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The ARRL Contest Update
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
July 18, 2012
Editor: Ward Silver, N0AX
==> IN THIS ISSUE
- When Is 6+2 Not 8? In the CQ WW VHF Contest!
- Wish I Was a Tiny Island - IOTA Contest
- New Edition of the Super Check Partials
- Grid Pirates in June VHF Contest
- Cycle 24 Update by K9LA
- WRTC-2014 Team Selection Update
- Coax Construction - Learn the Ropes!
- From Filters through Stubs
- Skimmertime
NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO
The IOTA Contest has some rule changes this year to bring the focus
back to - what else? - working islands! If you can operate from one, so
much the better, but if not this is a great way to start IOTA chasing
and maybe add a DXCC entity to your totals, too!
BULLETINS
Your editor is taking a short vacation so this edition is a bit
attenuated from its usual volume. The newsletter will return to
'normal' in subsequent editions.
BUSTED QSOS
The DMC RTTY Contest was listed last weekend due to out-of-date web
information - it's this weekend! Contest sponsors - please update your
websites well in advance of the contest.
CONTEST SUMMARY
Complete information for all contests follows the Conversation section
Jul 21-22
- North American QSO Party RTTY
- NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint--CW (19 Jul)
- 144 MHz Digital EME Championship
- DMC RTTY Contest
- Feld-Hell Ten Meter Sprint
- CQ WW VHF Contest
- RSBG Low Power Contest--CW
Jul 28-29
- Run For the Bacon (23 Jul)
- IOTA Contest
- MARAC US Counties QSO Party
- New Jersey QSO Party
- Flight of the Bumblebees--CW
==> NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST
Bob WA1Z has released another version of the Super Check Partial
database files effective on July 11th,
2012. He requests you send Cabrillo-formatted logs for input to the
database files to logs@supercheckpartial.com. Logs from any contest
within the last 24 months are always appreciated.
We have an anniversary to celebrate as Tim K3LR relayed the
following, "NASA Telstar was
launched by NASA on July 10, 1962, from Cape Canaveral, Fla., and was
the first privately sponsored space-faring mission. Two days later, it
relayed the world's first transatlantic television signal, from Andover
Earth Station, Maine, to the Pleumeur-Bodou Telecom Center, Brittany,
France. Developed by Bell Telephone Laboratories for AT&T, Telstar was
the world's first active communications satellite and the world's first
commercial payload in space. It demonstrated the feasibility of
transmitting information via satellite, gained experience in satellite
tracking and studied the effect of Van Allen radiation belts on
satellite design. The satellite was spin-stabilized to maintain its
desired orientation in space. Power to its onboard equipment was
provided by a solar array, in conjunction with a battery back-up
system." The Telstar rounded shape still virtually defines 'satellite'
in the public's imagination even today.
Web Site of the Week - Have a look at an article
Andy K1RA wrote covering
the Grid Pirates Contest Group operation in this past June VHF contest.
The web site was down due to the intense storms in the east last week
but is back up now.
WORD TO THE WISE
Check the rules (contest and licensing) before you go on a contest
DXpedition. Most people might not know this but a US General class
license, which has HF privileges, doesn't always give you the same
privileges in a CEPT country. Many of the countries in the Caribbean
are CEPT countries. Say, for example, you went to PJ2 to operate ARRL
DX Contest. If you operate on HF and you have a General class license,
you are breaking the reciprocal licensing rules. When the privileges
authorized by the FCC license grant are Advanced or Amateur Extra Class
operator privileges, the U.S. citizen is granted CEPT Radio Amateur
License privileges, in accordance with CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-01
(as amended). When the privileges authorized by the FCC license grant
are General Class operator privileges, the U.S. citizen is granted CEPT
Novice Radio Amateur License privileges, in accordance with ECC
Recommendation (05)06 (as amended). Both recommendations are available
online . (Thanks, Jeff KU8E)
==> SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
The next Potomac Valley Radio Club webinar is
"Update on Cycle 24 and More" to be held on July 18 and again on July
21. K9LA's August 2009 PVRC webinar discussed solar minimum between
Cycle 23 and 24, and the early status of Cycle 24. This new webinar
will review our recent solar minimum, review Cycle 24's present status,
and discuss propagation in relation to the progress of Cycle 24. Two
other topics to be discussed will be the effect of trees on HF and MF
propagation, and the best height for your antenna. See the PVRC website
for free pre-registration or to view archived presentation. (Thanks,
Ken K4ZW)
==> RESULTS AND RECORDS
WRTC-2014 Team Selection Director, Dan K1TO, reports that, "The latest
official published contest results that qualify for WRTC 2014 are now
posted on
the WRTC 2014 website. 27 qualifying events are now included, roughly
one-half of the 55 total events. 36 qualifying events have now taken
place, which means that you still have 19 more events in which to
operate and move up in the standings!"
