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The ARRL Contest Update
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
October 26, 2011
Editor: Ward Silver, N0AX
==> IN THIS ISSUE
- Phully Packed Phone - CQ World Wide SSB
- Completely Crammed CW - ARRL Sweepstakes
- CQ World Wide's Xtreme Category
- Road Home - A Ham Radio Read
- What Does A Contest Look Like?
- Sweepstakes Awards and Field Day Results
- Which Is The Right Power?
- Log Periodic CAD by WB0DGF
- Notes On CQ World Wide
NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO
The contest bands (160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters) will be packed
with DX and domestic stations alike during the big CQ World Wide SSB
contest. Check your CQ Zone on this
terrific map from Icom America
(be sure to use CQ and not ITU zones) and jump right in - be prepared
to enjoy higher bands that haven't presented sustained openings in a
few years! Keep an eye on your transmit frequency to make sure that
your carrier and sidebands are entirely within US operating privileges
for your license class.
BULLETINS
Due to major flooding in Thailand and the recent large earthquake in
Turkey, please avoid the following frequencies: 7.060-7.063 MHz
(Thailand) and 7.092 MHz USB (Turkey). If asked to QSY to avoid
interfering with emergency traffic, please do so immediately.
BUSTED QSOS
The weeknight date of the ARRL Frequency Measuring Test
is Wednesday, Nov 9th,
not Tuesday as reported in the QST announcement. (Thanks, Connie K5CM)
In case there is any confusion about Technician privileges, Techs can
operate CW from 28.0 to 28.5 MHz, SSB from 28.3 to 28.5 MHz, and
RTTY/data from 28.0 to 28.3 MHz. (Thanks, Steve W3HF)
CONTEST SUMMARY
Complete information for all contests follows the Conversation section
October 29-30
- CQ World Wide SSB Contest
- SKCC Weekday Sprint (Oct 26)
- Fall VHF Sprints (Oct 29, 50 MHz)
- ARS Spartan Sprint--CW (Nov 1)
- SNS and NS Weekly Sprints--CW (Nov 4)
November 5-6
- ARRL November Sweepstakes--CW
- Collegiate ARC Championship-- CW
- Ukranian DX Contest
- Radio Club of America QSO Party--Phone
- DARC 10-Meter Digital "Corona"
==> NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST
The CQ World Wide Contest's "Xtreme
" category allows
operation using Internet technology to extend traditional station
definitions. The only requirement to enter in this category is that you
must pre-register with the contest sponsors at Xtreme@cqww.com with a
description of your proposed operation, information on your station,
call sign to be used, operator list, and technology to be used.
(Thanks, CQWW Xtreme Category Manager, Doug K1DG)
College club stations considering a weekend of Sweepstakes
competition should take a look at
WM5R's Collegiate Championship
web site. Ken has compiled lists of category records and of winners by
their NCAA conference participation - although there is a lot of
rearranging going on these days. Take a look at your conference -
wouldn't it be nice to post a winning score for your own? Don't forget,
alumnii, you are allowed to operate with your alma mater's club as of
last year!
Another Sweepstakes change - this
year's participants will be able to select either Low Power or High
Power categories in both the Multi-Op and Unlimited categories. The "M"
or "U" in the exchange will stay the same, but results (and awards)
will recognize participants in each power category. Here's your chance
to be on the record leader boards (until next year, anyway)!
Take a look at this extensive article on CBS News commemorating today's
150th anniversary of completion of the transcontinental
telegraph, the precursor of future technological revolutions such as
telephone, teletype, fax, and Internet. (Thanks, Dave K6VML)
A new web site for WRTC 2014 has been created
through the hard work of Rudy N2WQ. It has been completely redesigned
to look more professional and contain more information that will help
competitors, visitors, and others as the preparations for WRTC 2014
continue. The WRTC 2014 web team is looking for help with graphic art
design and article preparation. (Thanks, WRTC 2014 co-chair, Randy
K5ZD)
Zac Manchester, a graduate student in Aerospace Engineering at
Cornell University developed fingernail-sized satellites which may be
deployed for Earth-orbit missions and could someday travel to Saturn.
