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The ARRL Contest Update
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
September 14, 2011
Editor: Ward Silver, N0AX
==> IN THIS ISSUE
- Shake, Diddle, and Roll - CQ WW RTTY
- Fall VHF Sprints - 144, 222 MHz
- New ARRL Sweepstakes Manager
- Maker Faire - New York City
- Giant 40 Meter Antennas Going Up
- CQ WW Logs - Analysed!
- Tips for Trouble-Free Tuning
- You Can Dig It
- Another Good Idea
NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO
If you want to try working "over the pole", the Scandinavian Activity
Contest is just what you need! The North American Phone Sprint is
hectic, especially with the special QSY rule, but a lot of fun and a
good workout.
BULLETINS
There are no bulletins in this issue.
BUSTED QSOS
The Guam call sign of Dave N2NL is NH2T, not KH2L as reported in the
previous issue. You were going to copy that off the air and not use my
busted spot, weren't you? Of course! (Thanks, Dan K1TO)
CONTEST SUMMARY
Complete information for all contests follows the Conversation section
Sep 17-18
- CWops Monthly Mini-CWT Test-- CW (Sep 14)
- ARRL 10 GHz Cumulative Contest
- Connecticut QSO Party
- CIS DX PSK Contest--Digital
- Scandinavian Activity Contest--CW
- South Carolina QSO Party
- Feld-Hell Hell on Wheels Sprint
- Washington State Salmon Run
- North American Sprint--Phone
- Classic Exchange--Phone
- BARTG Sprint 75--Digital
- Fall VHF Sprint--144 MHz (Sep 19)
- Run For the Bacon--CW (Sep 19)
Sep 24-25
- NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint--CW (Sep 22)
- ARRL EME Contest
- CQ WW RTTY Contest
- Texas QSO Party
- Fall VHF Sprint--222 MHz (Sep 27)
- Fall QRP Homebrewer Sprint--CW (Sep 27)
==> NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST
The ARRL Sweepstakes has a new
manager, Larry Hammel K5OT! After discovering the Novice Roundup and
Sweepstakes in QST, Larry also noticed the exploits of Vic Clark W4KFC.
"I wanted to know more, so I wrote him a letter filled with a list of
crazy questions about contesting and operating techniques. What
followed was magical. Vic actually wrote me back and we traded letters
and then contest QSOs during the next few years. I never met this
contesting/SS legend in person, but his simple efforts to mentor a
young contest enthusiast made an indelible impression on me." An
officer of the Central Texas DX and Contest Club, Larry has operated
from home and from many contest stations, "...but there is nothing like
SS each fall! Sweepstakes has an amazing history and tradition to
uphold, and Ken K5KA (SK) and Dan K1TO have each made incomparable
contributions to increased SS activity and enjoyment. These are huge
shoes to fill, but I welcome the chance." Expect to see more from Larry
in this newsletter's upcoming issues.
Fans of the "American Pickers" TV show may also be interested in the
Antique Technology website and stores
in LeClaire, Iowa and Nashville, Tennessee. I got to visit the
Nashville store with Kirk K4RO on a recent vacation and found it full
of fascinating stuff...but no old radios! My steam-powered radio
aficionado readers will surely want to help them include antique
wireless in their displays!
Oops! PileUp! magazine
did it again with a 52-page issue focused on the upcoming Scandinavian
Activity Contest and articles like "The
Perfect Amplifier". Look for another issue in November. You'll be able
to find out who prevailed in the annual "Polar Battle"! (Thanks from
the editors, OH1WZ, OH6KZP & OH7WV)
Sad news from the HG6N team - "...at the broadcast site the HG6N
crew got from Antenna Hungaria Broadcasting Company...thieves cut off
about 1 km of open bronze feed line. The USA/CA branch is fully
destroyed." You can see some feed line pieces left behind in the photo.
(Thanks, Zoli HA1AG)
The April issue of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine (Vol. 53,
No. 2) includes an interesting look at very early wireless technology.
The Historical Corner article by Sándor Jeszensky - "From Electric
Oscillations to Marconi's Wireless Telegraph" - spans the six decades
between Faraday's experiments and Marconi's radio. There are some
eye-catching photographs and reproductions of old drawings. How we got
from there to here is a fascinating story. The article may be available
through professional societies or via your local library's help desk.
