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The ARRL Contest Update
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
October 12, 2011
Editor: Ward Silver, N0AX
==> IN THIS ISSUE
- High and Low - Fall VHF+ Sprints and Stew Perry Warmup
- Big Windy - New York and Illinois QSO Parties
- Looking Up Down Under
- BBC Radio 4 Bottled Up
- CQ WW 2011 Webinar Available
- 2011 June VHF Extended Results Coming Real Soon
- Waterproofing the Broadcast Way
- Break Out the Clubs
NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO
The largest phone contest of the year - CQ World Wide SSB
- is right around the corner. It's the biggest
sporting event the rest of the world has never heard of with 30,000 or
more individual participants! Before filling your log with DX, the ARRL
School Club Roundup and
Jamboree On the Air are
great ways to make contact with our younger operators - give them a
call!
BULLETINS
There are no bulletins in this issue.
BUSTED QSOS
The editor is blissfully unaware of any sins of commission or omission
in the last issue.
CONTEST SUMMARY
Complete information for all contests follows the Conversation section
Oct 15-16
- ARRL School Club Roundup (Oct 17-21)
- NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint--CW (Oct 12)
- CWops Monthly Mini-CWT Test (Oct 12)
- Great Pumpkin Sprint--Digital
- Arucaria VHF Contest
- JARTS WW RTTY Contest
- 10-10 Fall CW QSO Party
- QRP ARCI Fall QSO Party--CW
- Iowa QSO Party
- New York QSO Party
- Worked All Germany
- Asia-Pacific Sprint--CW
- Illinois QSO Party
- Spooky Feld-Hell Sprint
- Run For the Bacon--CW (Oct 17)
Oct 22-23
- ARRL EME Contest
- Fall VHF Sprints (902+ MHz)
- FOC QSO Party--CW
- Scandinavian YLRA Contest
- Stew Perry Warmup Contest--CW
- W/VE Islands QSO Party
==> NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST
Happy birthday to the legendary Parkes radio telescope antenna - thanks
for 50 years of service
as of 31 October! Seen in the movie, "The Dish" (highly recommended -
Ed.), the antenna was a crucial element in the early years of the
United States' manned space program. 64 meters across, the facility is
located in New South Wales, Australia, not far from its namesake town.
Your Noise is My Command
is a paper on using the body as a sense antenna for touch-type control
explores the electromagnetic environment of the typical home. It makes
for very interesting reading as to how the RF "fog" can be used as the
basis for control by using gestures. No word on what happens when
strong local contest-style RF is about but perhaps our emissions could
eventually change from bugs to features! (Thanks, Brian K1BRF)
Eminently less approachable than the BBC's programmes, the Russian
Short Wave Radio Enigma
was featured in a
recent Wired magazine story. The station, on 4625 kHz LSB if you're
interested, transmits what are thought to be messages to a far-flung
espionage empire.
"Ham's Eye View
" -
a blog on ham radio-related topics - has been inaugurated for the
electrical and electronic engineering magazine EDN in their website's
Planet Analog section. The author is WRTC 2014 chair and perennial
inhabitant of Top Ten contest results, Doug Grant, K1DG.
George VE3ERP is retiring from maintaining his HAMCALC
package
of calculators for radio problems. Updating the literally dozens of
small utilities to run with current operating systems may be under way
by other volunteers but for now development will stop at the current
version, 129. We thank George for his years of service (the package was
first released in 1995) and the valuable contribution to ham radio!
In between the great openings on the high bands, a contest that is
running 24/7 is just over your heads. The ARISSat-1
satellite has a lot of orbits left before it
hits the skids, so to speak, but if you have a good prediction for the
date of its demise, you should enter the ARISSat Chicken Little Contest
which ends on
Oct 15th, possibly along with ARISSat-1. While it's still whirling
around up there, ARISSat-1 is transmitting the call signs of famous
hams via CW on 145.92 MHz. Copy those call signs and enter the CW
contest with information as shown at the satellite's website. This
might be especially fun for student teams! (Thanks, AMSAT
bulletin ANS-282)
Tiny San Marino, T7, is one of the world's smallest DXCC entities.
(Quick! What are the other two nano-entities within the borders of
Italy. Answers below...) This NY Times story
provides some interesting background on one of our favorite
multipliers. (Thanks, Brian N9ADG)
Citigroup researchers might want to listen to 20 meters during the
upcoming CQ WW SSB contest before deciding there might not be a
spectrum shortage
.
