*** forwarder's note***
Please see the html version of this electronic newsletter for correct
display of any url reproduced. These may be garbled in transfer
between networks.
*** end forwarder's note ***
The ARRL Contest Update
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
November 23, 2011
Editor: Ward Silver, N0AX
==> IN THIS ISSUE
- A Dying Mode? Take a Listen to CQ WW CW
- Top Band Tumult - ARRL 160 Meter Contest
- CQ WW Logs Set New Record
- Take a Drink From the JUG
- How-To - A Beverage Transformer
- Busy Week at the ARRL
- Pole Guying Utiility Know-How
- Dig Some MUD!
- Put Your Pencils Down
NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO
If you like CW and DX, shake off that trailing turkey torpor and join
the throngs on ham radio's own "Black Friday" known as the CQ World
Wide CW contest - a 48-hour cacophonous code
carnival. The very next weekend brings an opportunity to whittle down
your Top Band WAS list - the ARRL 160 Meter Contest
.
BULLETINS
Get your logging software ready to go - update your program and
supporting files now and not an hour before the contest starts! Jim
AD1C reports that the Country (CTY) files
were updated on 21 November 2011.
Bob WA1Z has updated the Super Check Partial database files
, as well.
BUSTED QSOS
Nothing horrendously inaccurate was reported to have leaked out in the
last issue.
CONTEST SUMMARY
Complete information for all contests follows the Conversation section
Nov 26-27
- SKCC Straight Key Sprint--(Nov 23)
- CQ World Wide CW Contest
- SARL Digital Contest
Dec 3-4
- ARRL 160 Meter Contest--CW
- Top Band Sprint--(Dec 2)
- SNS and NS Weekly Sprints--CW (Dec 2)
- TARA RTTY Mêlée
- Top Operators Activity Contest--CW
- AWA Bruce Kelly QSO Party--CW
- 10 Meter RTTY Contest
- ARS Spartan Sprint--CW (Dec 6)
==> NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST
John K1AR reports that at least 7025 logs were received for the CQ WW
SSB contest as the deadline passed - an increase of more than 1000 -
nearly 15% - over the previous all-time total! The combination of new
ham populations around the world, great high-band propagation, and the
ease of submitting a Cabrillo-formatted log are resulting in big
increases in scores and log submissions!
As we approach the end of 2011, a look back at Contest Corral
for the year finds 418 contests
listed - not including contests that run more than once a month, such
as the NS Sprints. Of the 418, there were 310 HF-only contests and 37
contests that only used the VHF+ bands. Most contests (72%) included CW
- not bad for a mode now more than 170 years old! 47% featured phone
operation and keeping with the trend of participation, 37% now have a
digital component of the competition.
One of the additional digital contests is the new 10 Meter RTTY
Contest
sponsored by Ed W0YK and Don AA5AU. After taking a survey of RTTY
contesters, it was decided to create a new low-power 10 meter contest -
just in time for the great conditions of late. "By having this new
contest occur the weekend before the ARRL 10-Meter Contest, it should
give those who plan to operate the ARRL contest a chance to shake their
stations down on 10 meters in a real contest beforehand and give
die-hard RTTY contesters their own 10 meter contest. As an added
incentive, Ed (owner of Muns Vineyard) is awarding a bottle of his
excellent wine to the top ten single operators." Plaque sponsorships
are also available for this brand-new contest as described on the
website.
With solar flux in abundance, Dan W7WA decided to find out what the
all-time record is. "I recall from W3ASK's propagation column in CQ
magazine it was sometime during cycle 19 and over 300. I did some
Google searching and found some charts
. Apparently the
historical record for 10.7 cm solar flux measurements extends only back
to 1947 (source: Wikipedia). Besides solar flux noteworthy for 1957 was
that at times the planetary A index went up over 160. There were
extended periods of elevated planetary A index lasting up to a week. So
with 6 meter F2 openings there were probably extended periods of HF
blackout/disturbed conditions. September 1957 looks to have been
especially fraught with HF blackouts. During 1957 the solar flux ranged
from 170 on May 18 to nearly 380 on December 23rd. Between December 12
and 23rd the flux jumped from 210 to nearly 380." We've got a ways to
go to top that!
