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The ARRL Contest Update
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
July 4, 2012
Editor: Ward Silver, N0AX
==> IN THIS ISSUE
- Summertime and the Loggin' is Easy - IARU HF
- MI QRP, SNS/NS, FISTS, Straight Key Sprints
- W0AIH to Host NU1AW in IARU HF
- Little Pistols Get Webinars, Too!
- How Do They Do It?
- CQ WPX Final Claimed Scores for CW & SSB
- Is This a Drill?
- Propagation Data Archive from Japan
- The Work of Many
NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO
If you had fun operating on HF at Field Day, there are plenty of
opportunities to keep the ball rolling. There are several sprints,
digital and CW contests, and the biggest of the upcoming two weeks -
the IARU HF Championship. This is a 24-hour contest that begins
Saturday morning here in North America. Both CW and phone modes are
used and the exchange is a signal report and your ITU zone
(not the CQ WW
zone). Especially watch the higher bands as sunset falls and
ionospheric absorption drops!
BULLETINS
Happy Independence Day to our US readers!
BUSTED QSOS
Sorry for causing any palpitations - the first use of the new Ontario
section abbreviations will be this November in the 2012 Sweepstakes,
not next year as reported in the previous issue. Also, the misdirection
of internal links to the editor's personal C: drive was due to a
newsletter editing program hiccup - apologies for not catching that on
the way to publication.
CONTEST SUMMARY
Complete information for all contests follows the Conversation section
July 7-8
- MI QRP July 4th Sprint--CW (Jul 4)
- SNS and NS Weekly Sprints--CW,Digital (Jul 6)
- FISTS Summer Sprint--CW (Jul 6)
- 070 Club Firecracker PSK31 Sprint
- Venezuelan Independence Day Contest
- DL DX RTTY Contest
- Straight Key Weekend Sprintathon
- DARC 10-Meter Digital Corona
- QRP ARCI Summer Homebrew--CW
Jul 14-15
- CWops Monthly Mini-CWT Test (Jul 11)
- IARU HF World Championship
- DMC RTTY Contest
- CQC Great Colorado Gold Rush--CW
==> NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST
This year the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Headquarters
station NU1AW will be operating in the IARU HF World Championship from
the state of Wisconsin as NU1AW/9. Activity will take place on all
bands on both modes from Paul W0AIH's hilltop multi-multi station in
Wisconsin. The team of operators is still growing, however, some of the
team members are W0GJ, N0IJ, K0MD, NE9U, W0UC and the host. With this
year's contest, Paul will be one of a very few stations to have hosted
both the W1AW and NU1AW operations!
Along with a new team taking the reins at North American QSO Party
Headquarters (see the Conversation section below), National Contest
Journal editor, Kirk K4RO, also announces that
Chris Tate, N6WM is the new manage for the SSB NA Sprint. Chris
replaces long-time manager Jim Stevens, K4MA - thanks, Jim! Because of
the heavy contest schedule in February, the winter Phone NA Sprint will
move to the third Sunday of March at the same time, 0000 to 0359Z on
March 16, 2013. This is Saturday afternoon or evening, local time, in
the US and Canada. The September dates are not changing.
It's hard enough keeping everything working at room temperature. Can
you imagine trying to do it at the South Pole? The EDN article "Extreme
electronics in Antarctica
"
will take you into the shop of the most southern repair shop on the
planet and introduce you to the "fuelies".
Scott N3JFP announces that the upgraded November Sweepstakes Log 4.7
is now available. The new version accommodates
the new Ontario sections and upgrads the Cabrillo output format to 3.0
(Cabrillo 2.0 is still being accepted). With the new sections going
into effect in September, you will definitely need this version for
this fall's contest. Scott will be adding the additional sections to
his other major contesting programs including the Field Day program in
plenty of time for next year.
While this item is a little late for the 2012 Field Day, it's never too
early to start preparing for next year. The N1MM team produced a
12-minute video "Operating N1MM Logger on Field Day
".
There are other helpful videos on the site, as well, and would be good
training for the new operators you helped get started during Field Day.
(Thanks, Larry K8UT)
Don't pass up opportunities to put ham radio in front of the public -
summers are full of parades and fairs. Your club could operate a
station, get a special call, work the pileups, and look fun and
exciting. The St Charles ARC will be activating W0S from an actual
float right in the July 4th Riverfest parade - speakers regaling the
crowds with CW and voice! (Look for us at the low end of the General
class band segments on 15 and 40 meters...a shameless plug.) All it
takes is an enthusiastic team, some decorations, and a little ham
innovation!
Engineering jokes
- no that's not an oxymoron - and EDN provides us with several
groaners, some that you've probably heard, and more that you probably
haven't. Enjoy!
