   February 11, 2015   
   Editor: Ward Silver, NOAX   
      
   IN THIS ISSUE   
      
     * Fill Your DX Logbook - ARRL DX CW   
     * The Shift Is On - CQ WW RTTY WPX   
     * Certificates - Be Gone!   
     * Fire Under the Sea   
     * Solar Weather Report   
     * ARRL Awards Are Flying   
     * Keep It Up There   
     * Impedance Measurements from the Masters   
     * Spring Is On the Air   
      
   NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO   
      
   The joys of working CW DX are rarely more available to HF newcomers in the US   
   and Canada than in the ARRL's International DX CW Contest. You don't have to   
   fight through layers of DX stations - the DX is calling you! And the CQ WW   
   RTTY WPX contest is a great way to get your fingers wet on the digital modes,   
   too.   
      
   BULLETINS   
      
   There are no bulletins in this issue.   
      
   BUSTED QSOS   
      
   Here is the correct link for N4ZR's front-end protector article. Some spurious   
   characters were added to the link in the previous issue. (Thanks, Larry W6NWS)   
   And the correct link to the ARRL Contest Results page is www.arr   
   .org/contest-results-articles (Thanks, Mike VE3GFN)   
      
   CONTEST SUMMARY   
      
   Complete information for all contests follows the Conversation section   
      
   February 14-15   
      
     * NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint--CW (Feb 11)   
     * PODXS 070 Club Valentine Sprint--Digital   
     * CQ WW RTTY WPX--Digital   
     * Asia-Pacific Sprint--CW   
     * Dutch PACC Contest,   
     * OMISS QSO Party--Phone   
     * New Hampshire QSO Party   
     * FISTS CW Winter Sprint   
     * RSGB - First 1.8 MHz Contest   
     * Maine 2m FM Simplex Challenge--Phone   
     * Run For the Bacon--CW (Feb 16)   
      
   February 21-22   
      
     * ARRL Int'l CW DX Contest   
     * Semi-Automatic Key Evening (Feb 18)   
     * Russian WW PSK Contest (Feb 20)   
     * REF Contest--Phone   
     * SARL Youth Day Sprint--Phone   
     * Feld-Hell Bingo Sprint   
     * CQC Winter QSO Party    
      
   NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST   
      
   CQ World Wide has added a Cabrillo Opt-Out tag for certificates. After the   
   CERTIFICATE: tag, simply add YES (the default) or NO. Since one of the biggest   
   expenses of running a contest is the printing and mailing of paper   
   certificates, this will help the contest make better use of available   
   resources. Not all sponsors support this tag as yet. Downloadable electronic   
   format certificates are not expected to be affected by this tag. (Thanks,   
   Randy K5ZD, CQ Worldwide Contest Director)   
      
   IEEE members should take a look at the February 2015 issue of IEEE Microwave   
   Magazine for the article "RF and Microwave Links: The MTT Society and the   
   Amateur Radio Community". Authored primarily by IEEE Fellow Robert Caverly   
   WB4PWZ, he was joined by your editor, Al Katz K2UYH, Rick Campbell KK7B, and   
   Marc Franco, N2UO/LU6DW. The Microwave Theory and Techniques (MTT) Society's   
   MTT-17 committee was very helpful in promoting and contributing to this   
   article.   
      
   Top Gun among RTTY ops, Ed WOYK was recognized both for his contesting and   
   vineyard achievements in this story by the San Jose Mercury News. The   
   well-written article captures the general sense of contesting quite well,   
   especially the convergence between vineyard and ham station siting. While the   
   article notes the need for younger hams, it is balanced with a mention of new   
   technology available and being used by hams. (Thanks, Bob N6TV)   
      
   What's a SkyPi-40? Turns out it's a Raspberry Pi-based SDR transceiver which   
   supports RTTY, CW, WSPR, and other FSK modes with 1 watt of output power! Read   
   all about it in the latest issue of the DKARS Magazine.   
      
   Point-and-click could become point-and-log with this new smart ring that   
   allows you to write messages just by waving your finger around!   
      
   A new release of the Super Check Partial database files is available from Stu   
   K6TU. The number of calls in the file has grown to 45,949! You can send your   
   log to Stu when you submit it to the contest sponsor.   
      
