Contester's Rate Sheet for August 14, 2002
*********************** Contester's Rate Sheet 14 August 2002 *********************** Edited by Ward Silver, N0AX SUMMARY o 10-Meter and RTTY Roundup Web reports available o KH6, OH, and NJ QSO Parties o Logging tools for blind contesters and DX-ers. o Log submission time discussion BULLETINS o Because the date of the contest closely follows the period covered by this issue, it was decided to run this announcement a little early to give full notice. The MRRC has decided to change the previously announced date for the 2002 Ohio QSO Party from August 31 to August 24, 2002. It will run from 1600Z August 24 to 0400Z August 25. See http://www.mrrc.net/oqp, August QST or the ARRL Contest Calendar Web page (http://www.arrl.org/contests) for the announcement. BUSTED QSOS o None caught by the newsletter checkers. ANNOUNCEMENT & NOTICES FOR 14 AUGUST to 27 AUGUST 2002 Logs are due for the following contests: o August 16, 2002 - Pacific 160-meter Contest - email to: contests@wia.org.au, paper logs to: Ian Godsil, VK3VP, 363 Nepean Highway, Chelsea 3196, Australia o August 19, 2002 - 10-10 International Summer Contest--SSB - paper logs only to: Steve Rasmussen, N0WY, 312 N. 6th Street, Plattsmouth, NE 68048, USA o August 20, 2002 - North American RTTY QSO Party - email to: rttynaqp@ncjweb.com, paper logs to: Jay Townsend, WS7I, Post Office Box 644, Spokane, WA 99210, USA o August 22, 2002 - Georgia QSO Party - email to: jshort@mindspring.com, paper logs to: Jeff Short, KD3UC, 5106 Cypress Ct., Alpharetta, GA 30005, USA The following contests are scheduled: ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest, 0600 local Aug 17 - 2400 local Aug 18, operate for 24 hours max. (second weekend is Sep 21-22) Categories: 10 GHz only and 10 GHz and up. Exchange: Six-digit Maidenhead Locator. Distance Points = distance in km between stations. QSO Points: 100 pts for each unique call worked. Score: Distance points + QSO points. For more information - http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2002/10GHzandUp.pdf. Logs due Oct 22 to 10GHz@arrl.org or ARRL Contest Branch, 225 Main St., Newington, CT, 06111, USA. North American QSO Party - SSB - sponsored by the National Contest Journal, 1800Z Aug 17 - 0600Z Aug 18. Frequencies: 160 -- 10-meter bands. Categories: SOAB and M2, max power 100 W, operate a maximum of 10 hours (off times must be at least 30 min, M2 entries may operate the entire contest). Exchange: Name and SPC. Score is QSOs x States + Province + NA DXCC countries (count each once per band). For more information - http://www.ncjweb.com/naqprules.html. Logs due Sep 18 to ssbnaqp@ncjweb.com or Bruce Horn, WA7BNM, 4225 Farmdale Ave, Studio City, CA, 91604, USA SARTG WW RTTY Contest, sponsored by the Scandinavian Amateur Radio Teleprinter Society, 0000Z - 0800Z and 1600Z - 2400Z Aug 17 and 0800Z - 1600Z Aug 18. Frequencies: 80 - 10 meters. Categories: SOSB, SOAB, MS, SWL. Exchange: RST and Serial number. QSO Points: own country - 5 pts, different country on same continent - 10 pts, different continent - 15 pts. Score: QSO points x DXCC entities + W/VE/VK/JA call districts. For more information - http://www.sartg.com. Logs due Oct 10 to sm7bhm@svessa.se or to SARTG Contest Manager, Ewe Håkansson, SM7BHM, Pilspetsvägen 4, SE-291 66 Kristianstad, Sweden. Keymen's Club of Japan Contest - CW - sponsored by the Keymen's Club of Japan, 1200Z Aug 17 - 1200Z Aug 18. Frequencies: 160 - 6 meters (JA allocations on 160 are 1.810- 1.825, 1.908-1.912 MHz). Categories: SOAB, SOSB (JA only), SWL. Exchange: RST and JA prefecture/district or continent. QSO Points: 1 pt/QSO (JA count JA-JA - 1 pt and JA-DX - 5 pts). Score: QSO points x JA pref/dist from each band (JA also count continents). For more information - http://www.jarl.com/kcj. Logs due 30 Sep to ja1dd@jarl.com