There seems to be quite a bit of spectrum that was purchased
speculatively but is as yet unused.
If you want to give a little emphasis in an email without coming across
as shouting, here's a suggestion: Place asterisks around what you want
to be noticed - for example, *notice this* instead of NOTICE THIS. Many
browsers, wikis, and other text-display software will display text
between asterisks in bold font. This lets you get your point across
more politely. Of course, if you really WANT to shout, the CAPS LOCK
key is just a pinky away.
If you are looking for Jamboree On the Air stations this weekend,
here's a link to the Boy Scouts of
America information page that includes an updated list of stations
registered for JOTA activity.
Web Site of the Week - Long may it wave...but not much longer. The
transmissions of BBC's station Radio 4
on 198 kHz emanate from a pair of meter-high "valves" that are
irreplaceable. Once the remaining store of the big bottles is gone, the
broadcasts may well go dark. On the air since 1926 and serving areas
out of range of FM stations, transmission moved to 200 kHz in 1934 and
then to 198 kHz where it can be found today. (Thanks, Tomas NW7US)
WORD TO THE WISE
Acrostic - The last issue's wonderings about "hamonyms" made from the
letters of a call sign prodded Paul WB2ABD to respond, "I believe those
are called "acrostics "." That's
as close as I've seen - perhaps we should call them "hamcrostics".
==> SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
Last week's webinar, "CQ WW Update 2011" hosted by K3EST, KR2Q, and
K1AR is now available on the Potomac Valley Radio Club's
website under the "Recorded Webinars" link.
(Thanks, Ken K4ZW)
The recent Pacific NW VHF Society convention was held in scenic
Bend, Oregon and well-documented in this Picasa photo album
.
Check out the double-rainbow-sunrise picture! Other pictures put faces
behind familiar call signs from the Northwest - good job, host
committee! (Thanks, Barry WA7KVC)
If you think you might want to see what the rocket sees, here's a
terrific video from within Derek Deville's Qu8k
("quake") as
it ascends from the floor of the Nevada desert to 121,000 feet in a few
seconds - an attempt to claim the Carmack Prize
. This would
definitely be in the High Power category!
==> RESULTS AND RECORDS
The extended version of the 2011 ARRL June VHF QSO Party results - an
excellent piece by Rick K1DS - will be online
in a day or two for your
reading enjoyment! There is a very nice adventureroverama by Steve
N2CEI and Sandra K4SME, as well. (Thanks, ARRL Contest Branch Manager,
Sean KX9X)
Chris 9A5K has developed new contest log processing software for the
latest EU Spring Sprint contests. The results for CW
and Phone
are now online. (Thanks to the EU Sprint Committee)
Those two entities are: 1A0 (Sov. Order of the Knights of Malta) and
the Vatican (HV).
OPERATING TIP
Pat WW9R contributes this tip for computer logging - "I find it helpful
to run a strip of masking tape above the Function keys and mark what
each one does. Then, in the heat of the battle or when you get really
tired, you can find all the messages! I fill all available CW messages
with something like "73""GL" "?" "AGN" and the individual parts of the
exchange; sometimes a slowed-down version of the exchange so I don't
need to touch the CW speed setting."
==> TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION
Howie WA4PSC posted this extended set of instructions that describe the
broadcast industry standard for weatherproofing coaxial cable
connections. Adapt to your own circumstances.
When sealed correctly in the following manner the weatherproofing will
last for years and withstand just about any weather. When cut open for
service, the mated connected pair will be dry and shiny. This is the
broadcast industry standard - others may have different methods that
work well for them so the usual caveats apply. Since ham radio is a
hobby, there is less financial pressure to make installations
bulletproof but if the weatherproofing fails atop a tower in the dead
of winter, you will rue the day you didn't do the job right.
1) Arrange the cable so that it can form a drip loop near the
connector. Keeping water away from the connector is important. Support
the cable at or near the drip loop to reduce flexing at the connector
which can cause weatherproofing failure.
2) Thoroughly clean the connector body/cable/antenna connector body
where the weatherproofing will be applied. Adhesion is greatly degraded
by dust or grease.