Web Site of the Week - In past presentations and in various Webinars on
contest station design, N6BV has focused on antennas at multi-multi
superstations, like N6RO, W6YI, K3LR and KC1XX. But what about a Little
Gun? In this latest Potomac Valley Radio Club webinar, "Antennas for
Contesting -- Little-Gun vs a Superstation
", N6BV delves into more modest
antenna installations that can still give a lot of bang for the buck in
contests or DXing. (Thanks, PVRC President, Ken K4ZW)
WORDS TO THE WISE
"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in
practice, there is." Attributed to both de Snepscheut and Yogi
Berra...I prefer Berra.
==> SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
How do they do it? Every year at Field Day, I hear some amazed operator
shout, "I just worked a station that has a million transmitters!" That
would be the W3AO team - check out how it's done in this great set of
photos . Amateur Radio Video News
(ARVN) produced a DVD, "The Last Big Field Day
" about W3AO's
record-setting, all-time biggest Field Day effort - it makes for a
great club program!
If you expect to have visitors during a contest or are setting up in
a public place, here's an idea for some eye-catching PR. Connect a
tablet or laptop to the Reverse Beacon Net
web site and use the call sign filter to show only spots of your call.
The screen will display a zoom-able map of where your signal is being
heard, worldwide. (Thanks, Pete N4ZR)
The Grumman Corporation produced the Lunar Modules that were so
familiar during the space race to the Moon. EDN has packaged this nice
slide show
about the LM and its role in the Apollo program.
Take a look at this great 270-degree panorama
of DJ3FS' "Funkbude" - I
like that name! (Thanks, Tim K3LR)
"Wild ride at Georgetown's Power Tool Drag Race"
- what more do you need to know? This is what they do in Seattle while
waiting for summer to show up. There are quite a few YouTube videos
of the event, as well -
search for "power tool drag race georgetown 2012"
==> RESULTS AND RECORDS
The final version of Claimed Scores for the 2012 CQ WPX Contest are now
available for both CW and
SSB . These are all of the
logs received as of June 24. 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 Randy Thompson, K5ZD , Director of the CQ
WPX Contest.
Official Claimed Scores for the 2012 CQMM DX Contest
are available online,
showing all logs received (including checklogs) with scores calculated
before reduction by log checking process. Be sure that your log shows
the correct category. If you find any errors, contact the CQMM
Committee by email as soon as possible.
OPERATING TIP
You are - no you're not! When giving out exchanges, why say "You
are..." and then give your own section? Wouldn't the right words be "We
are..."? Actually, the right words are "Roger" or "Thank you" followed
by your class and section without any extra verbiage.
==> TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION
To pass cables underneath a driveway or walkway and if you have access
on each side underneath, you can "drill" a hole with some PVC pipe and
leave the pipe in place for use as a conduit. What's needed is a nozzle
of some kind at the "drill" end of the pipe, and a threaded garden hose
connection at the other. The nozzle can be a PVC pipe cap with some
small holes drilled in the end. Water pressure will wash away the soil
ahead of the nozzle. Use stiff PVC sections with fittings that can be
screwed together. Add more sections as you work the pipe under the
drive. Note that If you run into a rock, you're "done" and will have to
try another location. Hardware stores may also have "water drill" kits
that do the same job. (Thanks, Charlie N0TT and Mike K6BR)
The ARRL web site offers a three-part series
about lightning protection
and the IEEE also publishes and lightning protection guide
. (Thanks, Tom
W0IVJ and Larry W0QE)
Here is a simple RC filter
for the
high-frequency hiss in audio output stages based on the LM386.
Originally described in the SPRAT QRP journal
, quite a number of audio accessories
and rigs use this IC. Getting rid of the hiss reduces operator fatigue
quite a bit! (Thanks, Brien VE3VAW)
If you are just learning how to use an oscilloscope (or want to learn)
the Instructables web site offers a nice introductory tutorial
on learning to
use the eyes of the electronic workbench.
Why are the outer shells of some coaxial power connectors positive when
most are grounded? Steve KD1JV answer the question. "The reason the
shell is positive is so when you have a battery-operated device with an
ac adaptor jack, the shell is what activates the switch inside the jack
to disconnect the internal battery...having the plus (contact) on the
shell simplifies the jack wiring. Otherwise, you'd be switching the
ground to the battery, and that could lead to complications. For stuff
which does not have internal batteries, you will often find the adaptor
which comes with the device has a negative shell."
Dink N7WA recommends the Pyle-Pro PHA40 4-Channel Stereo Headphone
Amplifier that the Mike & Key Club uses at Field Day every year.
Another recommendation comes from Scott W5WZ - he says, "I've had great
luck using an ART HeadAmp 4 Headphone Amp. They seem to be pretty
immune to RF and have independent audio gain for each of the 4 outputs.
