Contester's Rate Sheet for January 12, 2005
*********************** Contester's Rate Sheet 12 January 2005 *********************** Edited by Ward Silver N0AX SUMMARY o ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes - This Weekend! o Web Page Entry of NAQP Logs o NCJ News by Carl K9LA o CQ 60th Anniversary Operating Event o N3FJP New Releases and K7RE RTTY Beta release o Gigantic Gamma Ray Burst Causes SID o Yagistress Software o There Will Be An Answer - QRZ BULLETINS o Logs for ARRL 10-Meter Contest are due today! BUSTED QSOS o A golden issue last time! ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICES FOR 12 JANUARY TO 25 JANUARY 2005 Logs are due for the following contests: January 12 - ARRL 10-Meter Contest, email logs to: 10meter@arrl.org, paper logs and diskettes to: 10 Meter Contest, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111, USA January 15 - CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW, email logs to: cw@cqww.com, paper logs and diskettes to: CQWW CW, CQ Magazine, 25 Newbridge Road, Hicksville, NY 11801, USA January 15 - OK DX RTTY Contest, email logs to: okrtty@crk.cz, paper logs and diskettes to: Czech Radio Club, OK DX RTTY Contest, PO Box 69, 113 27 Praha 1, Czech Republic January 16 - Fall NA Meteor Scatter Rally, email logs to: wa5ufh@ykc.com, paper logs and diskettes to: Louis R. Tipton, 778CR123, Edna, Texas 77957, USA January 16 - Russian 160-Meter Contest, email logs to: contest@radio.ru, paper logs and diskettes to: Radio Magazine, 10 Seliverstov per, 107045 Moscow, Russia January 17 - CQC Great Colorado Snowshoe Run, email logs to: contest@cqc.org, paper logs and diskettes to: Snowshoe, c/o CQC, PO Box 17174, Golden, CO 80402-6019, USA January 17 - AGCW VHF/UHF Contest (Jan), email logs to: vhf-uhf@agcw.de, paper logs and diskettes to: Manfred Busch, DK7ZH, Carl-von-Ossietzky-Weg 6, D-63069 Offenbach/Main, Germany January 18 - Croatian CW Contest, email logs to: 9acw@hamradio.hr, paper logs and diskettes to: Hrvatski RadioAmaterski Savez, for Croatian CW Contest, Dalmatinska 12, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia January 19 - Stew Perry Topband Challenge, email logs to: tbdc@contesting.com, paper logs and diskettes to: BARC, 15125 SE Bartell Rd, Boring, OR 97009, USA January 22 - North American QSO Party, CW, Upload log at: http://www.ncjweb.com/naqplogsubmit.php, email logs to: cwnaqp@ncjweb.com, paper logs and diskettes to: Bruce Horn, WA7BNM, 4225 Farmdale Avenue, Studio City, CA 91604, USA January 24 - DARC 10-Meter Contest, email logs to: 10m-contest@dxhf.darc.de, paper logs and diskettes to: Frank Steinke, DL8WAA, PO Box 1188, D-56238 Selters, Germany The following contests are scheduled: Note that the following abbreviations are used to condense the contest rules summaries: SO - Single-Op; M2 - Multi-Op - 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 Please be aware of a change in the preferred method of submitting logs for the NAQP contests: All logs should be uploaded in Cabrillo format using the Web form available at: http://www.ncjweb.com/naqplogsubmit.php (form will be available at the start of the contest) (Thanks, Bruce WA7BNM) North American QSO Party - Phone, sponsored by the National Contest Journal from 1800Z Jan 15 - 0600Z Jan 16. Frequencies: 160 - 10-meters. Categories: SOAB and M2, 100 W power limit, operate a maximum of 10 hours (off times must be at least 30 min and M2 entries may operate the entire contest). Exchange: Name and S/P/C. Score: QSOs X States + Province + NA DXCC countries (count each once per band). For information: http://www.ncjweb.com/naqprules.php. Logs in Cabrillo format due Jan 30 via the Web form at http://www.ncjweb.com/naqplogsubmit.php, via email to ssbnaqp@ncjweb.com (there is a Web-to-Cabrillo converter link on the rules page) or Bruce Horn, WA7BNM, 4225 Farmdale Avenue, Studio City, CA 91604. MI QRP Club January CW Sprint - 1200Z Jan 15 - 2400Z Jan 16. Frequencies: 160 - 6-meters. Categories: SOAB with classes A (<250 mW), B (<1 W), C (<5 W), D (>5W). Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and MI-QRP number or power output. QSO Points: MI-QRP members - 5 pts, non-member W/VE - 2 pts, DX - 4 pts. Score: QSO points x S/P/C counted once per band. If homebrew RX or TX, multiply by 1.25. If both RX and TX are homebrew, multiply by 1.5. For information: http://www.qsl.net/miqrpclub. Logs to n8cqa@arrl.net or L. T. Switzer N8CQA, 427 Jeffrey Ave, Royal Oak, MI 48073-2521. LZ Open Championship - CW, sponsored by the LZ1KPP Radio Club from 1200Z - 2000Z Jan 15. Frequencies: 3.5 and 7 MHz. Categories: MS, SO, and SO-QRP. Exchange: 6-digits, serial number and serial number received in previous QSO. E.g. - the first QSO exchange is '001 000'. A station can be worked once every 30 minutes. QSO Points: same entity - 1 pt, different entity - 2 pts. Score: total QSO points. For more information: http://www.qsl.net/lz1fw/lzopen/index.html. Logs due 30 days after the contest to lz1fw@yahoo.com or LZ1KPP - Radioclub, PO Box 830, Sofia 1000, Bulgaria. Hunting Lions in the Air - CW/Phone, sponsored by the South African District 410B of the Int'l Association of Lions Clubs from 0000Z Jan 15 - 2400Z Jan 16. Frequencies: 80 - 10 meters, work stations once per band regardless of mode. Categories: SOAB, MS. Exchange: RST and serial number, Lion club members also sign /L or "Lion" and send name, district and club name. The Midrand Lions station ZS6LCM/L will act as the Melvin Jones Memorial club this year. QSO Points: non-Lion station - 1 pt, with Lions - 5 pts, 25 points with ZS6LCM/L. Score: QSO points X number of Lions clubs worked (count only once). For more information: http://www.sarl.org.za/public/contests/lionita.asp. Logs due Feb 28 to rad.handfield-jones@pixie.co.za or to Lion Rad Handfield-Jones ZS6RAD, Lions Club of Midrand, PO Box 1548, Halfway House, 1685, South Africa. HA DX Contest - CW, sponsored by the Hungarian DX Club from 1200Z Jan 15 - 1200Z Jan 16. Frequencies: 160 - 10-meter bands. Categories: SOAB, SOSB, MS, MM, and SWL. Exchange: RST and serial number, HA stations send county or HADXC member number. QSO Points: Own DXCC entity - 1pt, same continent - 1 pt, different cont - 3 pts, HA stations - 6 pts. Score: QSO points X HA counties and members on each band. For more information: http://www.mrasz.hu/engver/mraszen.html. Logs due 30 days after the contest to contest@enternet.hu or MTTOSZ, Gyôr Városi Rádióclub, 9200 Gyôr, PO Box 79, Hungary. 070 PSKFest - sponsored by the Penn/OH DX Society (PODXS) from 0000Z - 2400Z Jan 15. Frequencies: 80 - 10-meters. Categories: SOSB-QRP, SOAB-QRP, - MP (<50W), -HP. Exchange: RST and S/P/C. QSO Points: 1 pt/QSO. Score: QSO points X S/P/C counted only once. For more information: http://www.podxs.com/html/pskfest.html. Logs due Feb 16 to PSKFest@podxs.com or SPDomingue@aol.com or Steve Dominguez N6YIH, 11700 Fairlawn Ct, Boise, ID 83709. 80-Meter Straight Key Sprint - sponsored by the North American QRP Club, from 0130Z - 0330Z Jan. 21 (Thursday evening). Frequencies (MHz): 3.560, 7.110. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and NAQC member number. QSO Points: member - 2 pts, non-member - 1 pt. Score: QSO Points x S/P/C (see Web site for multiplier value) x 2 if 100% straight key. For more information: http://www.arm-tek.net/~yoel/sprint_0105.html. Logs due 27 Jan to yoel@arm-tek.net or Tom Mitchell, KB3LFC, RD6 Box 122A, Kittanning, PA 16201. BARTG RTTY Sprint - sponsored by the British Amateur Radio Teletype Group from 1200Z Jan 22 - 1200Z Jan 23. Frequencies: 80 - 10-meters. Categories: SO-Expert, SOAB, MO, and SWL. Operators with a Top Ten log in the past three years must enter as an Expert. Exchange: serial number only. QSO Points: 1 pt/QSO. Score: QSO points x DXCC entities + W/VE/JA/VK call areas + continents counted only once. For more information: http://www.bartg.demon.co.uk/. Logs in Cabrillo format due 1 Mar to ska@bartg.demon.co.uk with the call and entry class in the subject line and the log included as an attachment or by mail to John Barber GW4SKA, PO Box 611, Cardiff, CF24 4UN, Wales (only logs with 50 or fewer QSOs may be submitted as printed logs). VHF+ CONTESTS ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes - 1900Z Jan 22 - 0400Z Jan 24. Frequencies: all bands above 6-meters. Categories: SO - LP/-HP/-Portable, Rover, MO, Limited MO. Exchange: Grid Square. QSO Points: 50/144 MHz - 1 pt, 222/440 MHz - 2 pts, 902/1296 MHz - 4 pts, 2.3 GHz and above - 8 pts. Score: QSO Points x Grid Squares (counted once per band), Rovers count Grid Squares from which they were able to complete a QSO. For more information: http://www.arrl.org/contests. Logs due Feb 25 to januaryvhf@arrl.org or January VHF Sweepstakes, ARRL, 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111. NEWS AND PRESS RELEASES Bob Ferraro W6RJ of Ham Radio Outlet fame recently suffered a heart attack and underwent a subsequent quadruple by-pass. He is on the road to 100% recovery, thankfully. Notes and wishes for a speedy recovery can be sent to Bob in care of the HRO Headquarters at 390 Diablo Road, Suite 210, Danville, CA. 94526 (Thanks, George K6SV and Bob N6TV) ARRL Contest Manager, Dan N1ND reports that certificate mailing is in work for several contests. The certificates are all stuffed and labeled by hand, so they take a little longer during the holidays - patience, please. Dan also relays, "This is the last chance to order mugs and pins for the 2004 ARRL November Sweepstakes. The order will be placed with the supplier on January 21. We will order a few extras but can not guarantee filling any order not received by that time. Pins are available for making 100 QSOs on a mode during one of the weekends. Separate pins are available for CW and Phone. Clean Sweep mugs are $13 and are available for working a sweep during one of the weekends. You may contact Kathy Allison, KA1RWY at 860-594-0295 or kallison@arrl.org to place your order." National Contest Journal News (by editor Carl K9LA) - The current (Jan/Feb) issue contains Software for Contesters by N4ZR discussing Windows XP-friendly contest trainers/simulators. In his VHF-UHF Contesting column, N0JK reports on the Es activity in the Fall 2004 6 Meter Sprint. W9XT addresses 'Strange Problems' in the CTT&T column. K5AF discusses how investing in yourself as an operator is the best investment you can make and the RTTY Contesting column by WA9ALS features W0ETC as a guest columnist on NAQP RTTY. In the March/April issue you'll find narratives on the 10-Meter and CQ WW CW contests. You'll also find articles on phone contesting without a microphone, a reprint of a K4ZA article from his Toolbox column in the PVRC Newsletter, Part 2 of K3LC's study on elevated versus buried radials, a balloon-supported 160m vertical, a stack match project for SO2R, a look at contesting in the future, plus the regular columns. The August 2004 NAQP results and the March and October 2004 RTTY Sprint results will also be included with this issue. Do you have fun in the NA Sprints or NAQP? Support these fine contests by subscribing to NCJ! While you're tooling around the bands, should you happen to come across someone signing "/60", it's the CQ 60th Anniversary event. Complete details are available at http://cq-amateur-radio.com/CQ60%20Award%20%20Dec04.pdf and the event runs through March 1st. This is a great way to acknowledge the history of CQ - ham radio's second longest running magazine - and meet some of the folks that make the magazine and CQ's WW and WPX contests go! (Thanks, Doug KR2Q) N3FJP's ARRL RTTY Contest Log 1.0 is now available including all the regular features of Scott's logger line. In addition, it will also interface with the new K7RE RTTY program. "As many of you know, we have received lots of requests to support digital modes with our software. While we have always been enthusiastic about the idea, our own digital experience has been limited to packet and a little PSK 31. Last summer I received an e-mail from Brian K7RE, and the concept of K7RE RTTY was born! K7RE RTTY is still very much in BETA status, but it's now ready for users to give it a try (http://n3fjp.ky1v.com/K7RERTTY011.zip) and work with Brian to shake out the bugs." A little late on the notification, but a new program for ARRL RTTY Roundup, MN QSO Party 1.2, and a new version of the N3FJP Packet Monitor are all available. While you're ogling all of Scott's software, check out his WX Net -- Wide Area Weather Project, too. (Thanks, Scott N3FJP) The latest version of K5ZD's Super Check Partial database files are on the Web at http://www.k5zd.com/scp/. This set of files was based on 2,522,589 QSOs from 1,736 logs containing 116,085 unique calls. The Master.dta now contains 33,432 calls! You can download the files individually or in a complete package as a Zip file. The next release will be in early March in advance of the ARRL DX contest. (Thanks, Randy K5ZD) Attention, award chasers! The 2005 edition of the K1BV DX Awards Directory has just been picked up from the printers and is ready to go.A complete description of the changes and features is found at http://www.dxawards.com/2005edition.htm. How does 3313 different awards sound? (Thanks, Ted K1BV) Igor UA9CDC has uploaded more than 80 pictures