While fluttering down through the atmosphere, they will collect data
about chemistry, radiation and particle impacts and transmit the
information using a 10 mW radio on frequencies between 433 and 436 MHz.
A group or club can sponsor a fleet of Sprites together as described on
the Kicksat website . (Thanks, AMSAT
Bulletin ANS-289 and Julius N2WN)
Prasad VU2PTT reports that Indian amateurs can now use up to 400 W of
transmitter final amplifier input power on all bands. This may help
explain why the VU stations are so loud this weekend!
Are you an "Asker" or a "Guesser"? Take a few minutes to read this
article from The Guardian
and consider the difference. (Thanks, Mark N5OT)
A new release of the Super Check Partial
database files is now available and
be sure that your Country (CTY) files
are up to date before this weekend's CQ WW contest. (Thanks, Bob WA1Z)
The Tesla Conference 2011 is being
organized by folks who work at Brookhaven National Laboratory with a
goal of renovation of the Tesla's Wardenclyffe lab site as a
museum/science center to further physics education and maintain the
Tesla heritage. There will also be a special event station on Nov 5th
using the call sign W3T
.
(Thanks, Jeff K1NSS)
A new RTTY contest is coming to the bands on December 4th - check out
the 10 Meter RTTY Contest
, sponsored by
Don AA5AU's rttycontesting.com and Ed W0YK's Muns Vineyard. It has the
popular 24-hour format and with the bands so good lately, should
attract a lot of participation on this first time out.
Web Site of the Week - I recently read an adventuresome novel for
teens and young adults that features ham radio: "Road Home
" by Andrew
Baze AB8L. The story revolves around post-earthquake action in the
Pacific Northwest and how ham radio plays an integral part in both
emergency preparedness and personal survival. Instead of trying to
explain all of the technology in the story, the author uses a limited
number of footnotes and references to explain the terminology. I
thought this was a good compromise to allow the interested reader to
dive a little deeper into the technology.
WORD TO THE WISE
Peer pressure - there is no stronger remedy to ethical challenges in
radiosport than the magical potion of a friendly word of advice or
caution. It strengthens our community and makes better contesters of us
all.
==> SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
Geoff KA1IOR took a few public logs from last year's CQ WW contest and
created some interesting visual analysis
by using
PERL scripts. The charts illustrate some winning techniques and will
help the reader learn what strategies are important.
What to do with surplus TVRO dishes? A group of four students at the
University of Cincinnati set a world's record for point to point
communications on 2.4 GHz at the Las Vegas WiFi Shootout
in 2005. I wonder if they could see the neighbor's network, too?
(Thanks, Hank N8XX)
Dan K7SS suggests the air hockey documentary "Way Of the Puck
" currently being seen on PBS stations as
a parallel to ham radio contesting. As its devotees find, the bug bites
hard and stays for life!
Everybody loves autonomous flying robots
! There is lots of cool
stuff going on with quadrotor platforms, such as this juggling video
. Now, can
we get them to haul the antenna rope over that super-tall tree?
(Thanks, Bob N6TV)
If you missed seeing the aurora borealis this past Monday evening, you
can get a sense of it from this NASA Earth Observatory
photo, story, and time-lapse video from late September.
Why is 73 the best number? The cast of "Big Bang Theory" explains in
this video . (Thanks, Andy
N2NT)
==> RESULTS AND RECORDS
ARRL Contest Branch Manager, Sean KX9X reports that the 2010 ARRL
Sweepstakes plaques and Phone Sweepstakes certificates have all been
mailed along with the 2010 160 Meter Contest certificates. Don't forget
you can always check on ARRL contest awards processing online
. Speaking of online,
that's where you can find the 2011 Field Day results
, too!
