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The ARRL Contest Update
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
February 29, 2012
Editor: Ward Silver, N0AX
==> IN THIS ISSUE
- ARRL DX Phone - Everybody Crosses the Pond
- Type Fast - NA RTTY Sprint
- Free Contesting Webinar - Schedule Update
- New Contest from China
- Round 'n Round We Go Echoes
- More Log Submission Records Fall - CQ WPX RTTY
- Incoming! Space Alerts and Warnings
- Rubber Crystals - No Joke!
- Recordum Quod est Locutus
==> NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO
This weekend brings the phone weekend of the venerable ARRL DX Phone
contest, now more than 80 years old and the oldest of all radiosport
contests. With all the DX beaming your way, fill your log with
long-distance contacts and practice your pileup and copying technique.
BULLETINS
There are no bulletins in this issue
BUSTED QSOS
Clarifying the WRC-12 report from the last issue - the new allocation
will not take effect until it is entered into the Radio Regulations. No
date has been set for this, but it is unlikely to be earlier than
January 1, 2013. In any case, no amateur can use the band until his or
her national regulations are revised to implement the allocation.
(Thanks, Khrystyne K1SFA)
CONTEST SUMMARY
Complete information for all contests follows the Conversation section
March 3-4
- SNS and NS Weekly Sprints--CW (Mar 2)
- ARRL International Phone DX Contest
- Worldwide EME Contest
- Open Ukraine RTTY Championship
- OK1WC Memorial Contest (Mar 5)
- ARS Spartan Sprint--CW (Mar 6)
- YL CW Party (Mar 6)
- John Rollins Memorial DX Contest--CW (Mar 7)
Mar 10-11
- RSGB Commonwealth Contest--CW
- AGCW QRP Contest--CW
- QRP ARCI HF Grid Square Sprint--CW
- EA PSK63 Contest
- Idaho QSO Party
- North American RTTY Sprint
- Wisconsin QSO Party
==> NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST
The following schedule of free webinars comes from Potomac Valley Radio
Club President K4ZW, Ken Claerbout:
Title: N1MM Logger in Depth: Part 1 - Overview
Date: Tuesday, February 28 at 9 PM EST
Title: N1MM Logger in Depth: Part 2 - Digital Modes and Multi-Op
Date: Tuesday, March 6 at 9 PM EST
Title: Getting Started In Digital Contesting
Date: Sunday, April 1 at 3 PM EDT
The web link to registration is posted on the PVRC website
under the Upcoming Webinars link.
The WRC-12 Plenary meeting agreed that WRC-15 will consider a
possible new secondary amateur allocation within the band 5250 - 5450
kHz in accordance with Resolution COM6/12 (WRC-12). A worldwide amateur
allocation on 60 meters draws ever closer - patience! (Thanks, Frank
W3LPL)
Also drawing closer is the summer thunderstorm season here in the US.
This would be a great time to spend a few hours in a National Weather
Service (NWS) SKYWARN training session
. Even with the advances in
Doppler radar and other monitoring marvels, the NWS relies on the eyes
and instruments of observers. Contesters make great weather spotters,
too, being accustomed to exchanging information accurately and
efficiently. Here's a great way to put your talents to work for your
community - especially younger hams looking for a way to make
meaningful contributions.
Here's an interesting remote rig control interface
based on the iPad. It also logs your contacts! (Thanks, Brian K1BRF)
Jim AD1C has released version 3.1 of PASS
- a program to analyze passing stations
from band-to-band during contests. This version includes pass_win.exe
which will work from a command prompt under Window 7/Vista as well as
Windows XP.
There has been a lot of discussion of the Sun's activity and potential
effects on terrestrial electronic and power distribution systems. You'd
never know it from the current state of the higher HF bands but there
were a lot of sunspots just a couple of months ago - and they could
return at any time. Not known for alarmist narrative, this IEEE
Spectrum article "A Perfect Storm of Planetary Proportions
"
reviews susceptibility to solar surges.
Rick NQ4I notes that the NQ4I multi-multi team has preferred using the
cqcontest Russian real-time contest score
posting website. There are plenty of features, including display of
scores and multipliers.
With interest building in the eventual MW (medium wave) amateur
allocation, readers may be interested in the printed monthly magazine
called "Lowdown" published by the Longwave Club of America
, covering everything on LF from "Natural Radio"
(atmospherics) to 500 kHz, experimental stations, technical content,
and a stations-heard listing. (Thanks, Bob K2EUH)
After a weekend of listening to Reverse Beacon Network spot-clickers
all winding up approximately exactly zero-beat with each other on a DX
station, here's a good one from Guy N7ZG - "If QNZ means 'please zero
beat my frequency' then how about adding QTK, meaning "Will you
knuckleheads please spread out?""
