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   http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/?issue=2016-03-23   
      
   The ARRL Contest Update   
      
   March 23, 2016   
   Editor: Brian Moran, N9ADG   
      
   IN THIS ISSUE   
      
    *  New HF Operators: CQ WW WPX, NA SSB Sprint, MI & MS QSO Parties   
    *  Bulletins: ARRL August UHF Contest Cancelled for 2016   
    *  Contest Summary   
    *  News: Pea Shooter Station, LED Lights, RHR Youth Program   
    *  Word to the Wise: Overlay Category   
    *  Sights and Sounds: CW Speed, SJRA is 100 Years Old, and More   
    *  Results: CQ WW Rates, USA CQ WW WPX Rookie Winner Advice, and More   
    *  Operating Tip: Rule Review - Use Only One Call in a Contest   
    *  Technical Topics and Information: KX3 Controlled from Android Phone, New   
       Arduino Variation, and more   
    *  Conversation: Contesting Needs You... To Share Your Station with New   
       Contesters   
    *  Contests   
    *  Log Due Dates   
      
      
   NEW HF OPERATORS -= THINGS TO DO   
      
   The CQ WW WPX Phone contest is coming up this weekend. This contest has a   
   "Rookie" category overlay for single operators that have been licensed for 3   
   years or less, and in 2015, KK4TXZ used his Yaesu FT-897 and wire antennas to   
   win that category in the US. According to Mark: "I didn't set my goal to be   
   the winner for the Rookie entry, but I did want to put in a good showing when   
   I started up." I asked Mark whether he had advice for entrants in the Rookie   
   category - see Mark's comments in Records and Results.   
      
   The next weekend, in addition to the Missouri and Mississippi QSO parties, the   
   4-hour-long North American SSB Sprint Contest will occur. Sprints have a   
   unique format, where camping on a frequency is specifically disallowed. You   
   can call CQ on a frequency and work someone, but then it's "their" frequency.   
   You have to move. They get to work someone that calls them, then they have to   
   move. It's fast-paced and can be exciting, fun, and frustrating all at once.   
   There's even a prize drawing among logs submitted with more than 50 contacts.   
   If you're thinking of entering, read the rules on the website, understand the   
   exchange format, and make sure your logging program can handle it. The NA SSB   
   Sprint has experienced a resurgence recently. In February 2015, 367 logs were   
   sent in -- the most ever for this event.   
      
      
   BULLETINS   
      
   2016 August UHF Contest Cancelled   
      
   ARRL's VHF Contest Revitalization Committee fielded dozens of comments from   
   members concerning possible changes to the annual UHF contest, historically   
   held on the first weekend of August each year. Many of the commenters   
   expressed dissatisfaction with the timing of the event; it occurred at the   
   hottest time of the year, and its placement on the contest calendar was too   
   close to other VHF/UHF events. In order to address member input, the   
   Revitalization Committee recommended to the Programs and Services Committee   
   (PSC) that the 2016 August UHF Contest be cancelled, and the PSC agreed with   
   the recommendation. The Revitalization Committee continues to study the   
   possibility of redesigning or replacing the August UHF Contest with a similar   
   event at another point in the calendar - possibly in the spring -- for 2017.   
   The Committee expects to solicit comments in the near future as it weighs   
   several design alternatives.   
      
      
   BUSTED QSOS   
      
   Roger, er, Correct!   
      
   Eric, K3NA, points out "In commercial communications (military, marine,   
   aeronautical), R (or 'roger') simply means 'I received your transmission.' C   
   (or 'correct') is used to answer a question in the positive... I know many   
   hams use 'R' to stand in for 'okay' or 'correct' -- but it really isn't proper   
   and can be confusing. To the extent that contesters, as highly competent radio   
   operators in demanding circumstances, may be called upon to assist in   
   communications emergencies, we should develop the discipline to use the   
   prowords/prosigns that we will find on other radio circuits."   
      