The final results of the CW part of the 2011 Scandinavian Activity
Contest were delivered to the webmaster
together with a brief write-up. You can also get your log-check results
before all of them are on-line by emailing oh6kzp@sral.fi. Work is now
proceeding on the more than 1050 SSB logs! (Thanks, SAC Committee
Member, Kim OH6KZP)
Results for the 2011 UBA DX SSB Contest
are now available. The database is
being updated with older results, too - back to 2006. (Thanks, Franki
ON5ZO)
The results for the first ever Summer Stew Perry Top Band Distance
Challenge have been
posted. Congrats to Herb KV4FZ, who narrowly beat Ty NO3M for first
place. (Thanks, Tree N6TR)
Barry W2UP reports that the latest High-Speed Morse Competition
is now over. Barry snared a bronze
medal in RUFZ and a gold in Morserunner. The US team placed tenth.
The 2011 CQ WPX Contest survey results have been published as Part 1
and Part 2
. Nearly 4950 respondents answered the
survey questions about operating style, combining Single-Op and
Single-Op, Assisted categories, and other topics. Contest Director,
Randy K5ZD also notes that everyone who submitted a log for the WPX SSB
Contest 2011 has been sent an email with a link to their log checking
report. If you did not receive your report, please contact Randy
<%20k5zd@cqwpx.com>.
OPERATING TIP
Voice maintenance - to keep your voice in good shape during a long
contest, learn to speak clearly at a comfortable level without
shouting. It helps to practice with a friend on the air in setting your
mic gain and compression levels properly. If you use voice recordings,
take steps to reduce the amount of background noise in them and try to
match your normal speaking voice settings for clean transmitted
signals. (And watch that VFO frequency when clicking on a spot - it's
easy to not notice that the frequency is outside your operating
privileges or too close to a band edge.)
==> TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION
With power output an important part of complying with contest rules and
national regulations, remember that net power flow in a transmission
line is the difference between the power flowing in each direction. Net
forward power is what most contest rules refer to as "output power". On
most directional wattmeters such as the Bird 43 series, net forward
power is computed by subtracting the value of reflected power headed
towards the transmitter from the value of forward power (which includes
both power supplied by the transmitter plus any reflected power that is
re-reflected at the transmitter). The forward power reading in such a
wattmeter thus varies with SWR. The two power readings are nearly
independent with about -30 dB isolation between the two in a
well-designed wattmeter. (A "smart" wattmeter may do that subtraction
for you.)
To run the output of an amplifier into more than one antenna, you'll
need a power splitter. Stack switches such as those made by Array
Solutions and Microham
can do the job using transmission line
techniques.
F-type connectors are becoming more popular in amateur use for
receive antennas and other jobs. While the most common style for
equipment chassis mounting is a threaded, single-nut connector, a
four-hole flange-style connect also exists - Mouser Electronics
part number 161-9126. (Thanks, Mike W0BTU)
If you know what cables will be in a run of conduit, an alternative to
pulling them through the finished run is to lay them out next to the
trenches and slide the conduit sections into place over the cables.
Then glue the sections together as you lay them into the trenches. You
can include a pull rope in to the bundle for future use. Make sure the
conduit joint surfaces are completely clean before gluing. This might
not be practical for very long runs of conduit, though. (Thanks, Alan
K9MBQ)
In you live in a windy area, static can build up on an antenna to
disturbingly high voltages. An RF choke across the feed line will allow
static to bleed off, but a high-value (10k or higher) non-inductive
resistor with a 2 to 5-watt dissipation will do the job without
self-resonances in the HF region. Metal-oxide resistors available from
several vendors will work well Connect the resistor across the feed
line by using a tee-connector (coax) or at the terminals
(parallel-conductor).
A year ago Jim K1TN bought a new Weller soldering gun and couldn't
figure out why a lot of the time it wouldn't put out enough heat.
Recently, whilst soldering an antenna outdoors, he realized, in a blaze
of neural activity, that the first detent of the trigger is HIGH and
the second, all-the-way-in position is LOW. The natural tendency to
squeeze harder for higher heat is defeated by this configuration!
