Contester's Rate Sheet for September 8, 2004

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Contester's Rate Sheet
8 September 2004
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Edited by Ward Silver N0AX

SUMMARY
o September VHF QSO Party, NA Sprints, and 50th Anniversary WAE (SSB)
o WA, TN, SC state QSO Parties
o NCJ News
o WRTC-2006 Web page and a Portuguese Lesson
o Amp Review by K8CC
o Ready, Study, Know

BULLETINS
o No bulletins this issue.

BUSTED QSOS
o A golden issue last time!

ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICES FOR 8 SEPTEMBER TO 21 SEPTEMBER 2004

Logs are due for the following contests:

September 11 -  Wake-Up! QRP Sprint, email to: master72@lipetsk.ru,
paper logs and diskettes to: Wake-Up! QRP Sprint, PO Box 229, Lipetsk
398043, Russia

September 12 -  SARL HF CW Contest, email to: zs4bs@netactive.co.za,
paper logs and diskettes to: Dennis Green ZS4BS, Box 12104, Brandhof,
9324, South Africa 

September 15 -  World Lighthouse Contest, email to: (none), paper logs
and diskettes to: WLH Award, 18 Allee Roch-Bihen, 44510 Le Pouliguen,
France 

September 15 -  WAE DX Contest, CW, email to: waedc@dxhf.darc.de,
paper logs and diskettes to: WAEDC Contest Manager, Bernhard Buettner,
DL6RAI, Schmidweg 17, D-85609 Dornach, Germany 

September 15 -  Maryland-DC QSO Party, email to: wa3eop@arrl.net,
paper logs and diskettes to: Antietam Radio Association, PO Box 52,
Hagerstown, MD 21741-0052, USA 

September 15 -  SCC RTTY Championship, email to: rtty@hamradio.si,
paper logs and diskettes to: Slovenia Contest Club, Saveljska 50, 1113
Ljubljana, Slovenia 

September 18 -  New Jersey QSO Party, email to: w2rj@arrl.net, paper
logs and diskettes to: Englewood ARA, PO Box 528, Englewood, NJ
07631-0528, USA 

September 20 -  Russian District Award Contest, email to:
rx3rz@tmb.ru, paper logs and diskettes to: Popov Sergey, PO Box 29,
Tambov, 392000, Russia 

September 21 -  CQC Summer VHF/UHF QSO Party, email to:
contest@cqc.org, paper logs and diskettes to: CQC Contest, PO Box
17174, Golden, CO 80402-6019, USA 

The following contests are scheduled:

Note that the following abbreviations are used to condense the contest
rules summaries:
SO - Single-Op; M2 - Multiop - 2 Transmitters; MO - Multi-Op; MS -
Multi-Op, Single Transmitter; MM - Multi-Op, Multiple Transmitters; AB
- All Band; SB - Single Band; S/P/C - State/Province/DXCC Entity; HP -
High Power; LP - Low Power; Entity - DXCC Entity

HF CONTESTS

North American Sprint--CW, sponsored by the National Contest Journal
from 0000Z - 0400Z Sep 12. Frequencies (MHz) - 3.540, 7.040, 14.040,
work stations once per band. North American stations work everyone,
others work NA stations only. Exchange: other station's call, your
call, serial number, name, S/P/C. QSY rule: Stations calling CQ, QRZ,
etc, may only work one station in response to that call, they must
then move at least 1 kHz before working another station or 5 kHz
before soliciting another call. Once you are required to QSY, you may
not make a new QSO on the previous frequency until you have made a
contact at least 1 or 5 kHz (as required) away. (see
http://www.contesting.com/articles/198 for beginner's guide)  Score:
QSOs x S/P/C (count NA entities only and each multiplier only once).
For more information: http://www.ncjweb.com/. Logs due 7 days after the
contest to cwsprint@ncjweb.com or Boring ARC, 15125 Bartell Road,
Boring, OR 97009.

YLRL Howdy Days--CW/SSB--sponsored by the YL Radio League, 1400Z Sep 8
- 0200Z Sep 10, work 24 out of the 36 hour period. Exchange: YLRL
Member or not. QSO Points: non-YLRL member--1 pt, YLRL members--2 pts.
Score is total points. For more information: http://www.ylrl.org/. Logs
due 30 days after the contest to Mary Moore WX4MM, 216 Lee Road 343,
Salem, AL 36874.