Web Site of the Week - Notice just reached the Contest Corral of a
brand-new contest from China - the Worked All Provinces of China
(WAPC), sponsored by the Mulan DX
Club. A "test" run will be held on 21 April from 0000-2359Z and the
main event is currently planned for October 6th. It is great to see a
Chinese-sponsored HF DX contest! (Thanks, Randy K5ZD and Fred K3ZO)
WORD TO THE WISE
Pass - In a multi-operator station, it's a good idea to keep your eye
on the logging software to notice if the station you are working is
needed on another band for a multiplier. If so, ask them if they will
move for you - it's called "passing the multiplier" and a well-executed
sequence of ringing up a few new ones, particularly late in the
contest, is really exciting to see!
==> SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
During the 2011 CQWW CW there were good conditions on the 15 meter band
and Julian VK4CMV recorded signals with extreme echoes from SK3W - near
his antipode. In this YouTube video you
can hear strong echoes that are delayed almost a half second. While not
quite as much time elapsed as for Long Delayed Echoes, this is clearly
unusual propagation. (Thanks, Ingo SM5AJV)
The solar wind stream that hit Earth's magnetic field on Feb. 18th
initiated surprisingly widespread aurora displays. Sightings of the
aurora borealis crossed the Canadian border and were reported as far
south as Nebraska in the United States. Photographs of the display and
speculation about what made the solar wind impact so potent are
available on the Spaceweather website . While
you're there, read up on the planetary conjunctions going on now and in
the days to come.
Zoli HA1AG posted a nice photo album
from the ED9M operation last year.
While you're there, check out his photos from other radio adventures!
Did you ever wonder how long a nanosecond is? Watch this video
as
Admiral Grace Hopper (SK) explains.
==> RESULTS AND RECORDSS
RTTY contesting is certainly growing like a weed. Ed W0YK
, CQ RTTY Contest Director informs us that, "Over
3300 logs have been received, topping last year's record number of
2374. However, there are many more call in the aggregate QSOs from the
received logs, so there are many more logs available to aid the log
checking. We would appreciate receiving your log even if you'd like it
to be used as a checklog. No log is too small to be useful!" The log
submission deadline is 2359Z on Thursday, Mar 1 and logs can be
submitted by email or via the web
.
Preliminary CW Sprint Results
can be found on the National
Contest Journal website. Congratulations to Scott KA9FOX with a very
impressive QRP score over 10K points. There was a photo finish in the
team scores with NCCC #1 just edging out the Ad Hoc team. (Thanks, CW
Sprint Manager, Tree N6TR)
Check out the soapbox comments
collected from 3830 postings
for recent contests by Dink N7WA. Great reading and an excellent way to
get prepared for the next contest!
Who was loudest? Who was spotted the most on all the bands? Pete N4ZR
reports that Bob N6TV has prepared a package of statistics from the
recent ARRL DX CW contest. They are now posted on the Reverse Beacon
Network blog
.
Everyone who submitted a log for the WPX SSB/CW Contests was sent an
email with a link to their log checking report. If you lost that email
or did not receive it you should contact WPX Contest Director, Randy
K5ZD .
A list of Logs Received for the 2011 edition of the Canada Winter
Contest has been published
. Inquiries on the listing
can be sent to Canada Winter Contest Chairman, Sam VE5SF
<%20Canadawinter@rac.ca>. Plaques for the 2010 edition of the Canada
Winter Contest are in the mail - don't forget to drop a note of thanks
to the plaque sponsor!
Results for the Stew Perry
contest are "basically final." Contest manager, Tree N6TR of the Boring
(OR) Amateur Radio Club says, "At some point, I will figure out who won
which awards and do a writeup. That is - unless someone is inspired to
do a guest writeup like Paul, K8PO did last year. It was nice seeing
the writeup done from a less "Boring" perspective for a change."
Contest Director, Goetz DJ3IW and Contest Manager, Bernd DC4HB write to
let us know that the results of the 2011 DRCG Long Distance Contest
are available.
OPERATING TIP
When conditions are "funny" due to a solar hiccup or a geomagnetic
disturbance, start looking for unusual propagation along skewed paths
or for openings at unusual times. Paths at the customary times and
bearings may be closed but when the ionosphere is busy, strange things
have been known to happen!
==> TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION
Brian K1LI writes, "In the category of "useful resources," I find that
the Space Weather Alerts and Warnings Timeline
gives me, at a
glance, lots of information that helps me understand what's going on
propagation-wise, such as the timeline for Jan 16 -31
. It
gives a very interesting depiction of the events we all witnessed.."
When using the paralleled-coax technique of making balanced
transmission line from coax, does that change the velocity factor?
"Nope...it's exactly the same." What about the matched loss of the
line? "The matched loss per unit length of the resulting twin-lead will
also be exactly the same." (Thanks, Jim W6RMK and Steve G3TXQ)
You can run tetrode amplifier tubes as grounded-grid as described in
this classic article by
Bill Orr W6SAI in which he describes such operation of the 4-125A,
4-250A, 4-400A, and 4-1000A. (Thanks, Bill WA4LAV)
John KE7KDQ recently compiled this list
of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) electronic and circuit-building apps for the
Android operating system. And while we're in DIY mode, here's an
Instructables lesson on the how-to of motors
. What do motors have
to do with radio? Ask any SteppIR antenna
owner!
Technical Web Site of the Week - The Bliley crystal pictured in the
previous issue prompted this recollection by Ellen W1YL of the famous
VF1 "variable frequency" (or "rubber") crystals. "Yes it was
intentionally designed to allow you to change frequency-- as I seem to
recall (over 60 years ago now!) it had a variable pressure plate with a
exterior portion that you 'screwed' in or out to vary the
frequency...just a bit but it was literally our first VFO and a big
deal, even though the frequency variation was small." You can see the
Bliley VF1 on the website maintained by
Bliley descendent, Charles K3NAU.
==> CONVERSATION
Recordum Quod est Locutus
The Latin phrase for "record what is spoken" should be kept in mind
during this weekend's coming ARRL DX Phone contest - and throughout the
year. Your job - as a radio operator - is to record the information
that is actually transmitted by the other station, beginning with the
call sign.
Believe not the spot - verily, I say unto you, verify! Listen so that
you are sure of what you put in your log. If a station is not giving a
call sign frequently enough, call and ask for it.
Exhibit a healthy amount of skepticism towards the information popping
up on your band map or web browser. Using any of the contest modes, the
slightest miscue will result in a busted call or exchange and cost you
the contact, possibly the multiplier, and probably some penalty points.
Really? A rare station that just happens to have a call sign just
one letter different from a station that has been spotted ad infinitum
all weekend just happens to show up on Sunday afternoon? Really?
Really? Down on the low bands, you just worked a distant multiplier
with an incredibly booming signal who was spotted only a couple hundred
hertz from a much closer station? Really?
Before you jump all over that instant pileup and hit the send button -
stop and think about what might actually be happening. You're probably
going to cost yourself major points by not listening and thinking.
Really!
On the other side of the equation, when you spot a station manually be
sure you are giving out the right information. On CW, it's so easy to
miss a dit, changing a 4 to a V or a 6 to a B. On phone, the accents
and QRM make for a double accuracy whammy. Was that a B or a P? An M or
an N? Phonetically, please!
Maybe a catchier latin-inspired phrase would be effingo quod propagtur
- copy what propagates? Could we start a radiosport movement? Sure,
it's fun to click spots and watch your multiplier totals rocket their
way up the ladder, but take a little extra time to be sure you've
effingo-ed correctly and completely. With so much information flying
around cyberspace, it's easy to forget the purpose of contesting in the
first place which is to develop operating skill. Don't substitute
logging information off the 'net rather than what you copy off the air.
73, Ward N0AX
==> CONTESTS
29 February through 13 March
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 Int'l Phone DX Contest--Phone, from Mar 3, 0000Z to Mar 4, 2400Z.
Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS and state, province, or power. Logs
due: Apr 3. Rules
OK1WC Memorial Contest--Phone,CW, from Mar 5, 1600Z to Mar 5, 1659Z.
Bands (MHz): 3.5, 50. First through fourth Monday of each month; see
website. Exchange: RS(T) and serial. Logs due: 14 days. Rules
SNS and NS Weekly Sprints--CW, from Mar 2, 0200Z to Mar 2, 0300Z. Bands
(MHz): 1.8-14. Frequencies: Weekly on Thursday evenings local time.
Exchange: Serial, name, and S/P/C. Logs due: 2 days. Rules
Open Ukraine RTTY Championship--Digital, from Mar 3, 2000Z to Mar 3,
2359Z and Mar 4, 0800Z to Mar 4, 1159Z. Multiple operating periods.
Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: Regional abbreviation and serial. Logs
due: Apr 4. Rules
ARS Spartan Sprint--CW, from Mar 6, 0200Z to Mar 6, 0400Z. Bands (MHz):
3.5-28. Frequencies: Monthly on the first Monday evening local time.
Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and power. Logs due: 2 days. Rules
YL CW Party--CW, from Mar 6, 1900Z to Mar 6, 2100Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5.
Exchange: RST, serial, if YL "YL," name. Logs due: Mar 31. Rules
John Rollins Memorial DX Contest--CW, from Mar 7, 2300Z to Mar 8, 2300Z
and Mar 10, 2300Z to Mar 11, 2300Z. Multiple operating periods. Bands
(MHz): 7,14. Exchange: RS, name, and S/P/C. Logs due: 4 weeks. Rules
RSGB Commonwealth Contest--CW, from Mar 10, 1000Z to Mar 11, 1000Z.
Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST and serial (Commonwealth only). Logs
due: 30 days. Rules
AGCW QRP Contest--CW, from Mar 10, 1400Z to Mar 10, 2000Z. Bands (MHz):
3.5-28. Exchange: RST, serial, class, AGCW number or NM. Logs due: Mar
31. Rules
QRP ARCI HF Grid Square Sprint--CW, from Mar 10, 1500Z to Mar 10,
1800Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Frequencies: QRP calling frequencies.
Exchange: RST, 4-digit grid square, QRP ARCI number. Logs due: 14 days.
Rules
EA PSK63 Contest--Digital, from Mar 10, 1600Z to Mar 11, 1600Z. Bands
(MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST + serial or EA province. Logs due: 30
days. Rules
Idaho QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Mar 10, 1900Z to Mar 11, 1900Z.
Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50-440, Frequencies: CW 35 kHz above band edge;
Phone 7.260, 14.260, 21.335, 28.470 MHz, plus 50, 144, 440 . Exchange:
RS(T) and ID county or S/P/C. Logs due: 30 days. Rules
North American RTTY Sprint--Digital, from Mar 11, 0000Z to Mar 11,
0400Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. Exchange: Both call signs, serial, name,
and S/P/C. Logs due: 7 days. Rules
Wisconsin QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Mar 11, 1800Z to Mar 12,
0100Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28, 50+, Frequencies: CW 3.550, 7.050, 14.050;
Phone 3.890, 7.230, 14.290, 21.350, 28.400. Exchange: WI county or
S/P/C. Logs due: Apr 12. Rules
VHF+ CONTESTS
OK1WC Memorial Contest--Phone,CW, from Mar 5, 1600Z to Mar 5, 1659Z.
Bands (MHz): 3.5, 50. First through fourth Monday of each month; see
website. Exchange: RS(T) and serial. Logs due: 14 days. Rules
Worldwide EME Contest--Phone,CW, from Mar 3, 0000Z to Mar 4, 2400Z.
Bands (MHz): 432, 3.4 GHz. Exchange: TMO/RS(T) and "R". Logs due: Jun
25. Rules
Idaho QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Mar 10, 1900Z to Mar 11, 1900Z.
Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50-440, Frequencies: CW 35 kHz above band edge;
Phone 7.260, 14.260, 21.335, 28.470 MHz, plus 50, 144, 440 . Exchange:
RS(T) and ID county or S/P/C. Logs due: 30 days. Rules
Wisconsin QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Mar 11, 1800Z to Mar 12,
0100Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28, 50+, Frequencies: CW 3.550, 7.050, 14.050;
Phone 3.890, 7.230, 14.290, 21.350, 28.400. Exchange: WI county or
S/P/C. Logs due: Apr 12. Rules
==> LOG DUE DATES
29 February through 13 March
February 29 - SPAR Winter Field Day
March 1 - BARTG RTTY Sprint
March 1 - AWA Linc Cundall Memorial CW Contest
March 1 - CQ WW RTTY WPX Contest
March 1 - RSGB 80m Club Championship, CW
March 4 - SARL Digital Contest
March 5 - FYBO Winter QRP Sprint
March 5 - Vermont QSO Party
March 6 - EPC WW DX Contest
March 6 - Delaware QSO Party
March 6 - Black Sea Cup International
March 6 - Mexico RTTY International Contest
March 6 - Russian PSK WW Contest
March 10 - North American QSO Party, RTTY
March 11 - KCJ Topband Contest
March 12 - Dutch PACC Contest
March 12 - FISTS Winter Sprint
March 12 - YLRL YL-OM 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) 2012 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All
Rights Reserved
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