Indiana QSO Party results are
now online and plaques will be awarded later this summer. (Thanks, Mel
KJ9C)
Champ E21EIC reports on the latest HS/E2 prefix assignments - the HS
prefixes are nearly gone. Watch for more interesting E22 through E29
prefixes to hit the airwaves including the 42 new licensees that will
get HF permissions. Foreign hams licensed in Thailand will still be
assigned HS0Zxx call signs.
OPERATING TIP
If you are working with a new operator following Field Day, now is the
time to help them learn good habits. One of the first lessons should be
- no extra verbiage. Just give the minimum exchange in the right order
without rushing! There's no better opportunity to start trimming the
excess baggage of "Please copy..." and "You are..." and repeating the
exchange. Start 'em out right!
==> TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION
Tom W8JI recommends a couple of documents about the effect of coax
construction, illustrated in this West Penn Wire paper
, on mechanical
robustness - not something considered by most hams. "Although the test
frequency and method is not described, this [Commscope paper
] shows the difference
between quad shield and single foil and braid is 7 dB before 10,000
flexes and 13 dB after 10,000 flexes."
From the ARRL Propagation Bulletin
ARLP013, "Q-up
Now" has a fascinating new set of real-time propagation tools
developed by a team associated with the Utah
State University Space Weather Center .
They use a real-time model of the ionosphere called GAIM
(GlobalAssimilation of Ionospheric Measurements) which is updated every
15minutes with 10,000 global TEC (Total Electron Content)
measurementsto simulate the F layers. Then they use the ABBYNormal
Model for the D and E
layers, and the two models are combined to give a complete
representation of the global ionosphere. Using the HF Availability
feature you can model real-time propagation for the frequency of your
choice, including 160 meters, between any two points and beyond out to
the antipodes.
DIY Equipment Labeling was the headline for an ARRL E-Letter
story in the July 11 issue. "Here is an
interesting DIY project for labeling your equipment with tape. This
tape should be fairly permanent if you use pop rivets to fasten it to
something. Seems like it would make a good equipment ID for when you
have to take expensive stuff into the field (emergency exercises, Field
Day, or actual emergencies). And several locals swear by E-6000 glue as
an alternative for application of the labels. --Rick Herndon, K5FNI,
Mathis, Texas; Life Member, ARRL; Official Emergency Station"
On the first day of Field Day, my true love gave to me... Here's a
packing list for the WRTC-2014 "test flight" during last weekend's IARU
HF contest. They put fifteen stations on the air, WRTC-style - checking
things out a couple of years in advance! From reports, the stations
worked well and what issues did arise were and are manageable - good
job!
- 15 tents
- 15 camping toilets
- 15 privacy shelters for the toilets
- 15 tilt-bases
- 15 sets of derrick poles (1 ea, 12', 8', and a 4-foot splice piece)
- 45 34 x 34 inch folding tables
- 30 folding chairs
- 15 Honda eu2000i generators with 150 foot extension cords in the
boxes
- 15 external 3.2 gallon extended-run gas tanks
- 15 dipole hangers (6-foot piece of angle stock with Ubolts to fit
R25)
- 15 guy rod bundles (6x4 ft steel rods)
- 15 tribanders, wrapped in plastic sheets (next year, something
better)
- 15 booms for the tribanders, with boom-element hardware already
installed
- 15 bundles of bamboo stakes to hold the CAUTION tape
- 15 Rope and Wire Kits (each has about 500 feet of rope, cut to
specific lengths, and color-coded; 150 feet of LMR400 with connectors,
- 2 x 150 feet of LMR240 with reducers and connectors; two dipoles;
- 500-foot spool of twine for tying off the dipoles; a 34' steel
lifting cable; bag of derrick hardware; and a 2x4 with one end cut on a
45-degree angle to help align the guy rods and whack the 25G sections
together or apart, as needed; ground connection hardware kit; big spool
of CAUTION tape)
- 15 derrick winches
- 30 ground rods
- 15 Station Kits (lamp, fan, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, bug
spray, toilet paper, hand cleaner, outlet strip)
Multiply all that by four and you have some idea of the scope of the
full WRTC effort coming up in 2014. Clubs and other groups have helped
make this possible through the tent sponsorship program
. I have to go lie
down now after just thinking about all of it.
The wind can mis-align an antenna
- who knew? Just about every ham with a beam and a rotator knows...but
this fact of life has to be learned sometime!