Stew Perry plaque manager, Lew W7EW, writes that, "The plaque program
for The Stew Perry TopBand Extravaganza
is unique in that The Boring Amateur
Radio Club does not decide what performances should be rewarded with
wood. The radio combatants do that by sponsoring categories that they
individually feel are important. These stalwarts choose the
accomplishment that they want rewarded...and then the fight is on for
that category." So far, the following plaques are sponsored:
Sponsor - Category
KL7RA - "Top Number of QSOs"
North Pole Contest Club - "Being Cogitated"
TF4M - "Longest DX" (2 stations, each get 1 plaque)
W0UCE - "Top Score USA/SOLP/single wire for Tx & Rx"
KR2Q - "Golden Log" (Top # of QSOs w/o a bust)
VK6VZ - "Top Score N. Hemisphere station working S. Hemisphere
stations"
The winner of that last plaque gets an official Flying Doctors of VK
Baseball hat instead of a plaque. If your Stew is in need of a warmup,
try the QRP ARCI's Top Band Sprint the
evening of 1 December before the ARRL 160 Meter Contest.
How good are conditions? Here's a list that will give you an idea - the
first six positions of the SSB Sweepstakes Single-Op, High Power top
ten (N9RV, VY2ZM, KH7X, W7WA, KL7RA, and K7RL - as of Nov 22nd) include
five stations located north of latitude 45N and a sixth that is nearly
2400 miles from the US West Coast! Amazing to see stations previously
hobbled by propagation surging to the fore.
Amateur Radio assistance is requested for the Plasma Thrust Shadow
Experiment to be conducted on the International Space Station. The
Central Research Institute of Machine Building (TSNIIMASH) in Russia is
conducting a series of space plasma experiments in order to evaluate
the shape of previously observed "dead" zones, or shadow-ing due to the
firing of an onboard arcjet plasma source. Integration of electric
thrust (ET) onboard a spacecraft poses a certain set of problems
including electromagnetic compatibility. One matter of interest is that
highly ionized exhaust plumes of ET may scatter RF signals producing a
large "dead" zone for communications. See this ARRL Web story
for complete details.
Membership awards are often awarded towards the end of the year, such
as Sigurd KJ1K who recently received the Packrats
Rover Recognition Award. Sigurd operates a
rover equipped from 50 MHz through 5 GHz, generating a lot of points in
VHF+ contests for club members. Doesn't your club have deserving
individuals who would appreciate recognition for their efforts?
Doug KR2Q posts some information to help explain the CQ WW log
format extension of XQSO: at the beginning of each logged contact
instead of the usual QSO: It indicates a QSO that you made but do not
wish to be included as a claimed QSO. First, he notes that the correct
way to find out the answer to a question about CQWW is to send an email
to questions@cqww.com and not post it in a public forum. XQSO can be
used to designate QSOs that don't comply with the restrictions of your
category - for example, a contact made with high power although your
log is submitted in a low power category, contacts made (accidentally,
of course) outside your authorized frequency limits, or contacts of
which you are unsure. By using XQSO and leaving the QSO in the log, you
don't have to worry about creating penalties "on the other end." XQSO
should appear very, very rarely - it is for accidents, not post-contest
manipulation of the log. (See the Conversation section of this
newsletter for more on that subject.) Contact the CQ WW committee for
specific and official responses to questions.
Ham radio made a great impression during the recent severe storms in
Alaska as reported in this Alaska Dispatch article
.
(Thanks, William W3QX)
While there is no contest activity on 60 meters, you can read this ARRL
Web story
about
the FCC's recent update of the rules for operating on that band. Once
again, CW is allowed on all amateur allocations!
Web Site of the Week - Fans of the Northern California Contest Club
newsletter, "The JUG " will be pleased
to know that the new editors, Ian W6TCP and Stu K6TU are building on
the work of former editor, Rob K6RB. They are busily turning the
newsletter into a resource for contesters everywhere, not just in the
NCCC region. You can see all the editions online!
WORD TO THE WISE
Assuming - don't do it! Even though your logging program thinks it
knows an exchange, don't just blindly accept that data. Many stations
may have a new QTH or the program could be wrong in guessing where the
station is located. In CQ WW, that can cost you QSO points at the least
and a multiplier at worst. Listen to what the station sends and log it!
==> SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
Kirk K4RO found this nice video
about building Beverage antenna transformers. I especially like the
"mount on lid, not box" idea.