3) Lay down a flat, non-wrinkled single layer of 3/4" Scotch electrical
tape extending several inches out on the cable jacket and/or antenna
connector and covering the mated connector bodies. This provides a
clean surface for the self-fusing butyl tape layer and protects the
connectors from the butyl adhesive. Some recommend flipping the initial
layer upside-down over the connector to keep adhesive residue off of
the connector bodies but in my experience this is a non-issue if
quality tape is used, such as Scotch 33+ or 88+.
4) Apply a layer of self-fusing butyl tape, stopping an inch from each
end of the initial layer. This is the main waterproofing layer, so it
is important to keep the butyl warm and thoroughly massage it into a
homogenous mass around the the connector assembly. In the winter, keep
the rolls of tape and butyl inside your jacket or your arm pit until
use. It is also important to press it into grooves and attempt to mold
the outside surface of the butyl into as smooth a cylinder as possible.
If this is not done, the top layer of tape will not lay flat and allow
moisture ingress as well as allow the butyl to be exposed to the
weather. Make the transition from the cylindrical mass of butyl to the
cable as smooth as possible.
5) On top of the butyl, wrap several layers of 2" wide electrical tape
extending past the bottom layer of tape on both ends of the connector
assembly. Use low tension to ensure the type is wrinkle-free and flat
against the butyl and cable/antenna body. Do NOT wrap the tape tightly;
when the assembly heats up in the sun the tension exerted by the tape
will begin to extrude the butyl between the tape layers. The final 6"
of outer tape should be applied with very little tension so as not to
put shear on the usupported adhesive. The end of the tape must be cut,
not torn, so there is no distortion or residual stress in the tape.
Wrap the final turns carefully, do NOT get dust, dirt, finger or other
greases on the adhesive and make sure the end of the tape lands flat
and with zero tension. If it pulls up for any reason, the "flag" it
forms will catch the wind and eventually compromise the assembly.
I have settled on using Andrew #221213 weatherproofing kits which cost
less than $20 each, include quality Scotch tape and can weatherproof
one 3" Heliax, two 1-5/8" Heliax, four 7/8" Heliax or at least six or
more 1/2" UHF/N connectors with each kit (they claim 12). I have had
other tower riggers say that the Wireless Solutions WK-U kit also works
well. Either kit contains materials which pass MIL-STD-1344A, Method
1002 for weather resistance.
Occasionally "aneurysms" develop in the weatherproofing from trapped
air bubbles caused by pressure from the inside of the cable when using
UHF connectors which are not pressure tight. This pressure is caused by
thermal cycling and air expansion. According to Andrews, placing gel
weatherproofing compound in connectors is also not recommended as it
can soften the gaskets in connector bodies, as well as be forced under
expansion through the tape and contribute to degradation of the
weatherproofing.
It is common for ham antenna installs to feature multiple connectors
close together where you cannot wrap tape successfully. In those cases,
the dual-layer hot-melt-lined heat-shrink is often used. Getting this
technique right may take some experimentation. The biggest problem with
the use of adhesive-lined heat-shrink in this application is that the
polymer used for the melting liner becomes quite rigid at low
temperatures and may release from cable jackets when mechanically
stressed by cable movement. The vinyl/butyl tape solution in general
will not. In either case, adequately supporting the cable close to the
connection will greatly help the longevity of the connection.
==> CONVERSATION
Break Out the Clubs
As the fall contest season gets into full roar, don't miss the
opportunity to get your club members involved, especially those who are
generally on the sidelines. There is nothing like a club challenge or
mini-contest or even a set of hand-labeled whisk brooms to encourage
those new to radiosport to give it a try. The new ARRL Sweepstakes
Contest Manager, Larry K5OT has some words of wisdom for clubs - pass
it on!
73, Ward N0AX
Clubs are always looking for operating events and opportunities that
excite and motivate their members to be active, especially on HF. This
year's ARRL November Sweepstakes
certainly fits the bill and - for the first time in years - the bands
will have plenty to offer Technician license-holders, too! Sweepstakes
- or "Sweeps" among friends - is a contest in which modest stations can
do very, very well. There's no need for giant towers and antennas or
legal-limit amplifiers - a backyard dipole or vertical and a "barefoot"
HF rig will do just fine. In fact, SS is one contest in which antennas
can be too high!
Because Sweepstakes brings out so many US and Canadian operators, it is
very popular for friendly "contests within a contest" between clubs and
between club members. A club contest to work the most sections, make
Worked All States, or ring up the highest score is a nice way to wrap
up the season with awards being presented at the year-end meeting. Many
clubs have a friendly competition with other nearby clubs for local
bragging rights. Even small clubs can get into the action on a national
scale in the Local category of the ARRL Affiliated Club Competion
.