   Also regarding cut numbers, Alan, AD6E, noted: "Loggers generally do that   
   interpretation internally so if you log ATT then '100' appears in the log. Not   
   sure which loggers, as I'm a Writelog user. With WL, the power is NOT   
   translated, but in Sweepstakes it is translated for NR and CK. It would be   
   nice if things were consistent."   
      
   Links!   
      
   "Squeak," AD7K, noted that the correct URL for K1TTT's deconstruction of an   
   LED spotlight should be http://wiki.k1ttt.net/LED%20Bulb%20deconstruction.ashx.   
      
   Jim, KR9E, correctly noted that the links in the table of contents didn't go   
   anywhere. This was an unfortunate side effect of an uncaught failure of an   
   editing tool. I will endeavor to do better.   
      
      
   CONTEST SUMMARY   
      
   Complete information for all contests follows the Conversation section   
      
   March 24   
      
   CWops Mini-CWT Test   
      
   RSGB 80m Club Championship, SSB   
      
   March 25   
      
   QRP Fox Hunt   
      
   NCCC RTTY Sprint   
      
   NCCC Sprint   
      
   March 26   
      
   FOC QSO Party   
      
   CQ WW WPX Contest, SSB   
      
   March 28   
      
   Low Power Spring Sprint   
      
   March 30   
      
   Phone Fray   
      
   CWops Mini-CWT Test   
      
   UKEICC 80m Contest   
      
   March 31   
      
   CWops Mini-CWT Test   
      
   April 1   
      
   NCCC RTTY Sprint   
      
   NCCC Sprint   
      
   April 2   
      
   15-Meter SSTV Dash Contest   
      
   LZ Open 40m Sprint Contest   
      
   Mississippi QSO Party   
      
   Missouri QSO Party   
      
   SP DX Contest   
      
   EA RTTY Contest   
      
   April 3   
      
   Missouri QSO Party   
      
   North American SSB Sprint Contest   
      
   UBA Spring Contest, 6m   
      
   RSGB RoLo SSB   
      
   April 4   
      
   RSGB 80m Club Championship, CW   
      
   April 5   
      
   ARS Spartan Sprint   
      
   April 6   
      
   Phone Fray   
      
   CWops Mini-CWT Test   
      
   UKEICC 80m Contest   
      
      
   NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST   
      
   Big Guns, Little Pistols, and now "Pea Shooters?" Gary, NA6O, has a great   
   article in the Northern California Contest Club's February 2016 newsletter   
   entitled "Contesting with a Pea-Shooter Station." Gary's perspective is one of   
   attempting ham activities from "denied areas" like those subject to   
   restrictive CC&Rs, rental apartments, or other dampening influences. But his   
   article is really a fun read and chock full of practical advice and hints that   
   will make you a better operator, regardless of your situation.   
      
   Tony, N2TK, found better basement lighting performance after replacing his   
   fluorescent shop lights with Commercial Electric #54103161 35 W, 3200 Lumen   
   LED fixtures from Home Depot. Each fixture cost about $40 in his area. Besides   
   more light output than the two-tube T12 fixtures they were replacing, they   
   were also RF quiet as indicated on his Elecraft P3. He also was "inspired" to   
   replace 400 W of incandescent lighting in his garage. Four of the newer LED   
   fixtures supply more light than his old setup, with a net savings of 260 W.   
   (N2TK via Elecraft Reflector)   
      
   The Remote Ham Radio folks have had a youth program running for a number of   
   months where young operators are sponsored to use RHR's well-appointed network   
   of stations with the guidance of experienced operators. Check their website   
   for the program qualifications.   
      
      
   WORD TO THE WISE -- "Overlay Category"   
      
   A contest entry classification used in addition to a standard entry category   
   is an overlay category. An example is in the CQ WW WPX Contest, the "Single   
   Operator" category has a "TB-WIRES" overlay for those stations using a   
   tri-bander beam type of antenna for 20 through 10 meters, and wire antennas   
   for 160 through 40 meters.   
      