Members of the Radio Amateur Society of Thailand (RAST) have been
throwing themselves into relief efforts in response to the heavy
flooding in Bangkok and other areas of Thailand. You know Champ
E21EIC/KY1A as a contester but as the photo elsewhere in this issue
shows, he is busy helping out with disaster communications, too. He has
posted more photos and information online .
==> RESULTS AND RECORDS
The ARRL Contest Branch has been busy as reported by its manager, Sean
KX9X. "2010 10 Meter certificates went out the door Friday. 2011 RTTY
Roundup plaques and certificates are being worked on as we speak. Look
for those to go out by the first week in December. You can follow ARRL
contest awards processing status online
, too. 2011 August UHF
expanded results should be online by Monday, November 28. In the
meantime, 1353 logs were received for 2011 SS CW before the deadline
and 973 logs have been received so far for last weekend's SS Phone.
Over 600 logs were submitted by 8 AM EST Monday morning, further
validating the idea that the contest ends when the last QSO is made.
Submit your log when the contest is over! The ARRL remains committed to
having initial Sweepstakes results out in 60 days. All paper logs
received for Sweepstakes are once again being converted to Cabrillo by
a small group of dedicated data entry volunteers. We are not
responsible for errors in conversion due to illegible handwritten logs.
Contest clubs are continually encouraged to help their club members
submit their logs electronically. Don't forget that the second CW
Rookie Roundup is December 18 from
1800-2400 UTC. Get your club active and open your shacks to the
newly-licensed and help them work and enjoy CW!"
The results of the UBA CW Contest 2011 have
been published - go to the HF "TOP BAR" and the Contest Results "LEFT
BAR". All participants will receive their UBN file in the coming week.
(Thanks, Marc ON7SS - OO9O)
Results for the QRP ARCI's Fall QSO Party Results
are now online. The full result view brings up a rather large
spreadsheet of information. (Thanks, Jim K9JWV)
Getscores developer Gerry W1VE "...now
has a beta page up which displays all scores sent to the site. (Meaning
no configuration to see any particular contest.) The Grid refreshes in
place, so no need to refresh the page. The grid allows you to group by
any column, as well as Filter by any column. Want to see CQ-WW-CW
results for SOLP Europe? No problem. How about all scores from only
your contest club? Simple. The Grid is drag and drop... and very
configurable."(Thanks, Gerry W1VE)
OPERATING TIP
To avoid a big metabolic shutdown during the contest - eat lightly and
often so your stomach doesn't commandeer all that blood oxygen,
shutting down your contest computer (the brain).
==> TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION
Sometimes finding the right person to answer questions at the local
power company is more difficult than the 80th section near the end of
Sweepstakes! In the meantime, complete documentation and all sorts of
valuable guying information and soil information can be found at the AB
Chance civil construction web pages.
(Thanks, Tom N4NW)
Bill KB8WUP provides some handy design data from the telecom/utility
industry. A 10-foot clearance (minimum) over finished grade is required
where vehicular traffic is not expected. Over roadways, a minimum
17-foot clearance applies. He reminds us that the clearance should be
at the lowestpoint in the sag of the cable or wires, including a little
extra height margin to deal with ice loading and the resulting
additional sag.
How high off the ground does a feed point need to be to be
considered elevated enough to use tuned radials on 160? Your editor
suggests 1.1 Antler or 1.1 UPS trucks high - whichever is greater. I
don't thinkanybody has to ask how I might have learned this.
Here's a new way
to enter QRP categories from Lynn N7CFO. Nuff said.
Julius N2WN humorously suggests that the recent invention of metal
structures nearly as light as air
could result in 160 meter Yagis liftable by one or two people!
What makes the most effect Beverage termination? According to Frank
W3LPL, researchers found that that the most stable all weather Beverage
termination (especially in very dry weather) is a ground mat. The least
expensive ground mat is chicken wire installed at the end of the
Beverage. The mats used by the researchers is about 6 feet wide and
roughly ¼-wavelength long at the lowest frequency of interest.
Technical Web Site of the Week - Proceedings from the 2011 Microwave
Update are now available as a low-cost print-on-demand book from Lulu
or as a CD-ROM with some extra
material. There is lots of material of interest to the active
contester, particularly those VHF+ specialists. Here are just a few of
the articles:
- Building a portable Multi-Limited VHF Contest Station; Ken Kent,
KA2LIM
- Roam; Thomas. P. Sullivan, W1AUV
- 1kW Solid State Amplifier for 144MHz; Fred Stefanik, N1DPM
- Uses for California Amplifier MMDS Downconverters; John Franke,
WA4WDL
- Updating KK7B, SHF, DEM, or DEMI 900 and 1296 MHz Transverters; Steve
Kostro, N2CEI
- How Close Can They be Stacked; Gerald Johnson, K0CQ
- Elegant 12-Volt Outlet Box; Paul Wade, W1GHZ
- Making Shielded Enclosures without a Mill Shear or Brake; John
Franke, WA4WDL
==> CONVERSATION
Put Your Pencils Down
When those words were heard at the conclusion of standardized testing
during my primary school years, we knew to drop 'em and sit back - the
proctors were already snatching test forms off the desk! When the test
was over, it was OVER.
Would that was just as true of ham radio contests! Yet, there remains
considerable confusion out there in radiosport land about what should
happen between the last QSO and the log submission deadline. That
period was originally required in the days of paper logs to go through
and clean up handwriting, remove duplicate contacts, and generally make
the log checkable - no computer software was involved. In addition,
mailing in the log from faraway places often took some time.
These days, it's uncommon to NOT use a computer to log your contacts
and with the Internet nearly ubiquitous, the resulting computer file
can be sent to the sponsors in seconds. So as in golf, turn in your
score card before you even take your spikes off! No other sport permits
the participants a "do over" by allowing them to rewrite history by
changing the submitted record of the competition.
What do the ARRL HF Operating Guidelines
have to say about it?
Paraphrasing some of the information there, any information in your log
at the end of the contest is what should go to the contest sponsors. If
your information is wrong, so be it - everyone makes mistakes. It's
possible to "sanitize" a log after the contest, but the correct answer
is that the contest is over at the time the rules say it's over.
Examples of post-contest log manipulation include editing times,
correcting band changes, checking calls against the Callbook, checking
against packet spots, looking through logs from other contesters,
confirming calls and exchanges with your buddies, reading DX and
contesting reflectors for news about rare calls, and even posting
questions like, "did anyone get QSL info for that VQ0?" If someone asks
you to confirm a QSO or information in the exchange, you should
politely decline. After the log submission deadline, you can discuss
anything you want, of course. If you're not sure about that QSO with
KX1ABC, the time to make sure is during the contest.
There are wide ranging opinions about the acceptability of editing your
log after the contest. Most contesters would agree that if you made a
note during the contest about an error, it's OK to fix it afterwards.
Furthermore, it is generally OK to make a quick pass through the log
immediately after the contest looking for "obvious" typos such as
entering CT as CTT or changing 'o' to '0' - in fact, most logging
software does such a check before creating the final log file.
Correcting syntax errors reported by a log acceptance robot such as
improper dates or multiplier abbreviations is also acceptable. Once you
step over the line into making changes to what you think you "should"
have logged, that's going too far.
Reviewing your log is completely appropriate to help improve your
operating accuracy and look for ways to improve strategy - in the NEXT
contest. In fact, many top operators regularly review their logs and
even record parts of contests in order to review and improve their
operating practices. For example, when you get your log-checking
report, you can go back to review busted calls and see what the other
station really sent. This is an excellent way to discover where your
weak spots are. A quick scan of last year's log will refresh your
memory about when and where you worked those rare multipliers, too!
It is encouraging to see so many logs submitted within minutes of the
end of major contests, often a significant fraction of the final tally.
That means contesters are "getting it" -we compete during the contest
period and not afterwards. It is becoming a matter of pride that your
log is turned in right away just as it is to compete ethically and by
the rules. There is more work to be done - urge your peers to follow
suit and join the clatter of pencils falling onto tabletops as the
clock ticks over to 0000 Z.
73, Ward N0AX
==> CONTESTS
23 November through 6 December
An expanded, downloadable version of QST's Contest Corral in PDF format
is available. Check the
sponsor's Web site for information on operating time restrictions and
other instructions.
HF CONTESTS
ARRL 160 Meter Contest--CW, from Dec 2, 2200Z to Dec 4, 1600Z. Bands
(MHz): 1.8. Exchange: RST and ARRL/RAC section if US/VE. Logs due: Jan
3. Rules
SKCC Straight Key Sprint--CW, from Nov 23, 0000Z to Nov 23, 0200Z.
Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Monthly on the fourth Wednesday UTC. Exchange:
RST, S/P/C, name, SKCC nr or power. Logs due: 5 days. Rules
CQ World Wide CW Contest--CW, from Nov 26, 0000Z to Nov 27, 2400Z.
Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST and CQ zone. Logs due: Dec 21. Rules
SARL Digital Contest--Digital, from Nov 27, 1300Z to Nov 27, 1600Z.
Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. Exchange: RST and serial. Logs due: 7 days. Rules
Top Band Sprint--Phone, CW, from Dec 2, 0000Z to Dec 2, 0600Z. Bands
(MHz): 1.8. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, ARCI number or Power. Logs due: Dec
17. Rules
SNS and NS Weekly Sprints--CW, from Dec 2, 0200Z to Dec 2, 0300Z. Bands
(MHz): 1.8-14. Weekly on Thursday evenings local time. Exchange:
Serial, name, and S/P/C. Logs due: 2 days. Rules
TARA RTTY Mêlée--Digital, from Dec 3, 0000Z to Dec 3, 2400Z. Bands
(MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST and State/Province or serial. Logs due:
Jan 1. Rules
Top Operators Activity Contest--CW, from Dec 3, 1600Z to Dec 4, 1559Z.
Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST, serial, and TOPS/PRO number. Logs
due: Dec 31. Rules
AWA Bruce Kelly QSO Party--CW, from Dec 3, 2300Z to Dec 4, 2300Z.
Multiple operating periods, see website. Bands (MHz): 3.5,7. Exchange:
RST, Xmtr type, power, name. Logs due: 30 days. Rules
10 Meter RTTY Contest--Digital, from Dec 4, 0000Z to Dec 4, 2359Z.
Bands (MHz): 28. Exchange: RST and state or province or serial. Logs
due: Dec 15. Rules
ARS Spartan Sprint--CW, from Dec 6, 0200Z to Dec 6, 0400Z. Monthly on
the first Monday evening local time. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange:
RST, S/P/C, and power. Logs due: 2 days. Rules
VHF+ CONTESTS
SKCC Straight Key Sprint--CW, from Nov 23, 0000Z to Nov 23, 0200Z.
Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, Frequencies: Monthly on the fourth Wednesday
UTC. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, name, SKCC nr or power. Logs due: 5 days.
Rules http://www.skccgroup.com
==> LOG DUE DATES
23 November through 6 December
- November 27 - SARL Field Day Contest
- November 27 - Run for the Bacon QRP Contest
- November 27 - High Speed Club CW Contest
- November 28 - 10-10 Int. Fall Contest, Digital
- November 28 - WAE DX Contest, RTTY
- November 29 - 50 MHz Fall Sprint
- November 30 - JARTS WW RTTY Contest
- November 30 - W/VE Islands QSO Party
- November 30 - SYLRA Contest
- December 1 - Feld Hell Sprint
- December 1 - OK/OM DX Contest, CW
- December 1 - CQ-WE Contest
- December 3 - YO International PSK31 Contest
- December 5 - RSGB 2nd 1.8 MHz Contest, CW
- December 6 - Ukrainian DX Contest
- December 6 - ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, SSB
- December 6 - NA Collegiate ARC Championship, SSB
==> ARRL INFORMATION
Click here to advertise in this newsletter.
Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information
Join or Renew Today!
ARRL membership includes QST , Amateur Radio's
most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each
month.
Subscribe to NCJ - the National Contest Journal
. Published bimonthly, features articles by
top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO
Parties.
Subscribe to QEX - A Forum for Communications Experimenters
. Published bimonthly, features technical
articles, construction projects, columns and other items of interest to
radio amateurs and communications professionals.
Free of charge to ARRL members: Subscribe
to The ARRL Letter (weekly digest of news and information), the ARES
E-Letter (monthly public service and emergency communications news),
Division and Section news -- and much more!
ARRL offers a wide array of products
to enhance your enjoyment of Amateur Radio. Visit the site often for
new publications, specials and sales.
Donate to the fund of your
choice -- support programs not funded by member dues!
==> 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
node 1:116/901.
Address all comments and questions to the editor as described in this
electronic newsletter.
---
* Origin: (1:116/901)
|