or Yasuo Taneda JA1DD, 279-233 Mori, Sambu-town, Sambu-gun, Chiba 289-1214, Japan. New Jersey QSO Party - CW/Phone - sponsored by Englewood ARA, 2000Z Aug 17 - 0700Z Aug 18 and 1300Z Aug 18 - 0200Z Aug 19. Frequencies: 1810, 3535, 7035, 14035, 21100, 28100 kHz, SSB - 3950, 7235, 14285, 21355, 28400 kHz, VHF/UHF 50-50.5 and 144-146 MHz. Exchange: QSO number and SPC or NJ county. QSO points: 3 pts/QSO. Score: QSO points x NJ counties. NJ stations use NJ counties + states (except NJ) + provinces, max. 83. For more information - http://pages.infinit.net/ve2pij/njqso.html. Logs due Sep 15 to Englewood Amateur Radio Association, Inc., PO Box 528, Englewood, New Jersey 07631-0528. SEANET Contest - CW/SSB/Digital - sponsored by the SEANET Convention, 1200Z Aug 17 - 1200Z Aug 18. Frequencies: 160 - 10 meters. Categories: SO, MS, AB, SB, Mixed and Single Mode combinations. Exchange: RS(T) and serial number. QSO Points: SEANET-SEANET - 10 pts (5 pts if same country), SEANET--World -- 10pts. Score: QSO points x DXCC entities for SEANET entrants, QSO points x SEANET entities for non-SEANET entrants, counted once per band and mode. For more information and list of SEANET countries see - http://www.qsl.net/seanet2002. Logs due Sep 30 to g3nom@rast.or.th or Ray Gerrard HS0/G3NOM, PO Box 69, Bangkok Airport PO, Bangkok 10212, Thailand. Ohio QSO Party - CW/SSB - sponsored by the Mad River Radio Club, 1600Z Aug 24 - 0400Z Aug 25. Frequencies: CW - 3545, 7045, 14045, 21045, 28045 kHz; SSB - 3850, 7225, 14250, 21300, and 28450 kHz. Categories: SO, MS, and Mobile. Exchange: Serial Number and state or province, DX stations send "DX". (Ohio stations exchange serial number and county.) QSO Points: CW - 2 pts, SSB - 1 pt. Score: QSO points x OH counties (OH station count states, provinces, and OH counties). Mults count once per mode. For more information - http://www.mrrc.net/oqp. Logs due 30 days after the contest to w8av@aol.com or to Goose Steingass W8AV, 1690 N Honeytown Road, Wooster, OH 44691-9511. TOEC WW Grid Contest -- CW - sponsored by the Top of Europe Contesters (TOEC), 1200Z Aug 24 - 1200Z Aug 25. Frequencies: 160 - 10 meters. Categories: SO (no packet) -AB, -SB, Low Power (<100W, AB only), MS (10 min band change rule), MM, Mobile (SOAB) -- work mobiles from each grid field (i.e. -- JP, KO, EM). Exchange: RST + grid square, i.e. - JP73 (log must show all grid fields activated). QSO Points: own continent -- 1 pt, other cont. - 3 pts, QSOs with mobiles - 3 pts. Score: QSO points × two-letter grid fields. For more info - http://www.qsl.net/toec/contest.htm. Logs are due within 30 days to TOEC.contest@pobox.com or to TOEC, Box 178, SE-83122 Ostersund, Sweden. SCC RTTY Championship, sponsored by the Slovenian Contest Club, 1200Z Aug 24 - 1159Z Aug 25. Frequencies: 80 - 10 meters. Categories: SOAB-HP, SOAB-LP, MS-HP, MS-LP. Exchange: RST and 4-digit year first licensed. QSO Points: own country - 1 pt, different country same continent and between W, VE, VK, ZL, ZS, JA, PY call areas, LU provinces, and UA9/0 oblasts - 2 pts, different continent - 3 pts. Score: QSO points x different years from all bands. For more information - http://lea.hamradio.si/~scc/rtty/rules.html. Logs (electronic only, Cabrillo preferred) due Sep 15 to rtty@hamradio.si or diskettes to Slovenia Contest Club, Saveljska 50, 1113 Ljubljana, Slovenia CQC Summer QSO Party - CW/SSB - sponsored by the Colorado QRP Club, 1800Z - 2359Z Aug 25. Frequencies: CW -1825, 3560, 3710, 7040, 7110, 14060, 21060,21110, 28060, 28110 kHz, SSB - 1910, 3985, 7285, 14285, 21385, 28385 kHz. Categories: SOSB, SOAB, Portable. Exchange: RS(T), SPC, first name, and CQC number or power (5 watts max.). QSO Points: CW- CQC member 6 pts, non-member 4 pts, SSB - CQC member 3 pts, non-member 2 pts. Score: QSO points x SPC counted once per band x total different