      
   SIGHTS AND SOUNDS   
      
   The SJRA ARRL-Affiliated Club Celebrates 100 years! The South Jersey Radio   
   Association was founded in 1916, and has been an ARRL Affiliated club since   
   1920. With 2016 being the one hundredth anniversary of its existence, and   
   number of activities are planned, including a 10-day QSO Party in June. Anyone   
   can become a Centennial member of the radio club, and participate as a club   
   member in the 2016 on-the-air activities.   
      
   Here are sounds of "grow op" RFI that George, K7HBN, had to deal with: "These   
   are clips of the most obnoxious elements of the noise, the interference also   
   included strong carriers throughout the HF spectrum from below 80 meters up to   
   about 15 meters. For instance, on 20 meters, there would be a strong carrier   
   at just below 14 MHz then one at 14.022, 14.024,14.026 14.044 and more through   
   the band and on a panafall display you could see these carriers randomly   
   spaced throughout the HF spectrum. Above about 21 MHz the noise was   
   characteristic of what you might expect from grow light ballasts. The noise on   
   15, 12, 10, and 6 meters was generally 15 to 25 over S9 compared to S1 or S2   
   when the lights or whatever were off. I think the noise on the clips may be   
   associated with some "irrigation" system. Although it took some time   
   initially, I was pleased with the response from the FCC inspector, and   
   hopefully this has been totally resolved."   
      
   The equipment is used for "indoor agricultural operations." It is not   
   permitted by FCC rules for equipment to radiate like this, but unfortunately   
   this situation has become more prevalent as state legalization and licensing   
   of marijuana grow operations has occurred. It may worsen even yet as   
   initiatives to legalize home growing make it through various state   
   legislatures. A state-licensed-and-legal grower should respond to a request to   
   eliminate this RFI, as they likely don't want the attention of any federal   
   (e.g. FCC) agency. A non-licensed operation is a different story. One would   
   think that keeping RFI to a minimum would be a financially prudent   
   minimization of energy costs, and help reduce the chances for detection by AM   
   radio.   
      
   Zone 38, Where are you? The Southern California Contest Club met at N6HC's   
   QTH, and some of the operators responsible for your Zone 38 contest   
   multipliers gathered for a group photo. (Thanks Marko, N5ZO)   
      
      
   RESULTS AND RECORDS   
      
   KP3Z and HK1NA were neck and neck during the 2016 ARRL DX Phone Contest. See   
   N6TV's interactive version   
      
   Bob, N6TV writes: "Here's an interactive chart I created to compare the   
   claimed scores of KP3Z (N6MJ, op) vs. HK1NA (N6KT, op) during the 2016 ARRL DX   
   Phone Contest, hour-by-hour. It was a very close horse race. After 28 hours,   
   they were less than 1000 points apart. At the finish, HK1NA had more QSOs, but   
   KP3Z had more multipliers, especially on 80 meters and 160 meters. Thanks to   
   Danny and Rich for sharing their logs with me."   
      
   "The CQ WW rate records have now been updated with details from the 2015 CW   
   logs. See http://www.cqww.com/rates/. We have also added the ability to select   
   rates by year. It is interesting to see how many high rate records were set in   
   2015." -- Randy, K5ZD   
      
   Logs received so far for the Spring Stew Perry are available.   
      
   As the USA winner of the CQ WW WPX SSB Rookie Single Operator category in   
   2015, Mark, KK4TXZ, has this advice for approaching the CQ WW WPX SSB Contest   
   next week:   
      
   The first words of wisdom I would provide are that you should get a good night   
   of rest prior to the contest, and expect that you're going to be hoarse   
   afterwards. Take breaks, even if it's for 15 minutes. You have to have off   
   time during the contest, so take a break every 1:45-2:00 hours while you're in   
   the chair. Make sure you are familiar with the rules of the class that you   
   plan on entering. Make sure that you are using the correct overlay for the   
   logging software that you choose to use (I use N1MM). I remember my first   
   contest that I made an entry into, I had selected the incorrect overlay, and   
   it pretty much made my entry null. Check the night before to make sure that   
   there haven't been any changes. There's been more than one instance where this   
   has happened.   
      