You've built the amplifier...now what? How about Electric Drag Racing
as described in
this Design News story?
Contest veterans will well remember the call sign of Doc K8RR,
originally WA8ZDF then KN8Z, who became a Silent Key today. As Tom K8AZ
recounts, "Doc was a true larger-than-life legend out here in flyover
country (the U.S. Midwest - Ed.), and did much to show that contest
success from west of the Allegheny mountains COULD be achieved."
Web Site of the Week - Maker Faire
returns to New York this
weekend on September 17 and 18. It will be held at the New York Hall of
Science in Queens. The Hall of Science Radio Club will be on hand to
demonstrate ham radio (look for the Science Maker entry titled "Build
Antennas to Talk Around the World".) There are a number of "mini" Maker
Faires coming up in cities around the country - perhaps your radio club
could help present ham radio to these motivated makers?
WORD TO THE WISE
Read the rules BEFORE the contest, runic though they may be! How much
off-time and how long are the breaks? Where are the power limits set?
Can single-ops use the spotting networks? Don't embarrass yourself by
having to back-track after the contest, submitting in a category you
didn't know you had entered!
==> SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
Live vicariously through YouTube as Craig K9CT shows us W2GD and K4ZA
managing the process of putting his big 40 meter Yagi stack
on a 190-foot tower! The
RD3A team takes a slightly different approach to putting up their
5-element cannon . We can
dream, can't we? (Thanks, Tim K3LR and Randy K5ZD)
Here's one way to stay fit while you're contesting - pedal your way
to that special QTH! Take a look as K6BBQ shows us his mobile tricycle
station
in the recent North American QSO Party. (Thanks, Randy K5ZD)
The Orca DX Club's web page is certainly packed
full of information for DXers and contesters alike, such as the "Orca
Pod" propagation package - nicely packaged and very useful! (Thanks,
Bud VA7ST)
==> RESULTS AND RECORDS
CQ WW 2010 logs have been processed by Stan EI6DX's Analyser
and the results are now
available for analysis and preparation for CWWW 2011. Comparing 2010 to
2009: SSB logs were on the rise (6182 vs 5706 in 2009) but CW
submissions were down - 5342 vs 5522 in 2009 or 3.25% lower. Despite
lower number of logs submitted 2010 CW broke the 70,000 QSOs per hour
threshold for the very first time. This is the highest rate observed
since logs became public in 2007. The winning hour was 15:00 on the
first day when 70.449 QSOs were made. Learn more at the Analyser
website!
Brian K9QQ has now updated the Society of Midwest Contesters list of
Sprint records following last
weekend's CW event. This might give your club some ideas about tracking
and listing record-holding members to spur interest and recognize good
work!
OPERATING TIP
Arrgh - be prepared for those
Maritime Mobile stations on September 19th, me hearties! (Thanks, Gail
KB6EZB)
==> TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION
Tom W8JI cautions us against tuning up an amplifier
at reduced power because the
output matching network controls (TUNE and LOAD) won't be set properly
when operating at full power. The low-power tuning increases loaded Q
in the tank circuit, leading to high voltage and heating. "Even with a
3-kilovolt supply, you can create over 10,000 volts in the tank by
peaking (output) power at low drive and then increasing drive. That can
put you off the air with capacitor or bandswitch failures." This is
illustrated by a low-voltage demonstration
on Tom's website. For best
performance and the least distortion (splatter) Tom recommends, "adjust
at full power and then reduce drive to the legal power. This way the
bandwidth before readjustment is required as wide as possible and
changes in SWR as antennas are changed does not have a negative impact.
It is almost always much easier on the amplifier and other people to
over-couple (load at higher power) and then back off." You can read
more on Tom's website.
The September issue of "The Black Hole
" newsletter of the
Society of Midwest Contesters features some photos by Mike W9RE of his
big homemade 20 meter Yagis showing building and lifting technique.
Learn from a master!