names. Add 1000 points to score for working W0CQC. For more information - http://www.cqc.org/contests/summer02.htm. Logs due 30 days after contest to contest@cqc.org (ASCII only) or to Colorado QRP Club, Box 371883, Denver, CO 80237-1883. Hawaii QSO Party, CW/Phone/RTTY/PSK31, sponsored by the Koolau ARC, 0700Z Aug 24 - 2200Z Aug 25. Frequencies: 160 - 10 meters. Categories: SOAB and MS (single or mixed-mode), MM (mixed-mode only). Spotting nets and packet allowed in all classes. Exchange: RS(T) and SPC, maritime region (1 - 3), or HI county. QSO Points: 20-15-10 meters, Phone - 1 pt, CW/Digital - 2 pts; 40 meters, Phone - 2 pts, CW/Digital 4 pts; 80 meters, Phone - 4 pts, CW/Digital - 8 pts; 160 meters, Phone 8 pts, CW/Digital 16 pts. Score is total points plus 150 pts for QSO with KH6J. For more information - http://www.pilikia.net/karc/index.php. Logs due 30 days after contest to ah6oz@hawaii.rr.com or Hawaii QSO Party, PO Box 8960788, Wahiawa, HI 96786-0788. NEWS & PRESS RELEASES The Web Reports (including the sortable results data bases) for the ARRL 10-Meter Contest (by N1ND) and RTTY Roundup (by WS7I) are now available at http://www.arrl.org/contests/results. The 10-Meter report features a nice sidebar about the PA1TT operation as well as an imperial ton of Soapbox including this remark from WRTC operator Laurent, F5NLY, "Crazy with a dipole, but funny, just a hobby...I mean!" The RTTY report features a big batch of photos and a sidebar titled, "The Meanest Thing We Ever Did." I can hear those browsers churning now. Certificates for the November Sweepstakes have been printed and envelopes are being stuffed in the back rooms of Newington. If you are a winner, a big envelope will be arriving shortly...without Ed McMahon. (Thanks, N1ND) Note to State QSO Party Managers - please drop the Rate Sheet a note at ratesheet@arrl.org when your results are available. There are lots of folks that would like to know about it! Since we're all busy finishing our summer antenna projects up here in the Northern Hemisphere, it's time to paint those exposed metal parts. A recent discussion on the Towertalk reflector (http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk) turned up a new rust preventative paint of which your editor was unaware. POR15 is a spray-on coating for metal designed for tough automotive applications - like underneath fenders. You can find out more at http://www.por15.com. (Thanks, Towertalk-ians and contesting.com) TECHNICAL & TECHNIQUE Those of us that have all of our faculties (no matter what our spouses and significant others might think) have a tough enough time keeping up in a contest or DX pileup. Imagine what it must be like to do it without sight--blind! Luckily, there are computer tools out there that make it possible for blind hams to enjoy DX-ing and contesting, as well. Here's some information from Kevin, K7RX that you should forward or keep on-file for an opportune moment: "I use a screen reader program called 'Jaws For Windows 3.7' (JFW) under Windows 98 SE. For general logging I use a program called 'Xmlog', a freeware program available through http://www.xmlog.com. It has CW or voice announcement capability for DX spots. The fields in the main logging screen all read quite well in JFW with no need for scripting. You might need a little help setting up the menu checkboxes. You can also use the JAWS cursor in the packet window to place it on the frequency of a station and then use the left mouse key to double click and take the radio to that frequency. "For contest logging software I have used TR-Log with good results. I use it in DOS with a DOS screen reader called 'ASAP' but I imagine it would work fairly well with JAWS For DOS. It also seems to work in a DOS window with JFW. I used it on a laptop in the IOTA contest and it was quite easy for me. "There is an email