from the recent 8Q7DV CQ WW CW operation at http://www.fotki.com/8q7dv. This is a free service with limits on traffic volume, so if you have trouble connecting, try again later. How could you pass up a newsletter with the title "Flying Pigs Bacon Bits Quarterly?" Well, it is now on-line and ready for your consumption. You can download it from http://www.fpqrp.com/news.html. (Thanks, Brian KB9BVN) While I'm at it, how about all the contest club newsletters? If your club newsletter is available on-line, even just the old issues, let me know and I'll collect them for a future list. The Yankee Clipper Contest Club also has a good links page to many contest clubs at http://www.yccc.org/Links/Contest/Clubs.htm. For those of you using the DeLorme TopoUSA mapping program (such as for terrain analysis or rover planning) and haven't downloaded the recently released "DeLorme Magnetic Declination Update" file and installed it, the Find function in the program won't work. Apparently, all versions are affected, returning an "ISO Error Message." Go to http://www.delorme.com/support/multi/multi049.asp?D=325&Q=d&K=&P=11123&C=28 for details on how to download and install the update. (Thanks, Jim W7DHC) QSL GALLERIES: An impressive collection of 2100+ QSL cards is available on Les Nouvelle DX's Web site. Six different galleries include hundreds of cards from the 58 deleted DXCC entities, obsolete prefixes, Antarctic bases, plus pre-1945 countries, and more! Pour a fresh cup of coffee and browse the collection at http://LesNouvellesDX.free.fr/. (From the 425 DX News and Jean Michel F6AJA) The QST article by your editor, "A Contest Primer" about getting started in contesting, has been converted to PDF and placed on the ARRL Web site where members can get at it - http://www.arrl.org/members-only/contests/rate-sheet/qs10silver.pdf. This might make good reading for a potential contester. This issue's Portuguese lesson deals with those interpersonal interactions so common at the low end of a crowded band. These will come in handy when you're fending off the competition: o Go away! - Deixe-me em paz! (DEY-sh-may PAHSH!) o I apologize - Perdao (p'r-DOW) o I didn't do it. - Eu nao fiz isso. (ew NOW fee-ZEE-su.) o My frequency was stolen! - Roubaram-me o frequencia! (rro-BAH-row-m u fre-KWEN-see-a!) - I improvised on this one a bit. Be sure to roll your r's for the proper impression! RESULTS AND RECORDS The results of the Worked All Europe DX Contest CW and SSB 2004 are out and published at http://www.waedc.de/. Please check the Web site for more details. If you're interested, you can download your UBN report directly from there or write to Ben DL6RAI at the address on the Web site. The results of the UBA Contest 2004 - both CW and SSB - can be found on the UBA Website at http://www.uba.be/hf_contests/results_en.html. (Thanks, Marc ON7SS) Yuri K3BU has updated a set of CQ WW 160 m CW and SSB records with ARRL DX and CQ WW to come. They're available at http://members.aol.com/k3bu/W160Records.htm. The recent High-Speed Telegraphy competition delivered some results that were pretty amazing. You can view all HST results from 1999 to 2004 at http://www.darc.de/referate/dx/fedth.htm. (Thanks, Fabian DJ1YFK) TECHNICAL After the electrical design is done, a Yagi-builder's job isn't nearly done. Neglecting the mechanical details can lead to an early demise for your latest creation. Luckily, there's an answer in the YagiStress program by K7NV. It's available directly at http://www.k7nv.com/yagistress/ or from Array Solutions at http://www.arraysolutions.com/Products/yagistress.htm (Thanks, John W0UN) The US Navy radio training course is available as a collection of PDF files. It covers electronics, propagation, feed lines, and antennas, etc. Lots of good stuff! http://www.phy.davidson.edu/instrumentation/NEETS.htm is the URL. Another electronics training site is http://www.electronics-tutorials.com/ which is also highly recommended and covers a lot of ground. (Thanks, Dave W7AQK and Gary WA6DTX) The recent spate of strange Sudden Ionospheric Disturbances, or SIDs, have not been caused by solar flares or the like, but rather from GRBs - Gamma Ray Bursts - from very distant objects, like several hundred light years away. The biggest recent event was on December 27, 2004 when a massive gamma ray burst hit the earth about 2130Z from a Magnetar called SGR-1806. This GRB was so powerful that it was able to ionize our ionosphere, just like a solar flare, and cause ionospheric absorption down to the VLF frequencies. You can see the absorbtion peaks at VLF at http://aavso.org/ - click on the "GCN #2932" button for the SID plots. The GRB monitoring community has a Web archive at http://gcn.gsfc.nasa.gov/gcn3_archive.html. This was an explosion that occured 200+ years ago and the shockwave of gamma rays is so powerful, it was able to ionize our E and F layers and absorb VLF propagation. Pretty impressive. (Thanks, Paul NA5N) And if you thought putting your floppy disk on a speaker was dangerous - meet Mr. Magnetar at http://science.msfc.