Technical Web Site of the Week - Log-periodic designers can make good
use of Roger WB0DGF's LPCAD calculator .
Roger has recently released version 3.40 and it makes short work of
creating a log-periodic dipole array design. Roger's site also offers
numerous other useful antenna links and items. (Thanks, Jake K9WN)
==> CONVERSATION
Notes on CQ World Wide
The largest sporting event no-one outside ham radio has ever heard of,
CQ World Wide SSB with its nearly 30,000 participants, is coming to a
band near you this weekend. As you listen to the world turn, be sure to
compete exhibiting the best ham spirit! Contest Director, Bob K3EST
recently posted a few thoughts about operating:
"Many competitors enter a contest to compete for a top spot in their
country, continent or the world. In is very important for all of us to
promote fair play in contesting. Fair play is addressed with the
Contester's Code of Ethics and the Contest University
lecture on ethics
by Doug K1DG:
- I will learn and obey the rules of any contest I enter, including
the rules of my entry category
- I will not modify my log after the contest by using additional data
sources to correct call sign or exchange errors.
Both points are of high importance to ensure a fair contest. The first
point includes running the power allowed by your chosen category. An
entrant may run the maximum power allowed by their chosen
category:1500, 100 or 5 watts. All high power categories must not
exceed 1500 watts total output power on any band at any time. You
cannot run 1500 watts to each antenna on a band.
"Although the second point addresses what occurs after the contest, the
CQ WW Contest Committee considers it unsportsmanlike to "clean" your
log post-contest using data sources such as recordings, call sign
databases, etc.
"If you enter any Single-Operator category, you are allowed only one
signal on the air at any time. If you enter any multi-operator
category, you are allowed only one signal on a band at any time. How do
you prevent two signals on a band at the same time? Several "lockout"
solutions have been provided to the CQ WW Contest Committee and are
available under RESOURCES on the CQ WW contest website
.
"When should you should claim to be in the Single-Op, Assisted
category? Ask yourself the following question: Did you have help
finding the call sign of any QSO in your log? If the answer is yes, you
should enter as Single-Operator, Assisted. (This does NOT refer to
receiving other types of physical assistance - Ed.) If you have any
questions concerning when to claim assisted, please contact the CQ WW
Committee .
"Clubs worldwide can help promote FAIR PLAY in contesting. The CQ WW
Contest Committee has endorsed the Contesters Code of Ethics
created by the World Wide
Radio Operators Foundation. Both of these sources can be used to create
a club program concerning ethics/FAIR PLAY. If your club needs help
developing a program, please contact the CQ WW Contest Committee
. Let's try again to make it clear -- Have fun! Fun
is what it is all about! Lots of activity and countries equals lots of
fun!"
On a related topic, with conditions having improved so dramatically on
the upper HF bands in recent weeks, there will be a lot of activity
across the entire spectrum in this weekend's CQ World Wide SSB contest.
What if you want to enjoy all of that action but submit your log in a
single-band category? Don't remove any QSOs from the log - just be sure
that your Cabrillo format header contains a line beginning with
"CATEGORY-BAND:" followed by 160M, 80M, 40M, 20M, 15M, or 10M. (You can
view and revise your log with any text editor but be sure to save it as
plain text.) All of your QSOs will be used for log checking but only
QSOs from your single-band submission will count for your score. If
your logging software generates the older Cabrillo 2.0 format, make
sure the header line for category looks like the following example for
a 20 meter, single-band entry.
CATEGORY: SINGLE-OP 20M HIGH PHONE
If you want a separate all-band score to count for your club, add a
note stating that in a SOAPBOX: line in the log header and be sure to
spell your club name correctly as listed on the CQ WW Club Names web
page . While you're reviewing your
log, make sure the header information is all correct and that each QSO
contains the correct information for your exchange.
After you submit your log to the CQ WW contest robot at ssb@cqww.com,
you will receive an emailed response - read it! Be sure the robot's
message correctly reports the category, number of QSOs, and so forth.