   Dave G4BUO writes with the news that he is cancelling the EU Sprint contests.   
   "It was a great idea of Paolo's (I2UIY - SK), but even while he was alive we   
   struggled to get anything like the level of interest from European operators   
   (enjoyed) in the NA events." Perhaps someone or some group will step up to   
   re-animate this contest - if so, you'll read about it here in the Contest   
   Update.   
      
   Web Site of the Week - How did all this "electrical engineering" stuff get   
   started? Some claim it was Tesla's multi-phase ac machines, others the   
   telephone system, but there is a good story in a fried undersea cable and the   
   race to understand and fix the problem.   
      
   WORD TO THE WISE   
      
   As log checking reports start appearing from the fall contests, the term   
   Unique+1 sometimes comes up. A unique+1 is a call that is (a) "one off" from a   
   unique call and (b) is a call of someone who was active in the contest. If you   
   claimed contact with N9RU, and no one else in the contest worked N9RU, it is a   
   unique. If N9RV was active in the contest, that is a unique+1. N9RD could also   
   be considered a U+1 if active. (From the Contest University Glossary by Pat   
   N9RV)   
      
   SIGHTS AND SOUNDS   
      
   I know we've all watched the nightly news weather report and thought, "How   
   about a weather report for the ionosphere?" Thanks to Dr. Tamitha Mulligan   
   Skov and Spaceweather TV, our wishes have been granted! (Thanks, Tim K3LR)   
      
   Two fine training courses have been made available by Tech Online. A 40-minute   
   video on the "Fundamentals of Circuit Protection" is available from Arrow   
   Electronics and Littlefuse. The PDF course "Introduction to RF Design" from   
   Rohde & Schwarz is available for downloading, as well.   
      
   This YouTube video by Mike WB6DJI shows how a noise-canceling system can make   
   a big improvement when properly configured and used. He uses the NCC-1 Noise   
   Canceling Controller with a TS-990S transceiver. The main antenna is a Hex   
   Beam and the noise sensing antenna is a short piece of wire. The waterfall   
   display adds a strong visual element to the presentation. He uses the system   
   to knock down power-line noise and RFI from a nearby plasma TV.   
      
   Climbing a woodpecker? In a way. This 20-minute video captures the view as the   
   climber summits the famous Chernobyl antenna of the Over-The-Horizon   
   "woodpecker" radar. (Thanks, Kirk K4RO)   
      
   Dave WA8AXF reports a smartphone discovery on his Samsung Galaxy. "The   
   settings menu slows the user to customize the vibration pattern for the ring   
   tone when the phone is set to vibrate. You customize the pattern by tapping on   
   the screen and immediately I thought, "Morse code!" and my vibrate ring tone   
   is now "CQ CQ CQ"!"   
      
   RESULTS AND RECORDS   
      
   From the ARRL Contest Branch comes news of awards flying out the door!   
   Envelopes with the 2014 January VHF Contest certificates and 2013 EME Contest   
   certificates along with boxes containing the Club Gavels through the 2014   
   August UHF Contest have all left the building. ARRL DX Participation pins for   
   2015 are also available again this year.   
      
   The ARRL DX Contests are upon us and there are plaques available for   
   sponsoring - check out the lists for the ARRL DX CW and ARRL DX Phone   
   competitions. If you are interested, drop an email to Contest Branch Manager,   
   Matt Wilhelm W1MSW.   
      
   Chris N6WM, chairman of the California QSO Party, announces the posting of   
   results for the 2014 contest. Many new records were set with participation at   
   near-record levels. Special thanks are extended to John K6MM and Tom NS6T for   
   a fantastic results page and to the entire NCCC/CQP scoring team for their   
   hard work producing results behind the scenes! The next running of CQP will be   
   a special 50th anniversary edition!   
      
   The list of logs received for the 2014 RAC Canada Winter Contest has now been   
   posted. (Thanks, RAC Canada Winter Contest Chairman, Sam VE5SF)   
      
   OPERATING TIP   
      
   The ARRL's Contest Advisory Committee has been asked to evaluate HF mobile   
   operation in ARRL HF Contests. Specifically, should ARRL's Contest Program add   
   a category(ies) for mobile operations and, if yes, which ARRL HF contest(s)   
   would be the most appropriate for a mobile category? Contact your CAC rep and   
   weigh in!   
      
   TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION   
      
   Kirk K4RO has learned some rope tricks when it comes to keeping his 40 meter   
   wire Yagi in the air. "Several years ago I started using the rope anchoring   
   method pictured in these photos. There is a continuous loop to a pulley at the   
   top of each tree. The antenna rope is attached to the loop via a third pulley,   
   which provides even more flexibility. The springs are strong enough to hold   
   the antenna in shape, but have enough stretch to survive wind storms. The   
   ropes ride effortlessly along the pulleys. No repairs have been necessary   
   since using this system. The expense was well worth it to me, as it's has   
   eliminated many hours of frustrating repair work every season."   
      
   Why is it always the one-of-a-kind mechanical component which breaks? Plastic   
   gears can be quite a problem to repair but this Instructables project shows   
   how to replace the missing section with a little epoxy and the mating gear. As   
   long as you're on the site, check out how to salvage electronic components   
   from a CFL light bulb!   
      
   An effective mobile station can't afford to waste a single volt of battery   
   power so as this EDN Magazine blog entry points out, don't neglect the humble   
   battery connector! Also on the EDN website, this article mulls the effects of   
   laundry detergent and cat litter on the propagation of WiFi signals.   
      
   If you want some serious reading on the Beverage low-band receiving antenna,   
   there is a great list of references at the bottom of the antenna's Wikipedia   
   page. This reference has also provided a number of measurements. (Thanks,   
   David K1TTT)   
      
   Manfred XQ6FOD takes some of the bright edge off the LED replacements for his   
   pilot lights with a little sandpaper. "I sand (the LED lenses) using coarse   
   sandpaper, creating a surface that scatters the light broadly in the desired   
   direction. If I want omnidirectional radiation, I sand the LED body into a   
   conical shape. If I want the light mostly coming out one side of the LED, I   
   sand a flat 45-degree surface onto it. Leaving the surface very rough...helps   
   in obtaining excellent light distribution.   
      
   Super low-power sensors are now available which can glean their power from   
   ambient RF energy. No word about whether they can handle be supplied by the   
   near field of a big multi-multi station!   
      
   Myron WVOH found a concentrated tutorial on impedance matching showing that   
   you can reduce your antenna system to an impedance which can then be matched   
   using basic design tools.   
      
   Self-repairing, reconfigurable electronic circuits take a step closer to   
   reality as described in this Gizmag article. But what will we do on our   
   workbenches? (Thanks, Dennis N6KI)   
      
   Technical Web Site of the Week - If you want to make precise and accurate   
   measurements of resistance, inductance, and capacitance, you'll want to read   
   this Impedance Measurement Handbook from Agilent. (Thanks, Clemens DL4RAJ)   
      
   CONVERSATION   
      
   Spring Is On the Air   
      
   I am sure I just lost my New England readership with that title! Les N1LF   
   posted an evocative musing on how being a VHF+ operator is a lot like being a   
   baseball fan called "The Boys of Summer." That got me thinking and today I   
   notice that the 2015 ARRL Field Day packet is available for downloading -   
   could the coming of the new season be any clearer? I can still hear the   
   muttering of W1s shoveling another load of picturesque out of the driveway.   
      
   Well, anyway, pitchers and catchers are packing and heading south to Arizona,   
   Florida, Texas - wherever the crack of the bat and the smack of brand-new   
   horsehide into a newly-oiled mitt resounds. We are already seeing longer   
   daytime openings on the high bands as we move farther from the winter   
   solstice. Along with baseball on the MF bands, come the first inklings of   
   summertime VHF operating fun.   
      
   Every day, I can turn on the radio and listen to our old orb spinning under   
   the warming glow of our not-too-distant Sun. Bands open, bands close, and I   
   chase the DX across them like the proverbial pot of gold at rainbow's end.   
   Sometimes, I catch it! And while I'm busy every day, I also notice the slower   
   shifts with the seasons. Twenty meters starts to edge a little closer to those   
   nighttime over-the-pole openings. The southern hemisphere low-banders come in   
   stronger and hear us better as the noise levels and absorption balance out.   
   Not to be left out, the VHF bands join the fun on 6 meters.   
      
