Contester's Rate Sheet for July 12, 2006
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CONTESTER'S RATE SHEET
12 July 2006
Edited by Ward Silver N0AX
Published by the American Radio Relay League
Free to ARRL members!
(Subscription info at the end of newsletter)
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SUMMARY
o A Big Midsummer's Contest -- CQ WW VHF
o Down East Microwave to Sponsor VHF+ Sprint Prizes
o New, Improved Grid-Dip Meter
o "Early 10 Years" of CQP
o VHF/UHF Antenna Stacking
o Bandpass Filter Comparison by BCC
o The Dxer by K8MP
BULLETINS
o No bulletins this issue
BUSTED QSOS
o A golden issue last time (as far as I know from Brazil!)
CONTEST SUMMARY (Rules follow Commentary section)
July 15-16
- North American RTTY QSO Party
- CQC Great Colorado Gold Rush
- CQ WW VHF Contest
July 22-23
- Believe it or not -- no contests scheduled!
--o- ooo - --o- ooo - --o- ooo - -oo o
NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST
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ARRL CONTEST NEWS
Here's a reminder to contesters and software developers regarding the
ARRL 160-Meter Contest. Stations in the Virgin Island KP2, Puerto
Rico KP3/4, Alaska KL7, and Hawaii KH6 are part of ARRL sections and
not DX in this contest. This is not a rule change, just a
clarification. DX stations may contact stations in these sections for
contest credit.
Another reminder -- the VHF+ Contest community now has its own
advisory committee at the ARRL. Check out the VHF-UHF Advisory
Committee at <http://www.arrl.org/contests/vuac.html>.
- - - -
A follow-up note from Scott N3FJP on the Who's On the Air database,
"For those interested in more information on WOTA, go to the WOTA Web
site at <http://www.wotadb.org/>. WOTA is also supported by WOTA is
also currently supported by Lux-Log, CountyLog, TRX-Manager and XWOTA
(for Linux)."
Amplifier and antenna builders will all identify with the
slightly-modified car shown at <http://tinyurl.com/pp5pq>. (Thanks,
Dave KM3T)
For this year's Fall VHF/UHF Sprints, Down East Microwave, Inc.
(<http://www.downeastmicrowave.com/>) is sponsoring two participation
prize drawings. One is for 222 MHz and one is for the Microwave
Sprints. The prizes are $100 gift certificates for DEMI products.
(Thanks, Greg KB4NVD)
Recent conversations around log checking reports and error rates gave
Randy K5ZD the idea to publish all of the UBN/LCR reports for
contests from his station. This includes operations by W4PA, W2SC,
KM3T, and others. He hopes this will give you an idea of what error
rates look like for these top ops. It is also interesting to see
what kinds of mistakes they make. For the recorded contests, you can
even listen to the audio and see what may have caused the error. All
available rate sheets and log check reports for K5ZD can be found at
<http://www.k5zd.com/scores/statistics.htm>. The Web page will be
updated after each contest.
You might also want to check out <http://www.contestuniversity.com/>.
The Contest University will be held the Thursday of Dayton week at
the Crowne Plaza. The CTU fee is all inclusive of all materials as
well as breakfast and lunch, so everything is provided for. Watch the
Web site for continued updates about the instructors, course content
and the schedule/outline. (Thanks, Tim K3LR)
URL OF THE WEEK -- Introducing a new grid-dip meter by two Peters,
DK1HE and DL2MI - <http://www.qrpproject.de/UK/DipItUk.html>. It
covers 1-42 MHz with a 5-digit display. The meter has several
significant improvements over other widely used meters. This is not
your Elmer's grid-dip meter! (Thanks, Chuck W5USJ)
oo-o oo -o -oo -o-- --- oo- o-o
RESULTS AND RECORDS
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ARRL CONTEST RESULTS NEWS
The "Early 10 Years" of CQP results from 1974 to 1983 are now posted
on the California QSO Party (CQP) Web site at
<http://www.cqp.org/Results.html>. You can see who won "California"
or "out of state" in those years or look for your call sign or your
friend's call signs. The results are posted in their original printed
form (scanned into PDF files). Some are standalone files and some are
part of JUG newsletters to give you the context. Thanks to Ed W0YK,
Bryan AC6JT and Rusty W6OAT. (Thanks, Marc W6ZZZ)
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TECHNICAL TIPS AND INFORMATION
-o-- --- oo- o-o o -o --- - - o-o -o-- oo -o --o
Jim K9YC has generously posted a paper on ferrites he presented at
the NY Audio Engineer Society last fall on his Web site for free
download. Browse to
<http://audiosystemsgroup.com/AESPaperFerritesASGWeb.pdf> for the
paper.
There is some great information about stacking VHF and UHF antennas
of different bands on the Directive Systems Web site at
<http://www.directivesystems.com/>. Look for the Application Note,
"How to Plan The Installation of Multiple VHF Antennas on One Mast."