WAE DX Contest--SSB, sponsored by the Deutscher ARC from 0000Z Sep 11
- 2359Z Sep 12 (RTTY is Nov 13-14). Don't forget the WAEDC Super
Bowl!
(http://www.darc.de/referate/dx/xedcws.htm) Frequencies: 80-10 meters
according to Region I band plan. Categories: SOHP, SOLP, MS, SWL.
Packet or spotting nets allowed (SO stations not using spotting
assistance will be noted). SO operate 36 hrs max., up to three off
periods of 1 hour min. Non-EU work EU only except RTTY, where everyone
works everyone except own country. Exchange: RS(T) and serial number.
Score 1 pt/QSO and 1 pt/QTC. Final score is QSOs + QTCs x weighted
multipliers. Multipliers: non-EU use WAE countries, EU use DXCC
entities plus call districts in W, VE, VK, ZL, ZS, JA, PY and RA8/9/0.
(RTTY use WAE + DXCC.)  Mults on 80m count x4, on 40m x3, otherwise
x2. A QTC is a report sent from a non-EU station back to an EU station
of QSOs that took place earlier in the contest (RTTY QTC can be
exchanged between any continents). A QTC contains the time, call sign,
and QSO number of the station being reported (e.g. 1307/DL1AA/346). A
QSO may only be reported once and not back to the originating station.
A maximum of 10 QTCs can be sent to a single station. The same station
can be worked several times to complete this quota, but only the
original QSO has QSO point value. Keep a list of QTCs sent. For
example, QTC 3/7 would indicate that this is the third series of QTCs
sent, and seven QSOs are reported. For more information:
http://www.waedc.de/. Logs due by Oct 15 to waedc@dxhf.darc.de or to
WAEDC Contest Manager, Bernhard Buettner DL6RAI, Schmidweg 17, 85609
Dornach, Germany.

Second-Class Operators Club (SOC) Marathon Sprint--CW, from 1800Z to
2400Z Sep 11. (Most sprints run four hours, but since we're Second
Class Op's, we need more time!)  Frequencies: 160 - 10 meters.
Categories: SOAB. Exchange: RST + S/P/C + SOC number or power output.
QSO Points: SOC member--5 pts, non-member same continent--2 pts, diff.
cont--4 pts. Score: QSO points x S/P/C counted once per band x Power
Multiplier (<250 mW x 15, <1 W x 10, <5 W x 7, >5 W x 1).  Multiply by
1.5 if using a homebrew paddle. Logs due 30 days after the contest to
n4bp@arrl.net or Bob Patten, N4BP, 2841 NW 112 Terrace, Plantation, FL
33323, USA.

Tennessee QSO Party--CW/Phone--sponsored by the Tennessee Contest
Group, 1800Z Sep 12 - 0100Z Sep 13. Frequencies (MHz): CW--1.815,
3.540, 7.040, 14.040, 21.040, 28.040; SSB--1.855, 3.900, 7.240,
14.280, 21.390, 28.390; Novice/Tech--3.700, 7.130, 21.140, 28.140,
28.390; VHF/UHF--50.195, 144.195, 146.55, 223.5, 446.0. Exchange:
RS(T) and TN county or S/P/C. QSO Points: HF Phone--2 pts, HF
CW--3pts, VHF Phone--4 pts, VHF CW--6pts. Score: QSO points x TN
counties (TN stations add S/P/C) counted only once. TN stations claim
one additional multiplier for every five QSOs with the same TN county.
Bonus points: 100 points for each QSO with K4TCG and TN mobiles add
500 points for each TN county activated. For more information:
http://www.k4ro.net/tcg/tqp/tqp04_rules.html. Logs due Oct 12 to
w9wi@w9wi.com or TN QSO Party c/o Doug Smith W9WI, 1389 Old
Clarksville Pike Pleasant View, TN 37146-8098 USA.

