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The ARRL Contest Update
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
April 25, 2012
Editor: Ward Silver, N0AX
==> IN THIS ISSUE
- Beyond VHF - Spring Sprints, EME, 2 GHZ and Up
- Out and About - QRP To the Field and ARS Spartan Sprint
- Relax - You're Two Tents
- Titanic Radio History
- The Ultimate in Cool Transmitters
- Sweepstakes, 160 Meter, and Rookie Roundup Results
- Base Bolts Basics
- History of Character Codes
- To See Things for Yourself
NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO
There are several "targeted" contests coming up that are excellent
opportunities for new HF operators. In the DX arena you'll find the
Helvetia (Swiss), SP DX RTTY (Polish), and ARI International (Italian)
contests. Here in the US you can operate in two regional (New England
and 7th District) and two state (Nebraska and Florida) QSO parties. Get
your logging software configured and have fun!
BULLETINS
The ARRL Programs and Services Committee has approved a rule change for
ARRL VHF+ contests effective beginning in 2013 (not this year) to
create a Single-Op FM-only category (100 W max, 50/144/222/440 MHz) and
a three-band Single-Op category (100 W PEP on 50 and 144 MHz, 50 W PEP
on 432 MHz). These changes will apply to the January, June, and
September contests - again, beginning with the 2013 January VHF
Sweepstakes.
BUSTED QSOS
Info on the 7QP came from K4XU/N7XU which your editor comingulated to
K7XU. The proprietor of RF Technology International is K9AY, not K9AG.
But do check out the magazine, regardless! (Thanks, Pete N4ZR and Tom
K1KI)
CONTEST SUMMARY
Complete information for all contests follows the Conversation section
April 28-29
- VHF Spring Sprints--432 MHz (Apr 25)
- Worldwide EME Contest
- Ten-Ten Spring Digital Contest
- Nebraska QSO Party
- SP DX RTTY Contest
- Helvetia Contest
- QRP To The Field--CW
- Florida QSO Party
- BARTG 75 Sprint
May 5-6
- 2 GHz and Up World Wide Contest
- Microwave Spring Sprint
- Ten-Ten Spring CW Contest
- 7th Area QSO Party
- Indiana QSO Party
- Radio Club of America QSO Party--Phone
- ARI International DX Contest
- New England QSO Party
- ARS Spartan Sprint--CW (May 8)
- OK1WC Memorial Contest (May 8)
A reminder - check out the online contest calendars of WA7BNM and
SM3CER. They often have additional contests to those listed here,
including links to the sponsoring websites.
==> NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST
WRTC 2014, Inc., host of the 2014 World Radiosport Team Championship
, is pleased to announce the first two tent
sponsors from Europe -
the Contest Club of Finland (sponsor of WRTC 2002) and Contest
University (CTU) Italy 2012. WRTC 2014 provides each of the 59 teams a
complete operating location including tent, tower, antenna, generator,
etc. Tent sponsorships of $1,000 from clubs and other groups help to
provide the funding for this equipment. Here in the US, the Northern
California Contest Club, Potomac Valley Radio Club, Society of Midwest
Contesters, and Yankee Clipper Contest Club have each sponsored two or
more tents.
Dave W9ZRX is making his first and LAST call for VHF Contest Logs
for the 2012 Super Check Partial (SCP) Database
. Due to some upcoming surgery, the June
release will be the only release in 2012. Please do continue to send
Dave your 2012 Contest logs for the remainder of the year - they will
be archived for the 2013 release.
Ed WA3WSJ has released a new Kindle book "Amateur Radio and the Great
Outdoors " on the
joys of operating "out and about." 300 pages long, it covers all sorts
of topics associated with portable operation - antennas, power sources,
hiking, safety, and more. This is a companion to Ed's "Amateur Radio
Pedestrian Mobile" book.