College clubs can participate in two ways. The
first is to submit a score in the School Club category of the main
competition. With its 30-hour time limit, the shared-operating nature
of the category fits right in with the busy fall semester. Give the
Phone weekend (Nov 19-20) a try before heading home for Thanksgiving
break! The second is to participate in the Collegiate Championship
, sponsored by Ken Harker,
WM5R. Ken has compiled a long list of yearly winners
for each of the
NCAA Division I Conferences - has your school's club participated? The
website is currently being updated with the 2010 scores and we need
some help sorting out the current conference assignment for the
record-holders - any volunteers? Finally, for a relaxed "practice"
opportunity, try the ARRL's School Club Roundup
from Oct 17-21.
Did we mention the opportunities for Technician licensees? Techs have a
large chunk of 10 meters available to them on both Phone (28.3-28.5
MHz) and CW (28.0-28.2) but in recent years, there hasn't been much
activity due to quiet solar conditions. Lately, the solar flux has been
kicking up to 120 and higher, meaning that 10 meters opens up
coast-to-coast and beyond! If your club's Techs have been wondering
what all the fuss is about 10 meters, be sure to encourage their
activity during Sweeps. Perhaps one of those intra-club challenges we
were talking about?
If you'd like to know more about Sweepstakes, download the Sweepstakes
Operating Guide - there are simple
explanations of the rules and a list of resource articles and websites
to help you get the most from your Sweepstakes weekend. Maybe you'll
even bring home the coveted "Clean Sweep" coffee mug!
CQ Sweeps!
73, Larry Hammel K5OT
==> CONTESTS
12 October through 25 October
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
NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint--CW, from Oct 12, 0030Z to Oct 12, 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
CWops Monthly Mini-CWT Test--CW, from Oct 12, 1300Z, see website. Bands
(MHz): 3.5-14.Multiple operating periods, twice monthly on 2nd and 4th
Wed, 18 to 28 kHz above band edge. Exchange: Name and member number or
S/P/C. Logs due: 2 days. Rules
Great Pumpkin Sprint--Digital, from Oct 15, 8 PM to Oct 16, 2 AM. Bands
(MHz): 1.8. Exchange: RST and S/P/C. Logs due: Nov 15. Rules
JARTS WW RTTY Contest--Digital, from Oct 15, 0000Z to Oct 16, 2400Z.
Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST and age (YL may send '00'). Logs
due: Nov 30. Rules
10-10 Fall CW QSO Party--CW, from Oct 15, 0001Z to Oct 16, 2359Z. Bands
(MHz): 28. Exchange: Call, name, 10-10 number, S/P/C. Logs due: Oct 31.
Rules
QRP ARCI Fall QSO Party--CW, from Oct 15, 1200Z to Oct 16, 2400Z. Bands
(MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS(T), S/P/C, QRP ARCI number or pwr. Logs
due: Nov 16. Rules
Iowa QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Oct 15, 1400Z to Oct 15, 2300Z.
Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50+. Exchange: RS(T) and IA county, state/prov, or
"DX". Logs due: Nov 15. Rules
New York QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Oct 15, 1400Z to Oct 16,
0200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50+, Frequencies: CW--1.820, 3.550, 7.050,
14.050, 21.050, 28.050; Phone--1.870, 3.825, 7.200, 14.290, 21.350,
28.400. Exchange: RS(T), NY county, state/prov, or "DX". Logs due: 14
days. Rules
Worked All Germany--Phone,CW, from Oct 15, 1500Z to Oct 16, 1459Z.
Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RS(T) and serial or DOK code. Logs due:
14 days. Rules
Asia-Pacific Sprint--CW, from Oct 16, 0000Z to Oct 16, 0200Z. Bands
(MHz): 14-21. Exchange: RST and serial. Logs due: 7 days. Rules
Illinois QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Oct 16, 1700Z to Oct 17, 0100Z.
Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144. Exchange: RS(T) and IL county or S/P/C.
Logs due: Nov 17. Rules
Spooky Feld-Hell Sprint--Digital, from Oct 16, 2000Z to Oct 16, 2200Z.
Bands (MHz): 3.5-7,21-28. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, Feld-Hell member nr.