   From not so cold and snowy Alabama, Les relates, "For me, [the coming spring]   
   means the confident voice of August, K5HCT. Nothing heralds the arrival of the   
   season like those first faint signals and the familiar refrain..."Here Comes   
   Texas!" (His) is nearly always the first call I hear in the season and the   
   last remaining on the band at its end."   
      
   Back in Washington state, the violet-green swallows would always return around   
   my birthday and so it is on the radio. Regardless of where the sunspot count   
   may be - up, down, or sideways - those of us who have been through a cycle or   
   two can almost smell propagation changing at this time of year. True, on the   
   radio leaves don't fall and the geese don't cruise overhead in honking vees,   
   but we experience a unique changing of the seasons unknown to non-hams.   
      
   Take a little time this week: Before jumping right in to those DXpedition   
   pileups or cranking out a contest exchange, look over your log and savor what   
   the signals sound like - feel like - as if raising your finger to the winds   
   and looking at the clouds to sense a coming change. Spring is, indeed, on the   
   air.   
      
   73, Ward NOAX   
      
      
   CONTESTS   
      
   11 February through 24 February   
      
   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   
      
   ARRL Int'l CW DX Contest--CW, from Feb 21, 0000Z to Feb 22, 2359Z. Bands   
   (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST, state/province or power. Logs due: Mar 24. Rules   
      
   NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint--CW, from Feb 11, 0130Z to Feb 11, 0330Z. Bands   
   (MHz): 3.5-14. Monthly on 2nd Tuesday or 3rd Wednesday local time   
   (alternating). Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and NAQCC mbr nr or power. Logs due: 4   
   days. Rules   
      
   PODXS 070 Club Valentine Sprint--Digital, from Feb 14, 8 PM to Feb 15, 2 AM.   
   Bands (MHz): 1.8-7. 1.807,3.580,7.070/7.035 EU/7.028 JA (MHz). Exchange: Name,   
   OM or YL, S/P/C. Logs due: Feb 28. Rules   
      
   CQ WW RTTY WPX--Digital, from Feb 14, 0000Z to Feb 15, 2400Z. Bands (MHz):   
   3.5-28. Exchange: RST and serial. Logs due: 5 days. Rules   
      
   Asia-Pacific Sprint--CW, from Feb 14, 1100Z to Feb 14, 1300Z. Bands (MHz):   
   7,14. Exchange: RST and serial. Logs due: 7 days. Rules   
      
   Dutch PACC Contest--Phone,CW, from Feb 14, 1200Z to Feb 15, 1200Z. Bands   
   (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS(T) and Dutch province or serial. Logs due: Mar 15.   
   Rules   
      
   OMISS QSO Party--Phone, from Feb 14, 1500Z to Feb 15, 1500Z. Bands (MHz):   
   3.5-28. Exchange: RS, S/P/C and OMISS nr or "DX". Logs due: Mar 30. Rules   
      
   New Hampshire QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Feb 14, 1600Z to Feb 15,   
   0400Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. CW - 1.815 and band edge + 45kHz; Phone - 1.875,   
   3.935, 3.950, 7.235, 14.280, 21.380, 28.390 MHz. Exchange: RS(T) and NH county   
   or S/P or "DX". Logs due: Mar 31. Rules   
      
   FISTS CW Winter Sprint--CW, from Feb 14, 1700Z to Feb 14, 2100Z. Bands (MHz):   
   3.5-28. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, first name, FISTS nr or power. Logs due: 30   
   days. Rules   
      
   RSGB - First 1.8 MHz Contest--Phone,CW, from Feb 14, 2100Z to Feb 15, 0100Z.   
   Bands (MHz): 1.8. Exchange: RST, serial, UK district. Logs due: 16 days. Rules   
      
   Run For the Bacon--CW, from Feb 16, 0200Z to Feb 16, 0400Z. Bands (MHz):   
   1.8-28. Monthly on 3rd Sunday night (local). Exchange: RST, S/P/C, Flying Pig   
   nr or power. Rules   
      
   Semi-Automatic Key Evening--CW, from Feb 18, 1900Z to Feb 18, 2030Z. Bands   
   (MHz): 3.5. Exchange: RST, serial, first year of bug use. Logs due: Mar 15.   
   Rules   
      