European Sprint Manager, Dave G4BUO writes, "Unfortunately we have had
a number of problems with the European Sprint and a new email address
for logs was not ready in time. If you get a bounce message from the
published address for logs please email your log directly to me at
sprint@g4buo.com. I want to give thanks publicly to Dima, RW3FO who has
been working very hard to keep the EU Sprint show on the road,
including spending many hours processing the logs from the autumn
contest, after our new checking software became unavailable."
Dick K6KAL has created a Frequency Display add-on
for N1MM that shows main VFO and secondary
VFO frequencies in a variable window and font size, variable font size,
type, and color to make the information easier to see. (Thanks, Larry
N6NC)
AMSAT is closing in on the $6500 needed to purchase the special
high-efficiency, space-rated solar panels for its new Fox-1 Cube-Sat
that will act as a temporary
replacement for AO-51, lost to battery failure. Five additional
Cube-Sats from Japan, Vietnam, and the United States are in final
preparation for launch to the ISS in July in a Japanese re-supply
mission. If your Field Day group is planning on obtaining the bonus
points for a satellite QSO, not having AO-51 means a lot of congestion
on the FM-only AO-27 and ISS space-borne repeaters. Check out the AMSAT
Field Day operational rules
before making your final plans - you might want to try the birds
featuring linear transponders that can handle more signals on CW and
SSB.
The DXCoffee website has published an interview
on DX operating with contester and DXpeditioner, Bill N7OU. Bill traded
a home station for 100% expeditioning some years again and is
thoroughly enjoying himself. (Thanks, Christian IX1CKN)
Technical papers are being solicited for presentation at the 31st
Annual ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference
on September 21-23, 2012 in Atlanta,
Georgia. Please send papers to: Maty Weinberg, ARRL, 225 Main St.,
Newington, CT 06111 or via e-mail to: maty@arrl.org.
Web Site of the Week - Along with remembering the Titanic in this
centennial year of its sinking, there is an elevated interest in early
radio. The IEEE Spectrum discusses the Titanic's role in radio reform
and Doug K1DG tips us to the Communications Act of 1912
that led Amateur Radio into
the "200 meters and down" wilderness (see Section 15) with all that
came next. Imagine what a shock it must have been in those days to
discover that the short waves were open during the day! If that
paragraph had been absent, so would have modern ham radio. A BBC
Titanic "special broadcast
" converts the wireless
telegraphy to voice, including losing the signal as the ship sunk. Tim
K3LR recommends the portions from 4:43 - 23:00 and after 26:28 as the
best parts of the nearly hour-long program.
WORD TO THE WISE
Brag tape - a pre-programmed message describing a station's equipment
and accomplishments. The word "tape" recalls the long-gone days when
RTTY teleprinters used punched paper tape
to store messages.
==> SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
This looks like the ultimate transmitter
- don't you think everyone should have one? (Thanks, Jim K7WA)
Photos from the Visalia International DX Convention have been
published by Bob N6TV and Hector XE2K
.
You'll recognize a lot of the call signs - and there are lots of
smiling faces, too.
Top-scoring Rookie Roundup participant Ashley K6NAA was captured on
video making a couple of
contacts by station host and contest Elmer, Bob N6TV.
==> RESULTS AND RECORDS
Expanded results for
the 2011 ARRL Phone and CW Sweepstakes, including excellent in-depth
articles by Steve London N2IC and Kelly Taylor VE4XT, results databases
and Log-Checking reports, are now online. Also on-line as of today is
the extended version of Gary K9AY's 160 Meter Contest report. Results
for the April 15th Rookie Roundup
have been released today, too. (Thanks, ARRL Contest Branch Manager,
Sean KX9X)
Looking for the line scores of ARRL contests? "Full line scores for
all ARRL contests are already available on-line
. Select your favorite
contest, and select "Printable Line Scores". (Thanks, Steve N2IC)
WRTC-2014 standings
have
been updated to include the official results from CQ WPX CW, All Asia
DX CW and SSB, WAE CW and SSB, and ARRL Sweepstakes CW. Team Selection
Direction, Dan K1TO is getting excited - "22 down, 33 to go! Once
again, the standings show a number of new leaders in their Selection
Areas. CQ WPX CW next month is the 35th qualifying
event out of the 55 total events so there are still 21 events left to
operate!"