Logs due: 2 weeks. Rules
Run For the Bacon--CW, from Oct 17, 0200Z to Oct 17, 0400Z. Bands
(MHz): 1.8-28. Monthly on 3rd Sunday night (local). Exchange: RST,
S/P/C, Flying Pig nr or power. Rules
School Club Roundup--Phone,CW,Digital, from Oct 17, 1300Z to Oct 21,
2359Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50+. Exchange: RST, class and S/P/C. Logs
due: 30 days. Rules
FOC QSO Party--CW, from Oct 22, 0000Z to Oct 22, 2359Z. Bands (MHz):
1.8-28. Exchange: RST, name, and FOC number if member. Logs due: 7
days. Rules
Scandinavian YLRA Contest--Phone,CW,Digital, from Oct 22, 1000Z to Oct
23, 1000Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Frequencies: See website. Exchange:
RS(T) and "88" (YLs) or "73" (OMs). Logs due: Nov 30. Rules
Stew Perry Warmup Contest--CW, from Oct 22, 1500Z to Oct 23, 1500Z.
Bands (MHz): 1.8. Exchange: 4-char grid square. Logs due: Nov 18. Rules
W/VE Islands QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Oct 22, 1600Z to Oct 23,
2359Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: RS(T) and S/P/C or island
designator. Logs due: Nov 30. Rules
VHF+ CONTESTS
ARRL EME Contest--Phone,CW,Digital, from Oct 22, 0000Z to Oct 23,
2359Z. Bands (MHz): 50-1296. Exchange: Call signs, sig rpt,
acknowledgement. Logs due: Dec 20. Rules
Fall VHF Sprints--Phone,CW,Digital, from Oct 22, 7 AM to Oct 22, 1 PM.
Bands (MHz): 902+. Exchange: 6-character grid locator. Logs due: 4
weeks. Rules
Arucaria VHF Contest--Phone,CW, from Oct 15, 0000Z to Oct 16, 1600Z.
Bands (MHz): 50,144. Exchange:
RS(T) and 4-char grid square. Logs due: 10 days. Rules
Iowa QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Oct 15, 1400Z to Oct 15, 2300Z.
Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50+. Exchange: RS(T) and IA county, state/prov, or
"DX". Logs due: Nov 15. Rules
New York QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Oct 15, 1400Z to Oct 16,
0200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50+, Frequencies: CW--1.820, 3.550, 7.050,
14.050, 21.050, 28.050; Phone--1.870, 3.825, 7.200, 14.290, 21.350,
28.400. Exchange: RS(T), NY county, state/prov, or "DX". Logs due: 14
days. Rules
Illinois QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Oct 16, 1700Z to Oct 17, 0100Z.
Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144. Exchange: RS(T) and IL county or S/P/C.
Logs due: Nov 17. Rules
Illinois QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Oct 16, 1700Z to Oct 17, 0100Z.
Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144. Exchange: RS(T) and IL county or S/P/C.
Logs due: Nov 17. Rules
W/VE Islands QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Oct 22, 1600Z to Oct 23,
2359Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: RS(T) and S/P/C or island
designator. Logs due: Nov 30. Rules
==> LOG DUE DATES
12 October through 25 October
- October 12 - ARRL September VHF QSO Party
- October 14 - SKCC Weekend Sprint
- October 15 - North American Sprint, RTTY
- October 15 - Arkansas QSO Party
- October 15 - CQ Worldwide DX Contest, RTTY
- October 16 - EU Autumn Sprint, SSB
- October 16 - AGB NEMIGA Contest
- October 16 - UBA ON Contest, 6m
- October 16 - International HELL-Contest
- October 17 - Connecticut QSO Party
- October 17 - EPC Russia DX Contest
- October 17 - RSGB 21/28 MHz Contest
- October 18 - ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest
- October 19 - South Carolina QSO Party
- October 19 - 144 MHz Fall Sprint
- October 20 - QRP Afield
- October 21 - SARL 80m QSO Party
- October 23 - WAB HF Phone
- October 23 - EU Autumn Sprint, CW
- October 23 - Scandinavian Activity Contest, SSB
- October 23 - UBA ON Contest, SSB
- October 25 - 10-10 Int. 10-10 Day Sprint
==> 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
the ARRL COntest UPdate posted to the ls_arrl echo via
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Address all comments and questions to the editor as described in this
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