   The second is to perform a test on your equipment at least 2 hours prior to   
   the contest. It's good to do a SWR reading on your antennas to make sure that   
   everything is working outside of the shack. Once you have that within your   
   desired settings, then hook everything up, to ensure that no gremlins have   
   attacked it overnight.   
      
   Have a copy of Murphy's Laws in your shack, as well as a copy of your band   
   plan, to ensure you're operating within your license privileges. The night   
   prior to the contest, I checked everything out at my station, including the   
   antennas, and I left my PC running for the night. I was under the assumption   
   that I could just sit in the chair, and get to work. When the time to kick off   
   came, I got blown away by the high power stations. The key to performing well   
   is just patience, and persistence. If you can't get through to a station after   
   calling several times, move on the dial (if you're doing a S&P). I found that   
   the majority of the calls that I got through to happened after the big guns   
   were searching for "fresh meat". Make sure that your call is repeated back to   
   you correctly, and you confirm the call of the station when you record it in   
   your log (properly!). It's frustrating to have points deducted when you did   
   make a QSO, and to have those deductions made after you did make contact, but   
   human error caused recording of it to be inaccurate.   
      
   Lastly, I'd recommend that you set realistic goals for your experience. When I   
   entered, I wanted to just get some contesting experience, and as time went on,   
   I saw that my score was rising pretty darn quickly. Of course, the hour and a   
   half that I missed at the beginning while trying to get my logging/spotting   
   software to work out right didn't help, and rather frustrated me further   
   didn't help, but in the end, I found it to be a great learning experience!   
      
   Rick, N6RK, commenting on the recent Stew Perry contest: "I felt like a   
   slowpoke sending at 20 to 24 WPM while some stations were zooming along at 30   
   WPM. I just think that top band needs the slower speed. Rates are not high   
   enough that a few extra seconds per QSO matters in this contest. Also, you   
   actually lose time if high speed causes you to have to ask for a fill."   
      
      
   OPERATING TIP   
      
   In ARRL Contests, it's against the rules, and unethical, to "use more than one   
   call sign from any given station location in a single contest" - see Rule 3.3.   
   There is an exception, Rule 3.5, for shared use of a "family station," however   
   the operator must be different. According to Ward, N0AX: "One of the log   
   checkers has 'noticed' some folks working stations multiple times with   
   different calls -- club calls, old personal calls, etc. Once you know what to   
   look for, it's obvious in the logs. While this was once a relatively common   
   practice, it's frowned on (or illegal) today -- we should not do it. Don't   
   work your buddies with multiple calls - just don't."   
      
      
   TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION   
      
   AG1LE is controlling his KX3 from his Android phone. He's used a Raspberry Pi   
   2 as a server, along with a Mumble codec for the audio; those pieces could be   
   applicable to any rig.   
      
   "I've been playing with a pre-production model of the Arduino MKR1000 (Maker   
   1000) board using the Atmel ATSAMW25 SoC chip that includes Wi-Fi on a 'gum   
   stick' form factor board. It is super easy to do IoT (Internet of Things) with   
   it. Look for it to become available in the next few weeks at about the $20   
   price point." (Perry, K4PWO)   
      
   If you need a font for your website that has ASCII zero represented with a   
   slash, one choice is named Anonymous Pro. However, it's still a mono-spaced   
   font.   
      