The CQ WPX Contest's "official" high claimed scores just went online
. The 5,264 logs submitted so
far is a new record for the contest. Scores are calculated by the log
checking software and before any reductions. (Logs submitted as check
logs are not included in the claimed scores.) Please check that your
log has been placed in the correct category. Any feedback or
corrections should be made to k5zd@cqwpx.com. Even though 10 meters
didn't open as much as everyone had hoped, we still had a number of
record scores and stations across the US are seen in the Top Ten.
(Thanks, CQ WPX Director, Randy K5ZD)
Barry W5GN reports that direct mailing of the US, Canadian, and
Mexican certificates for the CQ WPX 2011 CW Contest was completed on
Saturday. 43 envelopes were found to have been mis-addressed and have
been re-mailed - it is not necessary to return or re-mail the
certificates.
The 2011 Florida QSO Party results
are complete and have
been posted! (Thanks, Ron WD4AHZ)
OPERATING TIP
During the recent April ARRL Rookie Roundup
there was a bit of confusion about
call signs and identification requirements. A Technician call sign
cannot be used on the HF phone bands (other than 10 meters) without
adding the control operator's call. For example, a Technician such as
KE7VDA working 20 meter phone at her station with control operator
K6UFO would have to sign KE7VDA/K6UFO to show that the control operator
is authorized for those frequencies, or simply use the control
operator's call sign. (See FCC §97.119
) For non-Rookie operators,
should you encounter an operator identifying with a call sign not
authorized for that frequency, politely inform them of the problem,
make sure there isn't some mistake, and then suggest the correct
procedure as you would like to be informed of a problem with your
operating - no need to get upset as we all make mistakes.
==> TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION
If you are putting in a tower base that will place significant tension
on the anchor bolts, follow US Tower's lead and use a large, straight
bolt with two nuts on the concrete end. With the two nuts on the bolt,
spoil the threads below the lower nut (smash them with a hammer and
chisel, for example) to prevent the nuts from working loose before the
concrete sets. (Thanks, Steve K7LXC and Hank KR7X)
John K6MM provided a great overview of log analysis tools in his
Visalia International DX Convention presentation, "Post-Contest Log
Analyzers ". You can learn a
lot about your log and use that information for doing better in the
next contest!
"Does Anyone Repair Electronics Any More?" Electronic Design
magazine answered that question in a blog entry
of the same name by Lou Frenzel.
What's the deal on Arduino? Howduino! But you can find out in this Make
magazine online introduction
to the growing
family of Arduino microprocessor development boards.
Portable contest operators - such as for Field Day, roving, and
run-and-gun adventures - will find a lot of good information on the use
and care of telescoping poles
about half way down the
page. (Thanks, Steve NU7T)
The May edition of the Potomac Valley Radio Club (PVRC) newsletter
has a good article by Tom
K3AJ on raising small towers with a tow truck. There is also a good
article on Samuel Morse by John K3TN.
Contesters drill through walls quite a bit - hanging plaques and
certificates, no doubt. Make cleanup a little easier with this idea for
using coffee filters
from Make magazine's online tip collection.
Technical Web Site of the Week - Have you ever wondered where the
digital mode character codes come from? Wonder no more after reading
Tom Jennings' history of character codes
unearthed by Bob N7RDP. The WPS
website is full of fascinating articles and information.
==> CONVERSATION
To See Things for Yourself
I continue to find many parallels between the amateur astronomy
community and Amateur Radio. Perhaps it is because we both use
sensitive instruments to discern the signals from distant and wonderful
places? As such, a special premium is often awarded for using one's own
senses to perform as much of the detection and understanding as
possible.
The "Focal Point" column by Thomas Watson in the May issue of Sky &
Telescope discussed why this is so
through the eyes of an astronomer. The question for his community of
stargazers revolves around the use of astroimaging technology - once
film cameras and now CCD detectors - as opposed to peering through the
eyepiece yourself.