A plus is that all inputs and outputs have paralleled 1/8" and 1/4"
jacks."
One of the annual thorny problems is trying to minimize coupling
between Field Day antennas while staying within the site size rules.
Tom W8JI tackles this problem on his website
and opines, "Having two
antennas in the nulls of each other is worth a whole lot more than
distance."
The W1PNS/WA0ITP/AB8XA Battery Life Estimator
is a really handy
tool for testing battery capacity - something important at Field Day
and for portable or emcomm use all year long. (Thanks, TJ W0EA)
Here's a tip from TS-590S owner Mark K6UFO that might also have some
utility in other radios with adjustable display colors or shading -
"I've read that you should configure the Menu A settings in amber and
the Menu B settings in green, so you can tell them apart. Menu A/B
settings are discussed in the manual on page 14."
Popular Mechanics has published the plans for an Arduino-based EMI
detector that translates RF field
strength into an audio tone. It's designed to help sniff out emitters
of radio energy around the house. I wonder what it would do during a
contest weekend?
Magazine roundup:
- National Geographic for June 2012 - "Solar Super Storms - How they
could impact our high-tech world". Along with numerous fetching photos,
the story covers the history of solar storms beginning with the
enormous flare of 1859. Operators who were on the air during the 2003
CQ WW SSB contest will remember well the effect of the large flare,
filling the bands with hiss and reducing the strongest signals to
whispers.
- Popular Mechanics for July 2012 - "Welcome to the new solar maximum",
more coverage of solar storminess which seems to have captured the
public's attention. The article includes a good summary of the current
solar monitoring satellites. The issue also includes "Build Your Own
Telegraph" that lists parts and diagrams of a neat project for kids and
students.
- Elektor for May 2012 - part three of the "AVR Software Defined Radio"
adds an active ferrite antenna kit for VLF-MF reception and
instructions for changing the tuning higher in frequency.
- Wired for June 2012 - Mythbusters host Adam Savage authors a great
article on science and tech projects for you and your kids. He doesn't
mention ham radio but you can run with the idea!
Technical Web Site of the Week - From ARRL Propagation Bulletin
ARLP026, the Kyoto World Data Center for Geomagnetism
publishes planetary K and A indices
all the way back to 1932. With a perpetual calendar you can find your
favorite contest weekend for any year, as well.
==> CONVERSATION
The Work of Many
National Contest Journal editor, Kirk Pickering
K4RO announces some changes in management for the North American QSO
Party (NAQP) contests.
"After many years of service, Bruce Horn, WA7BNM will hand over
management of the North American QSO Party (NAQP) to a new team of
volunteers. I'd like to thank Bruce for all of the time, energy and
resources he has put in to the NAQPs. These events are as vibrant and
popular as ever and we have Bruce to thank for guiding their growth
over the years.
"Bruce began overseeing the SSB NAQPs in January 1998 and took over the
CW NAQPs in January 2003. As Bruce recalls, "Bob Selbrede, K6ZZ who was
managing NAQP CW asked me if I'd be interested in managing the January
1998 NAQP SSB. Bob had been using an Excel spreadsheet for log
checking, but it was limited by the maximum number of rows allowed by
Excel at that time. I subsequently build at log-checking system using
Microsoft Access, which was later used for CW log checking a couple of
years later. I then wrote a more sophisticated log-checking system
based on Web applications that I've used until the present. I started
producing the CW results writeup and Correspondence (in addition to
SSB) starting in January 2003. Finally, I started log checking the RTTY
logs in January 2008, when the contest had a manager transition."
"In addition to assisting in the transition to the new NAQP
management team, Bruce will continue to handle online certificates and
team registration for the NAQPs. Bruce will also work directly with
ARRL Headquarters on other contesting-related IT challenges, applying
his considerable experience and programming skills.
"The new team of volunteers consists of operators who are very familiar
with the NAQPs and includes contesters with decades of collective
log-checking experience. Many thanks to these top contesters for
offering their time and experience to carry the NAQPs into the future.
"The new NAQP contest managers (and contest report authors) are Chris
Hurlbut, KL9A for NAQP CW and Bill Lippert, AC0W for NAQP SSB. Mark
Aaker, K6UFO remains onboard as the NAQP RTTY contest manager. Log
collection and log checking will be handled by Trey Garlough, N5KO and
Tree Tyree, N6TR, respectively. Bruce, WA7BNM will continue to handle
online certificates and team registration. Finally, Steve London, N2IC
and Rich Strand, KL7RA will manage NAQP score records. (As the NCJ
editor, Kirk will be responsible for the contest rules.)"