Tower climbing pro, Dan K1TO, points out that thrust bearing bolts are
not designed to support a heavy mast as described in the previous
issue. The way to do this properly is to have at least one muffler
clamp with a saddle (or better yet, two saddles with through bolts)
tightened securely to prevent any downward slippage of the mast while
moving the rope attachment point.
When installing antennas on a mast, don't forget to leave a "rotator
loop" in the feed lines to allow the antennas to turn without pulling
on the cables! As Steve K7LXC points out, "There are two rotator loop
methods. One has the cable(s) coming off the mast with 5-6 extra feet
to just hang off the tower and follows the mast around as it turns. The
other way is to loop the cable(s) 2-3 times around the bottom of the
mast at the flat top of the tower 2-3 times. The cables sit on the
tower top and allow lots of rotation. Either way works Fine Business."
New digital scopes have some excellent features previously too
expensive for ham gear, such as the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). If
you would like to learn more about how this feature works, EE Times
magazine sponsored a webinar on "FFT and frequency analysis using an
oscilloscope " presented by
Rohde and Schwartz. Many other technical topics are represented in the
list of available programs.
Hans, PA1HR has compiled a very nice table of measurements
showing a
comprehensive view of many transceivers evaluated in ARRL Product
Reviews. Maybe this will help you win a few arguments at the
meeting-after-the-meeting when the talk turns to rig performance!
(Thanks, Glenn K6NA)
I wonder if Gem Quad knows about the new kind
of wire
that is spun from sapphire crystals? It is supposedly of much higher
conductivity than plain, old copper but might be hard to solder!
Bob K4HJF has a great idea to save builders some significant scratch -
he uses surplus test equipment chassis for his projects. These
beautiful and sturdy cabinets are made with top-quality hardware and
are easily "repurposed" for ham projects, such as his new 2 meter
amplifier. You'll see many obsolete pieces of gear selling for "get it
out of here" prices at hamfests, so take one home and salvage the many
useful components, leaving yourself a nice looking enclosure.
Radioshack has announced "The Great Create "
- a contest to come up with the most interesting creations made using
Radio Shack parts. I'm sure the readers of this newsletter can come up
with some thought-provoking (good or bad) entries!
Popular Mechanics' "PM Saturday"
column describes a one-afternoon project just right for non-contest
weekends. The October 2011 issue's project is a T-shirt cannon made
from PVC pipe and an irrigation valve. I don't know about you, but when
I see "t-shirt cannon", I think "antenna in tree"...I'm just sayin'.
Technical Web Site of the Week - Admit it! When the contractor shows up
to dig the hole for a tower base or whatever, don't you wish you were
in the seat of that machine, working the levers and moving that dirt?
Don't sigh so deeply! Next time you are in Las Vegas, stop by Dig This
and spend a little time with their toys
pushing the desert around to your heart's content!
==> CONVERSATION
Another Good Idea - Friendship Radiosport Games
Tree N6TR recently visited UA0C (Khabarovsk) as an official in the
very-WRTC-like radiosport games he describes below. He graciously
agreed to write a short article describing the events and I'm sure you
will find it and the pictures interesting. At a time when meetings and
hamfests are responding to challenges of attendance, it is good to read
of an event doing well and attracting visitors from around the world!
73, Ward N0AX
The Tenth Friendship Radiosport Games
were held
last month in Khabarovsk, Russia. These games started up in 1989 as a
result of a sister city agreement between Khabarovsk and Portland,
Oregon. Over the years, participation has grown to include other sister
cities in the Pacific Rim including Victoria, British Columbia;
Niigata, Japan; Harbin, China; Bucheon, South Korea; and Melbourne,
Australia. The games themselves have been held in Russia, Japan,
Canada, and the United States.
The "father" of the games is Yvegeny "Eugene" Stavitksy, UA0CA. It
was his vision that enabled the first games to take plan in Russia
during the Cold War in 1989. The events held during the games include
Morse code copying and sending tests, a Morse code pileup test, foxhunt
and on-air competition. In addition to these events, several excursions
take place, enabling participants to get a flavor of the area they are
visiting. Most of the people travelling from foreign countries are put
up in the homes of the hosting hams.