   Radar is being developed by the military that uses a waveform that will be   
   hard to distinguish from noise. The lack of a identifiable signature will help   
   disguise its use. The amateur bands already are already subject to intrusion   
   by signals that we can today identify as radar. If this type of technology   
   becomes pervasive, will we just have more "noise?"   
      
   The Embedded Systems Conference is in Boston on April 13-14. If you're   
   involved in the embedded electronics industry, you may qualify for free   
   admission. While the focus is on embedded computers and IoT, at least one of   
   the exhibitors, Rohde & Schwarz, should be a familiar name from the RF side.   
      
      
   CONVERSATION   
      
   Contesting needs you...to share your station with new contesters!   
      
   "We need more young contesters!" - It's a familiar lament. It's driven by the   
   average reported age of recent contesting surveys, and the yearly   
   post-ARRL-Sweepstakes observations of the "first licensed" year part of the   
   exchange. A "head survey" at any meeting shows the predominant hair color   
   (when there is hair) to be gray.   
      
   "This is a problem we need to solve!" So we try. We demographic-   
   entroid-dwellers put together events and activities to convert non-contesters   
   to contesters. If we were selling something, and perhaps we are, we'd call   
   this the "funnel." A non-contester goes through a number of steps to learn of   
   contesting, learn about contesting, participate in contesting, and "become a   
   contester" by participating on their own. Improving our numbers is all about   
   understanding what we can do at each step of the way.   
      
   The "top of the funnel" is where a candidate gets exposure to contesting, like   
   at your club's Field Day operation at a local park. There could be non-hams   
   lurking about, so the answer to the question "What's amateur radio good for?"   
   should be crisp, relevant, and tuned to your audience, as some of the things   
   that made the hobby so full of the magic and wonder for us in our youth rate   
   just a "meh" from today's young people. "I like to enter contests where the   
   goal is to exchange information with as many people from as many different   
   countries around the world in a limited amount of time," is one I've used.   
      
   Stan, K5GO, who is on the Contest Advisory Committee subcommittee working on   
   youth in contesting issues, sent me an e-mail in which he suggested how the   
   use of a reasonably equipped station, with reasonable antennas for all bands   
   of relevance with guidance from a seasoned contester could accelerate the   
   "learning phase."   
      
   As a contester, consider making your station and your time available to   
   potential new contesters by inviting them over to help operate your station   
   for parts of other contests beyond Field Day and Kids Day. The goal will be to   
   "win" by having your guest operator(s) learn and have a positive experience.   
   You might want to recruit help from others in your contest or radio club, and   
   make sure you're sensitive to parental concerns about time commitments,   
   homework, supervision, and the like.   
      
   You should involve recruits in contest planning, including overall strategy,   
   and specific plans for their operating interval. Help them start to think like   
   a contester, considering band conditions, multipliers, rates, and the like -   
   tell them how you think about the contest and what you think is important. As   
   the control operator, you should plan to be closely monitoring operations   
   during the contest to answer questions and provide guidance. Also remember   
   that for DX contacts, if you have a non-licensed operator, third-party traffic   
   rules apply. Countries that are not on the third-party list may not be   
   contacted by an unlicensed operator.   
      
   Keep the operating session reasonably short and focused and be on the lookout   
   for fatigue or frustration from your contester-in-training. Try running,   
   searching and pouncing, and multiplier hunting as your candidate can absorb   
   the experiences. Be ready to modify your planned operation to keep it fun for   
   your guest.   
      
   If you do this, please share the results of your station-sharing effort with   
   Stan, K5GO, or send them to me and I'll forward them on.   
      
   73, Brian N9ADG   
      
   That's all of the contest update goodness for this time. Remember to send your   
   contesting related tips, techniques, surplus equipment, press releases,   
   errata, pictures, stories, blog links, and Twitter handles to co   
   test-update@arrl.org.   
      
      
   CONTESTS   
      
   24 Mar - 6 Apr 2016   
      
   An expanded, downloadable version of QST's Contest Corral in PDF format is   
   available. Check the sponsor's website for information on operating time   
   restrictions and other instructions.   
      