North American Sprint--SSB, 0000Z - 0400Z Sep 19 (see Sep 11 for
rules). Frequencies (MHz): 3.850, 7.225, 14.275. Logs due 7 days after
the contest to ssbsprint@ncjweb.com or Jim Stevens, K4MA, 6609 Vardon
Ct., Fuquay-Varina, NC

Scandinavian Activity Contest--CW--sponsored by Sveriges
Sändareamatörer (SSA), 1200Z Sep 18 - 1200Z Sep 19 (Phone, 1200Z Sep
25 - 1200Z Sep 26). Frequencies: 80 - 10 meters. Categories: SOAB (QRP
<5W, LP <100W, HP), MS, SWL. Exchange: RS(T) + serial number. QSO
Points: EU stations--1 pt, Non-EU--1 pt on 20--10, 3 pts on 80 - 40.
Finals score is QSO pts × Scandinavian call areas counted once per
band. For more information:
http://www.sk3bg.se/contest/text/sacnsc.txt. Logs due Oct 31 to
sac@ssa.se or to SACCW or SACSSB, Jan-Eric Rehn, SM3CER, Lisatået 18,
SE-863 32 Sundsbruk, Sweden.

Washington State Salmon Run--CW/SSB--sponsored by the Western
Washington DX Club, 1600Z Sep 18 - 0700Z Sep 19 and 1600Z - 2400Z Sep
19. Frequencies: 160 - 6 meters. Categories: SO (CW, SSB or Mixed
Mode, QRP <5W, LP <200W, HP), MS, Washington Club Station, Mobile,
Washington County DXpedition, SWL. Exchange: RS(T) and S/P/C or county
(for WA stations). QSO Points: SSB--2 pts, CW--4 pts. Work Portables
and Mobiles from each county, log county line QSOs as 2 separate QSOs.
Score: QSO points x WA counties (WA stations use S/P/C + WA counties)
counted once only. QSOs with W7DX add 500 bonus points for each
mode--total 1000 points. For more information: http://www.wwdxc.org/.
Logs due Oct 31 to salmonrun@wwdxc.org or Western Washington DX Club,
PO Box 395, Mercer Island, WA 98040, USA.

South Carolina QSO Party--Phone/CW/Digital--sponsored by the Sumter
Amateur Radio Association (SARA), 1300Z Sep 18 - 2100Z Sep 19, 2004.
Frequencies (MHz): CW--1.805 and 50 kHz from band edge, Phone--1.845,
3.860, 7.260, 14.270, 21.370, 28.370, 50.125, 144.200, 146.58, 223.50,
446.00. No repeater or cross-band QSO's, work stations again from each
county. Categories: SOAB, SC Mobile. Exchange: Serial Number and SC
county or S/P/C. QSO Points: Phone--1 pt, CW--2 pts, Digital--3 pts.
Score: Total QSO points x power multiplier (<5 W x5, <150 W x2, >150 W
x1) x SC counties (counted only once) x SC counties activated (SC
Mobile only). 300 bonus points for QSO with N2ZZ or W4GL. For more
information: http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/2695/SCQSOWeb.htm.
Logs due Oct 18 to SARA SC QSO Party Entry, PO Box 193, Sumter, SC
29151-0193.

Mediterranean Islands Contest--CW/SSB--sponsored by the Mediterranean
DX Club, from 1200Z Sep 18 - 1200Z Sep 19. Frequencies: 80 - 10
meters. Categories: SO Island Resident, SO and MM Island Dispatch
(Expedition), and SO Non-Island; CW, SSB, and Mixed (all categories
except MM, Mixed only). Exchange: RST + MIA island number or serial
number. QSO Points: Island stations--5 pts, otherwise 1 pt. Score: QSO
points x MIA islands counted once per band/mode. For more information:
http://www.mdxc.org/contestmia/rules.htm. Logs due 30 days after the
contest to ik8vrn@mdxc.org or Mr. Gianfranco Lai , Corso Umberto
I(deg), 285/G, 80034 Marigliano, Naples, Italy  or Gianfranco, PO Box
5, 80034 Marigliano, Naples, Italy.

QCWA Fall QSO Party--Phone/CW/Digital--sponsored by the Quarter
Century Wireless Association from 1800Z Sep 18 - 1800Z Sep 19.
Frequencies (MHz):  CW--1.810, 3.540, 7.035, 14.040, 21.050, 28.050;
Phone--1.910, 3.890, 7.244, 14.262, 21.365, 28.325 plus all VHF/UHF
bands, no crossband or repeater QSOs. Categories: Mixed, Phone,
CW/Digital. 15 QSOs with each station maximum and only one QSO with
stations in home QCWA chapter. Exchange: Last two digits of year
licensed and QCWA chapter or S/P/C. QSO Points: Phone--1 pt,
CW/Digital--2 pts. Score: QSO Points x QCWA chapters + S/P/C counted
once per band. W2MM counts as a 3-point multiplier on each band. For
more information: http://qcwa.org/2004-qso-party-rules.htm. Send logs
to W2od@aol.com or Robert Buus W2OD, 8 Donner St, Holmdel NJ 
07733-2004.