(Thanks, Paul AA4ZZ)
Due to the efforts of George K5TR and Trey N5KO, all five 2006 Dayton
Hamvention Antenna Forum presentations are now fully uploaded and
ready for downloading. (The 2004 and 2005 presentations are also
available.) Browse to <http://www.k3lr.com/> and look for the buttons
on the lower left-hand side. (Thanks, Tim K3LR)
Given the recent skyrocketing copper prices, copper-clad steel might
be a very attractive alternative. Copper is a smaller part of the
overall manufacturing cost for copper clad steel, so it should be
less affected by the copper prices. Skin depth at RF is shallow
enough that the RF performance will be as good as solid copper, if
not better, because for the same $$, you can afford a larger diameter
wire. There's also an interesting CopperClad Aluminum wire available
from the Copperweld company. There are 21%, 30%, and 40% CCS (steel
core) and 10% and 15% CCA (Al core) flavors. More information can be
found at:
<http://www.copperweld.com/cwwire/cladstel.html>. (Thanks, Jim W6RMK)
Jim W6RMK makes it a daily double by contributing some historical
information about computer network terminology.
10base5 -> Thicknet - original Ethernet cable, roughly 0.5" in
diameter
10base2 -> Thinnet - using RG-58, which is roughly 0.2" in diameter
10baseT -> 10 Mbps on twisted pair, at baseband
10BaseF -> 10 Mbps over fiber
100baseT -> 100 Mbps data rate on TP, etc.
There's a Wikipedia entry that covers all this with historical
references at <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.3>.
I don't remember who gave me the link, but thank you anyway! If you
dislike using a graphics program to shrink the file size of your
digital photos, you will find the freeware Pixresizer
(<http://bluefive.pair.com/pixresizer.htm>) a very handy program.
It's very intuitive and works well.
Mike SM3WMV relays that the Bavarian Contest Club has compared the
W3NQN, Dunestar and ICE filters in an article about homebrew
band-pass filters. On page three there is a table of the comparison
at
<http://www.bavarian-contest-club.de/projects/bandpassfilter/100W-BP.pdf>.
If you like to operate in the field (watch for the Flight of the
Bumblebees contest at the end of July), Peter DL2FI contributes a
useful antenna design from across the pond. "Here in Germany the
endfed halfwave, coupled directly to the ATU has become one of the
most used portable wire antennas ever. We use what we call a "Fuchs
Kreis" to tune it, first described By Mr. Arwed Fuchs, an Austrian
Radio Amateur in 1928." Complete information is available at
<http://www.qrpproject.de/UK/fuchs_ant_.htm>.
TECHNICAL URL OF THE WEEK -- Your pick-em-up is ready to haul the
rental trailer, but, oh no! Your truck has separate turn and stop
lamp circuits and the trailer doesn't! The "Gadget Freak Files"
column in the latest edition of Design News
(<http://www.designnews.com/>) has a solution contributed by John
Linstrom and you can check it out on-line at
<http://rbi.ims.ca/4924-549>.
- oooo o- -o -o- ooo oo-o --- o-o o- o-oo o-oo - oooo o
CONVERSATION
--o- ooo --- ooo oo-o o-o --- -- -ooo o-o o- --oo oo o-oo
Time for a little guest tomfoolery this issue!
"The DXer"
Adapted from "The Wanderer" by Dion DiMucci
By K8MP, Malcolm J. (Joe) Papworth
Oh I'm the type of Ham who likes to tune around,
I'm never in one place, I spin the dial around,
I hunt 'em and I chase 'em, 'cause to me they're all the same,
I find 'em and I work 'em, and they don't even know my name,
'Cause I'm a DXer... I'm a DXer...I tune
around-around-around-around-around-around
Well Ten is a good band, and Fifteen it's all right,
And Forty is the band that I'll be on tonight,
But when they ask me which one I love the best,
I tear open my shirt, and there's a Twenty on my chest,
'Cause I'm a DXer, I'm a DXer, I tune
around-around-around-around-around-around-around.
Chorus:
Well I roam from band to band,
I go through logs without a care,
Got QSL cards in my hand,
Then a flip of the switch and I'm on the air.
Oh I'm the type of Ham who likes to tune around,
I search for pile-ups, I love to hear that sound,
But when I find myself, a-gettin' on some list,
I grab a-hold of that VFO and give a little twist.
'Cause I'm a DXer, I'm a DXer, I tune
around-around-around-around-around-around,
Yes I'm a DXer, I'm a DXer, I tune
around-around-around-around-around-around....