list on the Internet called Blind-Hams. There are over 150 of us there and it is a great resource for getting questions answered. To subscribe, send email to listserv@maelstrom.stjohns.edu, leave the subject blank and type 'subscribe blind-hams' in the message body. This list is where I learned of both programs and it's a great resource. -- Kevin, K7RX" CONVERSATION Towards the end of July, Trey Garlough N5KO, author of log-handling robots, the Cabrillo log format, and numerous other useful things, made a proposal on the CQ-Contest reflector (http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest) that log submission time be reduced from 30 to 15 days for ARRL contests. If you didn't see the original message, this is the link to it in the contesting.com archives - http://lists.contesting.com/_cq-contest/2002-July/048772.html. Here's the heart of the message: "If we eliminate the 45 day QST lead time by publishing on the Web and cut log submission time from 30 to 15 days, then I believe we can *tranquilly* release the complete final results of Sweepstakes within 30 days of the contest. In fact, last year Tree N6TR advanced the log processing tools for Sweepstakes to the point that we are now capable of producing the complete set of line scores and top ten boxes and so forth within 30 minutes of the log deadline. Why wait until June to read the magazine when you can see the results on the web in December?" There are two sets of issues that spring from the proposal. The most obvious, "Is 15 days enough time to accommodate ALL of those who would submit a log, paper or otherwise?" The responses were split with the "Not yet" camp pointing out postal and travel delays, the need to handle paper logs, and so forth. A less-addressed question is, "How fast does contest reporting need to be?" We definitely need faster score reporting. True, the current reporting methods have worked for half-a-century. Are they broken? No. But they are ponderously slow. Slow enough that I believe they are beginning to do damage to our ability to attract and hold newcomers to the sport. Those of us that have been in the game for two, three, or five solar cycles may be patient enough to accept, or rather are used to, the existing pace. Try to explain it to a 'net-savvy keyboard jockey and you begin to sound like you're ready for the cryogenic tank. If the technology is available, why shouldn't we be pushing for improvements in reporting time? Conflicting with the "need for speed" is the demand for higher results quality, a situation summarized by the well-known maxim, "Faster, Better, Cheaper - pick any two." The lower limit on score processing time must be the time required to perform all necessary log checks and processes with the resources at hand for the job. Push beyond this limit and result quality will suffer - an outcome no one desires. Does a 15-day deadline satisfy those requirements? If a review of log submissions shows that a satisfactory amount of logs are either received in that period already or are from last-minute filers (at any deadline), then the nod should go to the shorter deadline. Contesting is a dynamic, exciting activity and needs an equally dynamic means of high-quality reporting. So the challenge to the contest administrators is to first, identify the standards to which log checking must be performed. Second, technology must be deployed that improves speed without decreasing results quality. It will be a step-by-step process requiring careful review at each turn. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Contester's Rate Sheet wishes to acknowledge information from the following sources: WA7BNM's Contest Calendar Web page - http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/ ARRL Contest page - http://www.arrl.org/contests/ SM3CER's Web site - http://www.sk3bg.se/contest/