   Russian WW PSK Contest--Digital, from Feb 20, 2100Z to Feb 21, 2100Z. Bands   
   (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST and oblast code or serial. Logs due: 15 days.   
   Rules   
      
   REF Contest--Phone, from Feb 21, 0600Z to Feb 22, 1800Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28.   
   Exchange: RS and French dept or serial. Logs due: 15 days. Rules   
      
   SARL Youth Day Sprint--Phone, from Feb 21, 0800Z to Feb 21, 1000Z. Bands   
   (MHz): 7. Exchange: RS and age. Logs due: 7 days. Rules   
      
   Feld-Hell Bingo Sprint--Digital, from Feb 21, 2000Z to Feb 21, 2200Z. Bands   
   (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, Monthly on 3rd Saturday. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, Feld-Hell   
   member nr. Logs due: 7 days. Rules   
      
   CQC Winter QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Feb 22, 0100Z to Feb 22, 0259Z. Bands   
   (MHz): 3.5-14. 3.560, 7.040, 14.060 MHz. Exchange: RS(T), S/P/C, name, CQC nr   
   or power. Logs due: 30 days. Rules   
      
   VHF+ CONTESTS   
      
   Maine 2m FM Simplex Challenge--Phone, from Feb 15, 12 PM to Feb 15, 4 PM.   
   Bands (MHz): 144, FM simplex frequencies only. Exchange: Call sign, power,   
   city name. Logs due: 15 days. Rules   
      
   Feld-Hell Bingo Sprint--Digital, from Feb 21, 2000Z to Feb 21, 2200Z. Bands   
   (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, Monthly on 3rd Saturday. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, Feld-Hell   
   member nr. Logs due: 7 days. Rules   
      
   LOG DUE DATES   
      
   11 February through 24 February   
      
     * February 12 - QRP Fox Hunt   
     * February 14 - WAB 1.8 MHz Phone   
     * February 14 - QRP Fox Hunt   
     * February 14 - CWops Mini-CWT Test   
     * February 14 - NAQCC CW Sprint   
     * February 15 - NCCC Sprint Ladder   
     * February 15 - AWA Linc Cundall Memorial CW Contest   
     * February 15 - SKCC Weekend Sprintathon   
     * February 15 - NCCC RTTY Sprint   
     * February 15 - North American Sprint, CW   
     * February 15 - UBA DX Contest, SSB   
     * February 17 - Hungarian DX Contest   
     * February 18 - RSGB 80m Club Championship, Data   
     * February 19 - NRAU 10m Activity Contest   
     * February 20 - CQ WW RTTY WPX Contest   
     * February 21 - Asia-Pacific Spring Sprint, CW   
     * February 22 - Run for the Bacon QRP Contest   
     * February 22 - SARL Field Day Contest   
     * February 23 - 10-10 Int. Winter Contest, SSB   
     * February 24 - BARTG RTTY Sprint   
      
   ARRL Information   
      
   Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information   
      
   Join or Renew Today!   
      
   ARRL membership includes QST, Amateur Radio's most popular and informative   
   journal, delivered to your mailbox each month.   
      
   Subscribe to NCJ - the National Contest Journal. Published bimonthly, features   
   articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and   
   QSO Parties.   
      
   Subscribe to QEX - A Forum for Communications Experimenters. Published   
   bimonthly, features technical articles, construction projects, columns and   
   other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals.   
      
   Free of charge to ARRL members: Subscribe to The ARRL Letter (weekly digest of   
   news and information), the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and emergency   
   communications news), Division and Section news -- and much more!   
      
   ARRL offers a wide array of products to enhance your enjoyment of Amateur   
   Radio. Visit the site often for new publications, specials and sales.   
      
   Donate to the fund of your choice -- support programs not funded by member   
   dues!   
      
   Reprint permission can be obtained by sending email to permission@arrl.org   
   with a description of the material and the reprint publication.   
      
   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) 2015 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved   
   www.arrl.org    
      
      
      
   )\/(ark   
      
   If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until   
   you hire an amateur.   
      
   --- FMail/Win32 1.60   
    * Origin:  (1:3634/12.71)