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast20may98_1.htm (Thanks, Jack WA0RJY) While searching for info on the grey line, globes depicting it and methods to calculate it at a future date, Marc K9PET came across this Web site which you might find interesting: http://www.qrz.co.il/handbook.php?pid=179 With meteor scatter becoming an easy mode to try than ever, you might be interested in a good source of information on meteor showers - http://www.imo.net/calendar/cal05.html (Thanks, John VA7OTC) A novel Web site at http://www.w3eee.com/ shows a number of real-time FFT LF beacon monitors that are running all the time. (Thanks, Steve Dove) "Here's a link to a paper I just finished on Power and Grounding for Audio and Audio/Video systems. While some of the material is specific to the needs of those systems, much of it is generic and applies to all systems, including ours." http://audiosystemsgroup.com/SurgeXPowerGround.pdf. (Thanks, Jim K9YC) NIST has an excellent article on WWVB and the clocks that receive its VLF time signal at http://www.boulder.nist.gov/timefreq/stations/radioclocks.htm titled "Time Clocks" (Thanks, Jim K1PX and Dick W7WKR) "Unlike radiomen, seamstresses did something about their footswitches moving around on them. My wife sent me down to the local fabric emporium and told me to ask for a "Pedal Sta-II". You can check it out on the Web at http://www.pedal-sta.com/pedal-sta.html. No more lost foot switch (and multiplier) in the heat of the battle!" (Thanks, Hans K0HB) Jim W6RMK responded to the tip on oils a couple of issues ago suggesting that you really should use "an electrical insulating oil like Shell Diala or ExxonMobil Univolt, rather than some hydraulic fluid (which is what ISO 46 oils are)? In general, all oils cost about the same when bought from a distributor (around $5/gallon), so why not buy what's intended for electrical uses? Look in the Yellow Pages under Oil-Jobbers. Electrical insulating oil has very low dissolved water content with very low particulates and has a well defined (and tested) breakdown strength. Hydraulic fluid often has detergents and anti-foaming agents added, and a variety of corrosion inhibitors, all of which may not be compatible with solder joints, or the materials used in a dummy load. USP Mineral oil, sold in gallon bottles at feed stores as an animal laxative, is pretty much the same as insulating oil, without the guaranteed low particulates or water content." Good info from someone who knows! Sounds like this needs to go into the ARRL Handbook! CONVERSATION There Will Be An Answer, QRZ No icons of pop are immune from the Blunt Bludgeon of Badinage, wielded with prejudice by your editor from time to time. A careless remark in an email led to this issue's besmirching of the Beatles classic, "Let It Be." The title should have also been read as a warning, but my readers know that's just not in my genes. ("Get it over with!" I hear you translate, and so oblige...) QRZ (mutated from the Beatles "Let It Be") by N0AX When I find myself with rate in trouble From QR Mary crowding me I will just ignore it, calling, QRZ. And in the hours of darkness Tuning here and seven oh three three Running on the low bands, QRZ. QRZ, QRZ Be sure to use phonetics, QRZ And when a thousand little pistols Using verticals hear me They will try to answer, QRZ For though the band is closing there is Still a chance with QRP They will surely call me, QRZ. QRZ, QRZ Listening for an answer, QRZ And when the band is noisy I can pull them out with DSP. Stay up until tomorrow, QRZ I waken to the sound of pileups Don't know how long I've been asleep Gotta find a new spot, QRZ. QRZ, QRZ Gotta keep the rate up, QRZ QRZ, QRZ Please guys, use your full calls, QRZ. 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