The Morse code copying and sending tests use code groups so as not to
give an advantage to native speakers of any language. The sending test
uses a unique method to assure that skills are distributed amongst the
use of a hand-key, bug and electronic keyer. There are five code groups
that must be sent with a hand-key, followed by ten code groups that can
be sent with either a hand-key or a bug. Finally, there are ten more
code groups that can be sent using any method including an electronic
keyer. The final score is the total time that it takes to send the
three groups with a penalty of ten seconds for each uncorrected error.
The winner of this event, Alexander Savin UA0CDX, only used the
hand-key to send all of the groups. He combined an error free
performance with a steady rhythm to send his three segments in just 83
seconds.
The receiving test consists of seven code groups starting at 10 WPM
and increments by 2 WPM up to 60 WPM. Participants must copy at least
five of the seven groups correctly to qualify for a given speed. The
typical winning score at these events has been around 34 WPM. Following
the receiving test, a pile-up tape is played and the scores are how
many correct call-signs were copied. The winner of the code copying
contest this time was Oleg Danko, UA0CO. Alex Turkin, RW0CR won the
pile-up contest with 70 calls.
A special "Iron Man" award is given to the person who has the highest
combined score from the three events. Each event awards 100 points to
the winner. The other people get a weighted number of points based upon
how well they did compared to the winner. This year's Iron Man was Oleg
Danko, UA0CO.
The HF Contest was an all-day event. There were six teams competing
and each operated from the same six stations for about 45 minutes each.
The logistics to get the teams shuttled around to different locations
were complicated - but pulled off without a hitch. Special call signs
were used - with the prefix RG20. This helped generate some nice
pileups on the bands with one competitor even working "up 1". A
multiplier of X2 was given to CW QSOs, and the USA team stuck to CW to
generate the number one score and take the Gold Medal in this event.
This event was a great way to make some new friends and better
understand the culture of a faraway place. It once again shows how ham
radio can help bring the world together and create a better place for
us to live.
73, Tree N6TR
==> CONTESTS
14 September through 27 September
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
CWops Monthly Mini-CWT Test--CW, from Sep 14, 1300Z to Sep 15, 0400Z,
see website, multiple operating periods, twice monthly on 2nd and 4th
Wed. Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. Frequencies: 18 to 28 kHz above band edge.
Exchange: Name and member number or S/P/C. Logs due: 2 days. Rules
Connecticut QSO Party--Phone, CW, Digital, from Sep 17, 0000Z to Sep
17, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Frequencies: See website. Exchange:
RS(T) and CT county or S/P/C. Logs due: 30 days. Rules
CIS DX PSK Contest--Digital, from Sep 17, 1200Z to Sep 18, 1200Z. Bands
(MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST and DXDA code. Logs due: 15 days. Rules
Scandinavian Activity Contest--CW, from Sep 17, 1200Z to Sep 18, 1200Z.
Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST and serial. Logs due: Oct 2. Rules
South Carolina QSO Party--Phone, CW, Digital, from Sep 17, 1300Z to Sep
18, 2100Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28, 50+, Frequencies: CW--1.805, 50 kHz
above band edge; Phone--1.845, 3.86, 7.261, 14.27, 21.37, 28.37.
Exchange: RS(T) and county or S/P/C. Logs due: Oct 20. Rules
Feld-Hell Hell on Wheels Sprint--Digital, from Sep 17, 1600Z to Sep 17,
1800Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Monthly on 3rd Saturday. Exchange: RST,
S/P/C, Feld-Hell member nr. Logs due: 7 days. Rules
Washington State Salmon Run--Phone, CW, Digital, from Sep 17, 1600Z to
Sep 18, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, Frequencies: See website.
Exchange: RS(T) and county or S/P/C. Logs due: Oct 18. Rules
North American Sprint--Phone, from Sep 18, 0000Z to Sep 18, 0400Z.
Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. Exchange: Call signs, serial, name, and state.
Logs due: 7 days. Rules
Classic Exchange-- Phone, from Sep 18, 1300Z to Sep 19, 0700Z. Bands
(MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, Frequencies: SSB--1.885, 3.87, 7.28, 14.27,
21.37, 28.39; AM--1.89, 3.88, 7.16, 7.29, 14.286, 21.42, 29.0.