Initially, he states, "The best picture postcard of the Grand Canyon
will never replace standing on the rim and gazing into it with your own
eyes." I do love visiting the Astronomy Picture of the Day
web site and often follow the links describing
the picture and the technology used to acquire it. Similarly, I thrill
to see deep-space objects imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope and
other magnificent instruments. I'll never confuse those views, however,
with lining up my own dim and wavering view of a Messier object
through my small
reflector - astronomy's DXCC.
Later in the column Watson arrives at the crux, writing, "The depth and
beauty of the universe gain a new level of meaning when you take the
time to see things for yourself." Replace "see" with "hear" and you can
easily understand the parallels between those of us who experience the
universe through our radios and those who use telescopes. Those two are
very much the same - collectors and concentrators of photons - although
of quite different wavelengths.
Not explicitly stated in Part 97.1's Basis and Purpose but underlying
it all the same, the ability to experience the natural world one-on-one
through the magic of radio is Amateur Radio's great reservoir of
strength. Some may prefer to copy CW like free climbers gripping a
granite face with fingers and toes and rosin. Other may prefer to pull
signals swimming deep in and ocean of noise to the surface through
coding wizardry. Yet we all share the same fundamental spirit of
adventure and discovery, educing beauty in the diminutive and ephemeral
electromagnetic vibrations of space and time--to see it for ourselves.
73, Ward N0AX
==> CONTESTS
25 April through 8 May
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
Ten-Ten Spring Digital Contest--Digital, from Apr 28, 0001Z to Apr 29,
2359Z. Bands (MHz): 28. Exchange: Call, name, county & S/P/C, 10-10
number. Logs due: 15 days. Rules
Nebraska QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 28, 1100Z to Apr 29,
1700Z . Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, 144, Frequencies: CW: 1.805 and 35 kHz
above band edge,Nov/Tech--10 kHz above band edge; Phone--1.915, 3.865,
7.265, 14.265, 21.365, 28.465, 146.460. Exchange: RS(T), NE county or
S/P/C. Logs due: May 31. Rules
SP DX RTTY Contest--Digital, from Apr 28, 1200Z to Apr 29, 1200Z .
Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST, serial, SP province. Logs due: May
24. Rules
Helvetia Contest--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 28, 1300Z to Apr 29, 1259Z
. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS(T), serial or Swiss canton. Logs
due: 15 days. Rules
QRP To The Field--CW, from Apr 28, 1500Z to Apr 29, 0300Z. Bands (MHz):
7-28. Exchange: RST, S/P/C. Logs due: Jun 1. Rules
Florida QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Apr 28, 1600Z to Apr 29, 0159Z and
Apr 29, 1200Z to Apr 29, 2159Z . Multiple operating periods. Bands
(MHz): 7-28. Frequencies: see website. Exchange: RS(T), FL county or
S/P/C. Logs due: 30 days. Rules
BARTG 75 Sprint--Digital, from Apr 29, 1700Z to Apr 29, 2100Z. Bands
(MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: Serial. Logs due: Jun 1. Rules
Ten-Ten Spring CW Contest--CW, from May 5, 0001Z to May 6, 2359Z. Bands
(MHz): 28. Exchange: Call sign, name, 10-10 number, state. Logs due: 15
days. Rules
7th Area QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from May 5, 1300Z to May 6,
0700Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, 144, Frequencies: CW--40 kHz above band
edge; SSB--1.845, 3.855, 7.235, 14.255, 21.355, 28.455. Exchange:
RS(T)+S/P or 7th-area county code. Logs due: Jun 2. Rules
Indiana QSO Party--Phone,CW, from May 5, 1600Z to May 6, 0400Z. Bands
(MHz): 1.8-28. Frequencies: CW--1.805 and 40 kHz above the band edge on
80-10 meters, SSB--1.845, 3.820, 7.190, 14.250, 21.300, 28.400.