   HF CONTESTS   
      
   CWops Mini-CWT Test, Mar 23, 1300z to Mar 23, 1400z, Mar 23, 1900z to Mar 23,   
   2000z, Mar 24, 0300z to Mar 24, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m;   
   Member: Name + Member No., non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs   
   due: March 26.   
      
   RSGB 80m Club Championship, SSB, Mar 24, 2000z to Mar 24, 2130z; SSB; Bands:   
   80m Only; RS + Serial No.; Logs due: March 31.   
      
   QRP Fox Hunt, Mar 25, 0100z to Mar 25, 0230z; CW; Bands: 80m Only; RST +   
   (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: March 24.   
      
   NCCC RTTY Sprint, Mar 25, 0145z to Mar 25, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: (see rules);   
   Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: March 27.   
      
   NCCC Sprint, Mar 25, 0230z to Mar 25, 0300z; CW; Bands: (see rules); Serial   
   No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: March 27.   
      
   FOC QSO Party, Mar 26, 0000z to Mar 26, 2359z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15,   
   10, VHF; FOC-Member: RST + Name + Member No., non-Members: RST + Name; Logs   
   due: April 9.   
      
   CQ WW WPX Contest, SSB, Mar 26, 0000z to Mar 27, 2359z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80,   
   40, 20, 15, 10m; RS + Serial No.; Logs due: April 1.   
      
   Low Power Spring Sprint, Mar 28, 1400z to Mar 28, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80,   
   40, 20, 15, 10m; RST + 4-character grid square + power category (A/C/Q/X/Y);   
   Logs due: April 27.   
      
   Phone Fray, Mar 30, 0230z to Mar 30, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15m;   
   NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: April 1.   
      
   CWops Mini-CWT Test, Mar 30, 1300z to Mar 30, 1400z, Mar 30, 1900z to Mar 30,   
   2000z, Mar 31, 0300z to Mar 31, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m;   
   Member: Name + Member No., non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs   
   due: April 2.   
      
   UKEICC 80m Contest, Mar 30, 2000z to Mar 30, 2100z; CW; Bands: 80m Only;   
   4-Character grid square; Logs due: March 30.   
      
   NCCC RTTY Sprint, Apr 1, 0145z to Apr 1, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: (see rules);   
   Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: April 3.   
      
   NCCC Sprint, Apr 1, 0230z to Apr 1, 0300z; CW; Bands: (see rules); Serial No.   
   + Name + QTH; Logs due: April 3.   
      
   15-Meter SSTV Dash Contest, Apr 2, 0000z to Apr 3, 2359z; SSTV; Bands: 15m   
   Only; WSSTVC-Member: RSV + "W" + 4-digit member no., non-Members: RSV + Serial   
   No.; Logs due: April 18.   
      
   LZ Open 40m Sprint Contest, Apr 2, 0400z to Apr 2, 0800z; CW; Bands: 40m Only;   
   3-Digit Serial No. + 3-Digit Serial No. received from last QSO; Logs due:   
   April 12.   
      
   Mississippi QSO Party, Apr 2, 1400z to Apr 3, 0200z; CW, SSB, Digital; Bands:   
   80, 40, 20, 15, 10, VHF/UHF; MS: RS(T) + county, non-MS: RS(T) +   
   (state/province/country); Logs due: April 30.   
      
   Missouri QSO Party, Apr 2, 1400z to Apr 3, 0400z, Apr 3, 1400z to Apr 3,   
   2000z; CW, Phone, Digital; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, VHF/UHF; MO: RS(T)   
   + county, non-MO W/VE: RS(T) + (state/province/territory), DX: RS(T) + "DX";   
   Logs due: May 3.   
      
   SP DX Contest, Apr 2, 1500z to Apr 3, 1500z; CW, SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20,   
   15, 10m; SP: RS(T) + 1-character province, non-SP: RS(T) + Serial No.; Logs   
   due: April 30.   
      