Exchange: Name, RS, S/P/C, type of equipment. Logs due: 60 days. Rules
BARTG Sprint 75--Digital, from Sep 18, 1700Z to Sep 18, 2100Z. Bands
(MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: Serial. Logs due: Nov 1. Rules
Run For the Bacon--CW, from Sep 19, 0100Z to Sep 19, 0300Z. Bands
(MHz): 1.8-28. Monthly on 3rd Sunday night (local). Exchange: RST,
S/P/C, Flying Pig nr or power. Rules
NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint--CW, from Sep 22, 0030Z to Sep 22, 0230Z.
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
CQ WW RTTY Contest--Digital, from Sep 24, 0000Z to Sep 25, 2400Z. Bands
(MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST, CQ zone and State/VE area (US/VE). Logs
due: Nov 1. Rules
Texas QSO Party--Phone, CW, Digital, from Sep 24, 1400Z, multiple
operating periods, see website. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144,
Frequencies: CW--20 to 50 kHz above band edge; Phone--25 kHz above edge
of General segment. Exchange: RS(T), county or S/P/C. Logs due: Oct 31.
Rules
Fall QRP Homebrewer Sprint--CW, from Sep 27, 0000Z to Sep 27, 0400Z.
Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and power. Logs due: 30
days. Rules
VHF+ CONTESTS
ARRL 10 GHz Cumulative Contest--Phone, CW, Digital, from Sep 17, 6 AM
to Sep 18, 12 Midnight. Bands (MHz): 10G+. Exchange: 6-character grid
locator. Logs due: Oct 19. Rules
ARRL EME Contest--Phone, CW, Digital, from Sep 24, 0000Z to Sep 25,
2400Z. Bands (MHz): 2.3G+. Exchange: Call signs, sig rpt,
acknowledgement. Logs due: Dec 20. Rules
South Carolina QSO Party--Phone, CW, Digital, from Sep 17, 1300Z to Sep
18, 2100Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28, 50+, Frequencies: CW--1.805, 50 kHz
above band edge; Phone--1.845, 3.86, 7.261, 14.27, 21.37, 28.37.
Exchange: RS(T) and county or S/P/C. Logs due: Oct 20. Rules
Washington State Salmon Run--Phone, CW, Digital, from Sep 17, 1600Z to
Sep 18, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, Frequencies: See website.
Exchange: RS(T) and county or S/P/C. Logs due: Oct 18. Rules
Classic Exchange-- Phone, from Sep 18, 1300Z to Sep 19, 0700Z. Bands
(MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, Frequencies: SSB--1.885, 3.87, 7.28, 14.27,
21.37, 28.39; AM--1.89, 3.88, 7.16, 7.29, 14.286, 21.42, 29.0.
Exchange: Name, RS, S/P/C, type of equipment. Logs due: 60 days. Rules
Fall VHF Sprint--Phone, CW, Digital, from Sep 19, 7 PM to Sep 19, 11
PM. Bands (MHz): 144. Exchange: 4-character grid square. Logs due: 4
weeks. Rules
Texas QSO Party--Phone, CW, Digital, from Sep 24, 1400Z, multiple
operating periods, see website. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144,
Frequencies: CW--20 to 50 kHz above band edge; Phone--25 kHz above edge
of General segment. Exchange: RS(T), county or S/P/C. Logs due: Oct 31.
Rules
Fall VHF Sprint--Phone, CW, Digital, from Sep 27, 7 PM to Sep 27, 11
PM. Bands (MHz): 222. Exchange: 4-character grid square. Logs due: 4
weeks. Rules
==> LOG DUE DATES
14 September through 27 September
September 15 - MMMonVHF/DUBUS 144 MHz Meteorscatter Sprint Contest
September 15 - Brazil Independence Day BPSK31 CDX Contest
September 15 - NAQCC-EU Monthly Sprint
September 16 - SKCC Weekend Sprint
September 17 - North American Sprint, CW
September 19 - DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest
September 20 - RSGB SSB Field Day
September 21 - Keyman's Club of Japan Contest
September 25 - Kulikovo Polye Contest
September 26 - Ohio QSO Party
September 27 - YO DX HF Contest
==> 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) 2011 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All
Rights Reserved
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Address all comments and questions to the editor as described in this
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