Fall QRP Homebrewer Sprint--CW/PSK31--sponsored by New Jersey QRP
Club, 0000Z - 0400Z Sep 27. Frequencies: QRP CW and PSK31 frequencies
on 80 - 10 meters. CW and PSK31 are considered separate bands.
Exchange: RST + S/P/C + Output Power. QSO Points: Commercial
Equipment--2 pts, Homebrew Xmtr or Rcvr--3pts, Homebrew Xmtr and Rcvr
or Xcver--4 pts. Kits ok as homebrew. Power Multiplier: 0>250 mW = x
15, 250 mW>1W = x10, 1-5W = x7, >5W = x1. Score: QSO Points x S/P/C 
counted once per band) x power multiplier. For more information: 
http://www.njqrp.org/data/qrphomebrewersprint.html. Logs due 30 days
from the contest to n2cq@arrl.net (text format) or Ken Newman, N2CQ,
81 Holly Drive, Woodbury, NJ 08096.

QRP Afield--CW/Phone/Digital--sponsored by the New England QRP Club,
1500Z Sep 18 - 0300Z Sep 19, submit a log for the best 6 hr period of
the contest. Frequencies: 160 - 10 meter QRP calling frequencies, work
stations once per band and mode. Categories: SO and MS. Exchange:
RS(T), S/P/C, and NE-QRP number or power. QSO Points: HP (>5W) fixed
station - 1 pt, HP mobile or portable - 2 pts, QRP fixed - 5 pts, QRP
mobile or portable - 10 pts. QSOs with WQ1RP score triple points.
Score: QSO points x S/P/C (counted once only). For more information:
http://www.qsl.net/wq1rp/main.htm. Logs due Oct 15 to k1cl@arrl.net or
Chuck Ludinsky, K1CL, 6 Prancing Rd, Chelmsford, MA 01824-1922.

Collegiate QSO Party--CW/SSB/Digital, sponsored by the Collegiate
Amateur Radio Association (CARA), 1200Z Sep 18 - 0400Z Sep 19.
Frequencies: 160-10 meters. Categories: SO, MS, MM, packet spotting is
allowed for all categories, no self-spotting. Exchange: Serial number
and name of institution (for clubs) or operator (SO). QSO Points: 5
pts/QSO, see Web site for bonuses. Score: QSO points x clubs worked,
counted once per band and mode. For more information:
http://www.qth.com/collegiate/qsopartyrules.htm. Logs due Oct 20 to
qsoparty@collegiatehams.com or CARA, PO Box 150232, Alexandria,
Virginia 22315-0232, USA.

VHF CONTESTS

ARRL September VHF QSO Party, 1800Z Sep 11 - 0300Z Sep 13.
Frequencies: all bands above 50 MHz. Categories: SOHP, SOLP,
SO-Portable, Rover, MO, Limited MO. Exchange: Grid Locator. QSO
Points: 50 and 144 MHz - 1 pt, 222 and 440 MHz - 2 pts, 902 and 1296
MHz - 3 pts, 2.3 GHz and higher - 4 pts. Score: QSO points x Grids
counted once per band. For more information:
http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2004/sepvhf.html. Logs due Oct 13
to septembervhf@arrl.org or Sep VHF QSO Party, ARRL Contest Branch,
225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111, USA.

ARRL 10 GHz Cumulative Contest, 0600 local - 2400 local Sep 18-19.
Categories: 10 GHz only and 10 GHz and up. Exchange: Six-digit
Maidenhead Locator. Distance Points equals 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/2004/10-ghz.html. Logs due Oct 19
to 10GHz@arrl.org or ARRL Contest Branch, 225 Main St., Newington, CT,
06111, USA.

NEWS AND PRESS RELEASES

Oms PY5EG announces that the WRTC Web page (http://www.wrtc2006.com/)
is now on-line, but still under construction.  The preliminary rules
and some of the criteria for team selection are ready. Information is
available about the contest location - Florianopolis. You can also
subscribe to the WRTC-2006 email list at                
http://maresia.onda.com.br/mailman/listinfo/wrtc2006.