If any of these are incorrect or the robot reports a problem, edit your
log and resubmit it until everything is accepted properly. There will
be a submitted logs report published on the
CQ WW website as logs come in - be sure yours is listed and in the
right category. Don't wait until next fall to find out there was a
problem!
73, Ward N0AX
==> CONTESTS
25 October through 8 November
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
CQ World Wide SSB Contest--Phone, from Oct 29, 0000Z to Oct 30, 2359Z.
Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS and CQ zone. Logs due: Nov 21. Rules
ARRL November Sweepstakes--CW, from Nov 5, 2100Z to Nov 7, 0300Z. Bands
(MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: Serial, category, call, check, ARRL sec. Logs
due: Nov 22. Rules
Collegiate ARC Championship--CW, from Nov 5, 2100Z to Nov 7, 0300Z.
Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: See ARRL Sweepstakes. Logs due: Nov 22.
Rules
SKCC Weekday Sprint--CW, from Oct 26, 0000Z to Oct 26, 0200Z. Bands
(MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Monthly on the fourth Wednesday local time.
Exchange: RST, S/P/C, name, SKCC number. Logs due: 2 days. Rules
ARS Spartan Sprint--CW, from Nov 1, 0200Z to Nov 1, 0400Z. Bands (MHz):
3.5-28. Monthly on the first Monday evening local time. Exchange: RST,
S/P/C, and power. Logs due: 2 days. Rules
SNS and NS Weekly Sprints--CW, from Nov 4, 0200Z to Nov 4, 0300Z. Bands
(MHz): 1.8-14. Weekly on Thursday evenings local time. Exchange:
Serial, name, and S/P/C. Logs due: 2 days. Rules
Ukranian DX Contest--Phone,CW, from Nov 5, 1200Z to Nov 6, 1200Z. Bands
(MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST and serial or Ukraine oblast. Logs due: 30
days. Rules
Radio Club of America QSO Party--Phone, from Nov 5, 1700Z to Nov 6,
0500Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-21. Exchange: RST, QTH, name, equipment. Rules
DARC 10-Meter Digital "Corona"--Digital, from Nov 6, 1100Z to Nov 6,
1700Z. Bands (MHz): 28. Exchange: RST and serial. Logs due: 2 weeks.
Rules
VHF+ CONTESTS
Fall VHF Sprints--Phone,CW,Digital, from Oct 29, 2300Z to Oct 30,
0300Z. Bands (MHz): 50. Exchange: 4-character grid square. Logs due: 4
weeks. Rules
SKCC Weekday Sprint--CW, from Oct 26, 0000Z to Oct 26, 0200Z. Bands
(MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Monthly on the fourth Wednesday local time.
Exchange: RST, S/P/C, name, SKCC number. Logs due: 2 days. Rules
==> LOG DUE DATES
25 October through 8 November
- October 25 - 10-10 Int. 10-10 Day Sprint
- October 27 - 222 MHz Fall Sprint
- October 29 - New York QSO Party
- October 29 - TARA PSK Rumble Contest
- October 30 - UBA ON Contest, CW
- October 31 - 10-10 Int. Fall Contest, CW
- October 31 - QRP ARCI Fall QSO Party
- October 31 - California QSO Party
- October 31 - All Asian DX Contest, Phone
- October 31 - Arizona QSO Party
- October 31 - Texas QSO Party
- October 31 - Washington State Salmon Run
- October 31 - German Telegraphy Contest
- October 31 - Worked All Germany Contest
- November 1 - BARTG Sprint 75
- November 1 - F9AA Cup
- November 1 - Feld Hell Sprint
- November 2 - TRC DX Contest
- November 2 - Araucaria VHF Contest
- November 5 - FOC QSO Party
- November 5 - 432 MHz Fall Sprint
- November 7 - Oceania DX Contest
- November 7 - FISTS Fall Sprint
- November 7 - YLRL DX/NA YL Anniversary 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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