   EA RTTY Contest, Apr 2, 1600z to Apr 3, 1600z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15,   
   10m; EA: RSQ + province, non-EA: RSQ + Serial No.; Logs due: April 18.   
      
   North American SSB Sprint Contest, Apr 3, 0000z to Apr 3, 0400z; SSB; Bands:   
   80, 40, 20m; [other station's call] + [your call] + [serial no.] + [your name]   
   + [your state/province/country]; Logs due: April 10.   
      
   RSGB RoLo SSB, Apr 3, 1900z to Apr 3, 2030z; SSB; Bands: 80m Only; RST +   
   previous postcode received; Logs due: April 10.   
      
   RSGB 80m Club Championship, CW, Apr 4, 1900z to Apr 4, 2030z; CW; Bands: 80m   
   Only; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: April 11.   
      
   ARS Spartan Sprint, Apr 5, 0100z to Apr 5, 0300z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15,   
   10m; RST + (state/province/country) + Power; Logs due: April 7.   
      
   Phone Fray, Apr 6, 0230z to Apr 6, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15m;   
   NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: April 8.   
      
   CWops Mini-CWT Test, Apr 6, 1300z to Apr 6, 1400z, Apr 6, 1900z to Apr 6,   
   2000z, Apr 7, 0300z to Apr 7, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m;   
   Member: Name + Member No., non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs   
   due: April 8.   
      
   UKEICC 80m Contest, Apr 6, 2000z to Apr 6, 2100z; CW; Bands: 80m Only;   
   4-Character grid square; Logs due: April 6.   
      
   VHF+ CONTESTS   
      
   UBA Spring Contest, 6m, Apr 3, 0600z to Apr 3, 1000z; CW, Phone; Bands: 6m   
   Only; ON: RS(T) + Serial No. + UBA Section, non-ON: RS(T) + Serial No.; Logs   
   due: April 17.   
      
   See the Mississippi and Missouri QSO Parties, above.   
      
   LOG DUE DATES   
      
   March 24, 2016   
      
    *  QRP Fox Hunt   
      
   March 25, 2016   
      
    *  Phone Fray   
    *  SKCC Sprint   
      
   March 26, 2016   
      
    *  Feld Hell Sprint   
    *  QRP Fox Hunt   
    *  CWops Mini-CWT Test   
      
   March 27, 2016   
      
    *  NCCC Sprint   
    *  Run for the Bacon QRP Contest   
    *  UBA Spring Contest, 2m   
    *  NCCC RTTY Sprint   
      
   March 28, 2016   
      
    *  Stew Perry Topband Challenge   
    *  EA PSK63 Contest   
    *  BARTG HF RTTY Contest   
      
   March 29, 2016   
      
    *  South Carolina QSO Party   
    *  South America 10 Meter Contest   
      
   March 31, 2016   
      
    *  AGCW QRP Contest   
    *  AGCW YL-CW Party   
    *  RSGB 80m Club Championship, SSB   
      
   April 2, 2016   
      
    *  Nauryz DX Contest   
      
   April 3, 2016   
      
    *  SARL VHF/UHF Analogue/Digital Contest   
    *  UBA Spring Contest, SSB   
    *  WAB 3.5 MHz Phone   
    *  Russian DX Contest   
      
   April 4, 2016   
      
    *  AGCW VHF/UHF Contest   
      
   April 5, 2016   
      
    *  NSARA Contest   
    *  ARRL Inter. DX Contest, SSB   
    *  Bucharest Contest   
      
      
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   ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS   
      
   ARRL Contest Update wishes to acknowledge information from WA7BNM's Contest   
   Calendar and SM3CER's Contest Calendar.   
      
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   )\/(ark   
      
   Always Mount a Scratch Monkey   
      
   ... Pudding is historic.   
   ---   
    * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)