With WRTC-2006 not too far off, now's the time to start brushing up on
your Portuguese.  In that spirit, I'll be presenting some useful
Portuguese words for contesters to learn between now and then.  Let's
begin:
Hello - Ola ("oh-LAH")
Goodbye - Adeus ("a-DEWSH")
Please QSY - QSY se faz favor ("QSY s'FAHSH fa-vor")

A review of the checked scores for the June VHF QSO Party raised a
small question about scoring and we are working with the log checker
to verify the final totals. The shipping of 2003 10-Meter contest
certificates should be complete. (Thanks, Dan N1ND)

NCJ News by Carl K9LA (NCJ Editor) - In addition to the features
listed in the previous NCJ News, the September/October issue saw the
last Contesting for Fun column by K7RE. The new Software for
Contesters column reviewed two software packages: Audacity and RecALL.
The 2004 June VHF QSO party was covered with K4BI's narrative of the
operation from ZF1DC and in the VHF/UHF Contesting column. K8CC, NCJ
Editor from Nov/Dec 1984 to May/Jun 1987, was featured on the cover
and in the NCJ Station Profile column. (Dave's everywhere - see his
commentary on amps down the page.) N4TZ described a simple mod to the
Top Ten DX Doubler, and the Propagation column took a broad look at
what to expect for WRTC2006. Some of the articles planned for the
November/December issue include a history of 3830, a wire beam for
160/80/40m, Part 7 of Antenna Interactions, two hardware construction
articles, a couple IARU HF contest stories, and of course many of the
regular columns. The results of the January 2004 NAQPs will be in this
issue.

Two upcoming state QSO parties have rare county "signup" pages.  The
WA State Salmon Run (Sep 18-19) page for planned activity and signups
can be found at http://www.wwdxc.org/ and the CA QSO Party's (Oct 2-3)
page is at http://www.cqp.org/Counties-Plan-2004.html.  If you want to
sign up for a CA county, use the Web application at
http://cqp.kx7m.net/cqp2004.html.

DX Engineering (http:// www.dxengineering.com) recently introduced a
dozen new MaxiCore™ Current Baluns with ratios of 1:1, 2:1, 4:1, 6:1,
9:1, and 12:1. The baluns are designed to concentrate flux in the
core, which results in minimal insertion loss and a low SWR from
1.8-30 MHz. (The H05-P model has a bandwidth of 1-60 MHz.) The product
line also includes special antenna tuner models that accommodate the
extraordinary stresses of tuning across the entire HF spectrum. The
baluns are priced from $39.95-$139.95.

RESULTS AND RECORDS

It is reported that the N1MM contest logging software did not score
the SARTG contest correctly.  This has been fixed with the latest
release.  If you submitted a Cabrillo format log, there is NO need to
resubmit, since the log will be scored by the SARTG committee's log
processing software. This is another good reason to use the Cabrillo
format. (Thanks, Bill W6WRT)

The CQ WW VHF contest logs received list can be viewed at
http://www.cqww.com/2004vhflogs.htm. If you have any questions
regarding your entry, contact vhfquestions@cqww.com. (Thanks, John
W1XX)

TECHNICAL

As the flux falls, so does interest rise in that most oft chosen of
contesting armaments, the amplifier.  Maybe you are ready to rumble on
down to the local purveyor of potency and write a check, but the good
bargain is hard to pass up and often a necessity.  In response to such
a question, Dave K8CC, super-station proprietor, offered this
quodlibet, surveying many of the popular models available on the used
market:

SB-220: Reasonably reliable in contest service up to 1200 W output or
so (which is  roughly equal to the orignal 2000 W PEP input).  An
extra muffin fan or two to suck hot air out of the amp is a good idea.
 The 120 V antenna relay is an issue with modern radios.

TL-922: Similar to the SB-220 except cost is higher. The extra $$$
buys you 160-meters and little more.

MLA2500: No tuned input so SWR to the radio is poor on 15 and
10-meters.  The tubes are very precious.  Not well suited to surviving
the "occasional high  SWR due to transmitting into the wrong antenna
at 3 AM".  I own one of these, solely because it's a great
DXpedition/contestpedition amp (44 pounds).