First, I join with K4RO in appreciation for WA7BNM's hard work to
support one of my favorite contests. There is a lot going on behind the
scenes to make a contest like NAQP happen not just once a year but a
half-dozen times! Thank you, Bruce. Second, if you step back and look
at the transition, Bruce is being replaced not by one person but by six
new workers. Six! The job has grown over the years, hasn't it?
I'll bet there is a person in your club like Bruce who doesn't get
noticed all that often while doing a job that has gotten bigger and
bigger with time. Does that person need some help? Does the job need to
be divided into manageable chunks? My local club took a close look at
the job of hamfest chair and discovered that there were basically eight
major responsibilities and more than a dozen time-critical jobs that
needed to be done over a sixteen-month period! Now we're careful to
make sure the hamfest chair has at least one assistant and that
volunteers are available to take some of those jobs.
On this Independence Day, let's take a moment to both recognize the
hard-working volunteers who do so much on our collective behalf. Some
are relatively anonymous (and may prefer to remain that way) but thank
them anyway, publically or privately. Doing the work of many, they help
make ham radio the thriving service that it is, providing enjoyment and
satisfaction to us and public service to the nation and to our fellow
citizens.
73, Ward N0AX
==> CONTESTS
4 July through 17 July 2012
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
IARU HF World Championship--Phone,CW, from Jul 14, 1200Z to Jul 15,
1200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST and IARU zone. Logs due: 30
days. Rules
MI QRP July 4th Sprint--CW, from Jul 4, 2300Z to Jul 5, 0300Z. Bands
(MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and QRPMI number or power.
Logs due: 30 days. Rules
SNS and NS Weekly Sprints--CW,Digital, from Jul 6, 0200Z to Jul 6,
0300Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-14. Exchange: Serial, name, and S/P/C. Logs
due: 2 days. Rules
FISTS Summer Sprint--CW, from Jul 6, 2000 EDT to Jul 6, 2400 EDT. Bands
(MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, name, FISTS number or pwr. Logs
due: 30 days. Rules
070 Club Firecracker PSK31 Sprint--Digital, from Jul 7, 8 PM to Jul 8,
2 AM. Bands (MHz): 7. Exchange: RST and S/P/C. Logs due: Jul 21. Rules
Venezuelan Indep Day Contest--Phone,CW,Digital, from Jul 7, 0000Z to
Jul 8, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS(T) and serial. Logs
due: Aug 31. Rules
DL DX RTTY Contest--Digital, from Jul 7, 1100Z to Jul 8, 1059Z. Bands
(MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST and serial. Logs due: Aug 10. Rules
Straight Key Weekend Sprintathon--CW, from Jul 8, 0000Z to Jul 8,
2359Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: RST, QTH, name, member nr if
member. Logs due: 5 days. Rules
DARC 10-Meter Digital Corona--Digital, from Jul 8, 1100Z to Jul 8,
1700Z. Bands (MHz): 28. Exchange: RST, serial. Logs due: 14 days. Rules
QRP ARCI Summer Homebrew--CW, from Jul 8, 2000Z to Jul 8, 2359Z. Bands
(MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, QRP number or power. Logs due: 14
days. Rules
CWops Monthly Mini-CWT Test--CW, from Jul 11, 1300Z with multiple
operating periods, twice monthly on 2nd and 4th Wed. Bands (MHz):
1.8-28. Frequencies: 18 to 28 kHz above band edge. Exchange: Name and
member number or S/P/C. Logs due: 2 days. Rules
DMC RTTY Contest--Digital, from Jul 14, 1200Z to Jul 15, 1200Z. Bands
(MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST and serial. Logs due: Aug 15. Rules
CQC Great Colorado Gold Rush--CW, from Jul 15, 2000Z to Jul 15, 2159Z.
Bands (MHz): 14. Exchange: RST, serial, category, CQC member nr. Logs
due: 30 days. Rules
VHF+ CONTESTS
MI QRP July 4th Sprint--CW, from Jul 4, 2300Z to Jul 5, 0300Z. Bands
(MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and QRPMI number or power.
Logs due: 30 days. Rules
Straight Key Weekend Sprintathon--CW, from Jul 8, 0000Z to Jul 8,
2359Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: RST, QTH, name, member nr if
member. Logs due: 5 days. Rules
==> LOG DUE DATES
4 July through 17 July
- July 5 - ARS Spartan Sprint
- July 8 - WAB 50 MHz Phone
- July 9 - RSGB 80m Club Championship, CW
- July 10 - REF DDFM 6m Contest
- July 11 - ARRL June VHF QSO Party
- July 15 - His Maj. King of Spain Contest, SSB
- July 16 - Kid's Day Contest
- July 17 - Stew Perry Topband Challenge
==> 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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Address all comments and questions to the editor as described in this
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