Technical Web Site of the Week - An interesting and extended discussion
took place over the past week on the CQ-Contest reflector
regarding
bandpass filters, stubs, coupling between antennas, and receiver
front-end protection. So many topics were being covered that
summarizing them here just wouldn't do it justice. Browse to the
searchable archives
and look for
the "Bandpass filter" thread.
==> CONVERSATION
A little summertime ditty is provided for you to hum while chasing
all the DX stations through their "packet pileups". Don't forget to
QNY!
73, Ward N0AX
Skimmertime
Miscopied from Ira Gershwin's "Summertime" by Dr Beldar
Skimmertime,
And the loggin' is easy
Bands are jumpin'
And the mult total's high
Your band map's full,
The decoders are cookin'
One click for an instant
Q S Y
One of these openings,
You're gonna be calling
Bounce your signals off
Layers up in the sky
And in that opening,
The skimmers will spot you
C Q ing on twenty
Standing by...
==> CONTESTS
18 July through 31 July
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
North American QSO Party RTTY--Digital, from Jul 21, 1800Z to Jul 22,
0600Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: Name and S/P/C. Logs due: 14
days. Rules
NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint--CW, from Jul 19, 0030Z to Jul 19, 0230Z.
Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. Monthly on 2nd Tuesday or 3rd Wednesday local time
(alternating). Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and NAQCC mbr nr or power. Logs
due: 4 days. Rules
DMC RTTY Contest--Digital, from Jul 21, 1200Z to Jul 22, 1200Z. Bands
(MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST and serial. Logs due: Aug 15. Rules
Feld-Hell Ten Meter Sprint--Digital, from Jul 21, 1600Z to Jul 21,
1800Z. Bands (MHz): 28. Monthly on 3rd Saturday. Exchange: RST, S/P/C,
Feld-Hell member nr. Logs due: 7 days. Rules
RSBG Low Power Contest--CW, from Jul 22, 0900Z - multiple operating
periods. Bands (MHz): 3.5-7. Exchange: RST, serial, power. Logs due:
Jul 30. Rules
Run For the Bacon--CW, from Jul 23, 0100Z, see website. Bands (MHz):
1.8-28. Monthly on 3rd Sunday night (local). Exchange: RST, S/P/C,
Flying Pig nr or power. Rules
IOTA Contest--Phone,CW, from Jul 28, 1200Z to Jul 29, 1200Z. Bands
(MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RS(T), serial, IOTA number if island. Logs
due: 3 weeks. Rules
MARAC US Counties QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Jul 28, 1400Z - multiple
operating periods. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. CW - 50 kHz above band edge;
SSB - 1.85, 3.85, 7.25, 14.27, 21.4, 28.4, 50.135, 146.53. Exchange:
RS(T), state and county, or "DX". Logs due: Aug 31. Rules
New Jersey QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Jul 28, 1600Z to Jul 29, 1600Z.
Bands (MHz): 3.5-28, 50,144. Exchange: Serial and NJ county or S/P or
"DX". Logs due: Aug 15. Rules
Flight of the Bumblebees--CW, from Jul 29, 1700Z to Jul 29, 2100Z.
Bands (MHz): 7-28. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, Bumblebee nr or power. Logs
due: Aug 12. Rules
VHF+ CONTESTS
144 MHz Digital EME Championship--Digital, from Jul 21, 0000Z to Jul
22, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 144. Exchange: TMO or RST and R. Logs due: 14
days. Rules
CQ WW VHF Contest--Phone,CW,Digital, from Jul 21, 1800Z to Jul 22,
2100Z. Bands (MHz): 50,144. Exchange: 4-char grid square. Logs due: Sep
1. Rules
New Jersey QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Jul 28, 1600Z to Jul 29, 1600Z.
Bands (MHz): 3.5-28, 50,144. Exchange: Serial and NJ county or S/P or
"DX". Logs due: Aug 15. Rules
==> LOG DUE DATES
18 July through 31 July
- July 18 - West Virginia QSO Party
- July 18 - RSGB 80m Club Championship, SSB
- July 21 - PODXS 070 Club 40m Firecracker Sprint
- July 22 - WAB 144 MHz Low Power Phone
- July 22 - QRP ARCI Summer Homebrew Sprint
- July 23 - 10-10 Int. Spirit of 76 QSO Party
- July 23 - DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest
- July 24 - Marconi Memorial HF Contest
- July 24 - Ukrainian DX DIGI Contest
- July 24 - ARRL Field Day
- July 30 - GACW WWSA CW DX Contest
- July 31 - SEANET Contest
- July 31 - All Asian DX Contest, CW
- July 31 - RAC Canada Day Contest
- July 31 - Original QRP 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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