Alpha 374: I don't know whether you'll find the bandpass tuning all
that useful, unless you only operate where your antennas are matched
very well.  See my comments later on 3CX400/800 tubes in general.

Al-80/SB-1000: This is a 600 W output amp in contest duty, period. 
Decent compact box for DXpedition or mult chasing.

I have had problems using most of the 3CX400 (8874 and variants),
3CX800 and even the 3CX1500/8877 amps in contest duty.  They work
great once you're tuned up on a frequency - the problem comes when you
QSY or you have several antennas on a band.  You tune up on one
antenna and everything is fine, then you switch another and BAM! the
grid meter is on the pin.  If you have only one antenna on a band,
it's not a big deal.

In my opinion, the best value in contest amps right now are the
Ameritron AL-1200 and AL-82 series.  Both of these (plus the AL-1500)
have the same case, HV power supply, plate tank, etc.  I owned an
AL-1200 for five years and it never made less than legal limit with
100 W drive, even with some loss from a bandpass filter.  They have an
AL-82 down at WP2Z which has seen a lot of abuse and damage, but when
it's running it puts out legal power with no fuss.

CONVERSATION

Ready, Study, Know

	With the one-two punch of Hurricanes Charley and Frances leaving
Florida a soggy mess in many locations, thousands of hams are
performing vital public service across the state. More are needed as
the initial volunteers finish their "tours of duty" and return to
their homes. (http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/09/06/100/?nc=1).
	As the winter approaches, there will surely be opportunities to
support your local public safety, Red Cross, weather watchers, and
other emergency and disaster relief agencies.  The time to consider
your station's readiness is now, not when the first storm warnings are
making the nightly news. 
	Sometimes neglected in favor of equipment is the operator.  Are you
personally  prepared to provide useful service in time of need?  I'm
not talking about your station or your "go kit" but your emergency
communications training.  Even the best-equipped amateur can be more
of a hindrance than a help without untrained.
	There is an understandable tendency for many of us to think, "Well,
I've been a ham for years and I've checked into lots of nets, so I
know what I'm doing.  I'll just pick it up on the fly."  NOT! 
Although it's not difficult to learn, emergency communications has a
definite rhythm, jargon, and structure that you need to know to be
effective.  Just like contesting, you wouldn't expect to place in the
Top Ten without having some experience and tutoring.
	For example, the Incident Command System is now the norm for how
emergency and disaster response are managed.  Are you familiar with
ICS?  If you haven't been trained on it in the past couple of years,
the chances are you don't know about it.  Do you know the message
format for your local and regional agencies?  It's probably not the
ARRL Radiogram form, although that is the standard for the National
Traffic System.  The last thing an emergency worker needs to hear from
you is, "Huh?" so it's a good idea to learn these things in advance.
	Luckily, there is a great opportunity to learn the basics from the
comfort of the chair in which your bottom resides right now.  The
ARRL's EC-001 course opens for registration on the first Monday of
each month. (Registration is open through Sep 13 at
http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html#ec001)  It's an excellent
introduction or refresher into "emcomm", including how the ICS works. 
The course is FREE if you complete it - you get reimbursed for the $45
registration fee via your credit card.
	Right behind EC-001 is the course for net control training, EC-002,
which is also FREE after completion. (Your editor is about to finish
that course.) Acting as a net control is an excellent way for
contesters to put our pileup management skills and operating stamina
to work.  If you acquire a taste for emcomm, EC-003 will prepare you
with leadership skills, as well.
	Of course, "book learning" is no substitute for the on-the-air
practice.  Your county or section probably has some kind of active
emergency group.  These may be folks you've never met, but are working
hard and have good skills to share with you.  How do you contact them?
 The most direct way is to contact your ARRL Section Manager and ask
about volunteering.  Another good way is to check into a local
emergency net.  Go to the ARRL's on-line Net Directory at
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/nets/client/index.html and check
"Local Nets", select your state, and click "Search for Nets".  You'll
see the nets you're looking for in the list provided. An excellent
opportunity to get some practice is coming up in the October Simulated
Emergency Test (http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/setguide.html) on 2-3
Oct.
	Now's the time.  Prepare your station, have your emergency supplies
ready, and be sure to prepare yourself, too.  Ready?  Study.  Know!

73, Ward N0AX

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