Exchange: RS(T) + S/P or IN county, DX RS(T) only. Logs due: Jun 15.
Rules
Radio Club of America QSO Party--Phone, from May 5, 1700Z to May 6,
0459Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-21. Exchange: RS, QTH, name, equipment. Rules
ARI International DX Contest--Phone,CW,Digital, from May 5, 2000Z to
May 6, 1959Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS(T), serial or Italian
province. Logs due: 30 days. Rules
New England QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from May 5, 2000Z to May 6,
0500Z and May 8, 1300Z to May 8, 2400Z. Multiple operating periods.
Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Frequencies: CW--3.540, 7.035, 14.040, 21.040,
28.040; SSB--3.850, 7.180/280, 14.280, 21.380, 28.380. Exchange: RS(T)
and S/P or New England county. Logs due: 30 days. Rules
ARS Spartan Sprint--CW, from May 8, 0200Z to May 8, 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
OK1WC Memorial Contest--Phone,CW, from May 8, 1600Z to May 8, 1659Z,
first through fourth Monday of each month. Bands (MHz): 3.5, 50, 144,
Frequencies: see website for bands. Exchange: RS(T) and serial. Logs
due: 7 days. Rules
VHF+ CONTESTS
VHF Spring Sprints--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 25, 7 PM to Apr 25, 11
PM. Bands (MHz): 432. Exchange: Grid square (6-character preferred).
Logs due: 14 days. Rules
Worldwide EME Contest--Phone,CW, from Apr 28, 0000Z to Apr 29, 2400Z.
Bands (MHz): 2.3G. Exchange: TMO/RS(T) and "R". Logs due: Jun 25. Rules
Nebraska QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 28, 1100Z to Apr 29,
1700Z . Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, 144, Frequencies: CW: 1.805 and 35 kHz
above band edge,Nov/Tech--10 kHz above band edge; Phone--1.915, 3.865,
7.265, 14.265, 21.365, 28.465, 146.460. Exchange: RS(T), NE county or
S/P/C. Logs due: May 31. Rules
2 GHz and Up World Wide Contest--Phone,CW,Digital, from May 5, 6 AM to
May 6, 8 PM. Bands (MHz): 2.3G+. Exchange: 6-char grid locator. Logs
due: 60 days. Rules
Microwave Spring Sprint--Phone,CW,Digital, from May 5, 6 AM to May 5, 1
PM. Bands (MHz): 902+. Exchange: Grid square (6-character preferred).
Logs due: 14 days. Rules
7th Area QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from May 5, 1300Z to May 6,
0700Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, 144, Frequencies: CW--40 kHz above band
edge; SSB--1.845, 3.855, 7.235, 14.255, 21.355, 28.455. Exchange:
RS(T)+S/P or 7th-area county code. Logs due: Jun 2. Rules
Indiana QSO Party--Phone,CW, from May 5, 1600Z to May 6, 0400Z. Bands
(MHz): 1.8-28. Frequencies: CW--1.805 and 40 kHz above the band edge on
80-10 meters, SSB--1.845, 3.820, 7.190, 14.250, 21.300, 28.400.
Exchange: RS(T) + S/P or IN county, DX RS(T) only. Logs due: Jun 15.
Rules
==> LOG DUE DATES
25 April through 8 May
- April 25 - NSARA Contest, CW
- April 26 - RSGB 80m Club Championship, Data
- April 28 - Feld Hell Sprint
- April 28 - EA RTTY Contest
- April 29 - EU Spring Sprint, CW
- April 30 - SP DX Contest
- April 30 - Hungarian Straight Key Contest
- April 30 - ARLHS Annual Spring Lites QSO Party
- May 1 - BARTG HF RTTY Contest
- May 1 - Missouri QSO Party
- May 2 - 222 MHz Spring Sprint
- May 5 - New Mexico QSO Party
- May 6 - EU Spring Sprint, SSB
==> 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
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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* Origin: (1:116/901)
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