-o-o --o- - o ooo - -o-o --o- - o ooo -
CONTESTS -- 12 JULY TO 24 JULY 2006
-o-o --o- - o ooo - -o-o --o- - o ooo -
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 (>100 W); LP -
Low Power; QRP (5W or less)
HF CONTESTS
North American RTTY QSO Party--sponsored by the National Contest
Journal from 1800Z Jul 15 - 0600Z Jul 16. Frequencies: 80--10 meters,
100 watt max. power. Categories SOAB and M2, SO stations operate 10
hours max. with off times of at least 30 min.. Exchange: Name and
S/P/C. QSO Points: 1 pt/QSO. Score is QSO Points x S/P/C (NA entities
only) counted once per band. DX QSOs count for QSO points, but not as
multipliers. For more information: <http://www.ncjweb.com/>. Logs due
14 days after the contest to www.ncjweb.com/naqplogsubmit.php> or
rttynaqp@ncjweb.com or Shelby Summerville K4WW, 6506 Lantana Ct,
Louisville, KY 40229-1544.
CQC Great Colorado Gold Rush--CW, sponsored by the Colorado QRP Club
from 2000Z - 2200Z Jul 16. Frequencies: 20-meters only. Categories:
Wire, Vertical, Beam, or Portable. Exchange: RST + S/P/C + Category +
CQC member number or power output. Work stations up to three times
during the contest, with at least 30 min. between QSOs. QSO Points:
1st QSO--3 pts, 2nd QSO--2 pts, 3rd QSO--1pt. Score: QSO Points x
S/P/C + CQC members. For more information:
<http://www.cqc.org/contests>. Logs due 30 days after the contest to
contest@cqc.org or Colorado QRP Club, PO Box 17174, Golden, CO
80402-6019.
DominoEx Contest, sponsored by Andy K3UK from 0000Z -- 1800Z Jul 15.
Frequencies: 160-10 meters. Categories: SOAB, SOSB, 100 watts max.
Exchange: RST and serial number. QSO Points: Same country--1 pt on
20-10m, 2 pts on 160-40m; same continent and /MM--2 pts on 20-10m, 4
pts on 160-40m; different cont--3 pts on 20-10m, 6 pts on 160-10m.
Score: QSO points x WPX prefixes. For more information:
<http://www.obriensweb.com/dominoexcontest.htm>. Logs due 1 Aug to
dominoexcontest@gmail.com.
VHF+ CONTESTS
CQ WW VHF Contest--all modes, sponsored by CQ Magazine from 1800Z Jul
15 - 2100Z Jul 16. Frequencies: 50 and 144 MHz bands, except 146.52
MHz (and other national simplex calling frequencies) and repeater
frequencies. Please avoid the DX windows and international calling
frequencies. Categories: SOAB, SOSB, MM, Rover, Hilltopper, QRP
(<10W). Exchange: Call sign and four-digit Maidenhead grid. Work
Rover stations in each grid. QSO Points: 50 MHz--1 pt, 144 MHz--2
pts. Score: QSO Points x grids counted once per band (Rovers count
grids from each activated grid). For more information:
<http://www.cqww-vhf.com/>. Logs in Cabrillo format due 1 Sep to
cqvhf@cqww-vhf.com, via Web submission form at
<http://www.b4h.net/cabforms/cqwwvhf_cab.php> or CQ VHF Contest, 25
Newbridge Rd, Hicksville, NY 11801.
-oo --- -o - -- oo ooo ooo -o-- --- oo- o-o
LOG DUE DATES - 12 JULY TO 24 JULY 2006
o-oo --- --o -oo o o- -oo o-oo oo -o o ooo
July 12 - ARRL June VHF QSO Party, email logs to: JuneVHF@arrl.org,
paper logs and diskettes to: June VHF, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington,
CT 06111 USA. Find rules at:
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2006/june-vhf.html>.
July 12 - QRP TAC Sprint, email logs to: tac@n3epa.org, paper logs
and diskettes to: Eastern PA QRP Club, N3EPA, Attn: Ron Polityka,
3050 Elm Road, Reading, PA 19605-2343 USA. Find rules at:
<http://www.n3epa.org/Pages/TAC-Contest.htm>.
July 15 - GACW WWSA CW DX Contest, email logs to:
auranito@speedy.com.ar, paper logs and diskettes to: GACW DX Contest
PO Box 9, B1875ZAA Wilde, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Find rules at:
<http://gacw.no-ip.org/contest.html>.
July 20 - West Virginia QSO Party, email logs to: rldillon@aol.com,
paper logs and diskettes to: Richard Dillon, PO Box 1177, Buckhannon
WV 26201 USA. Find rules at:
<http://www.qsl.net/wvsarc/qso06rul.html>.
July 25 - His Maj. King of Spain Contest, SSB, email logs to:
concursoshf@ure.es, paper logs and diskettes to: URE HF Contests, PO
Box 220, 28080 Madrid, Spain. Find rules at:
<http://www.ure.es/hf/concursos/smelrey/basessmreyingles.pdf>.
July 25 - ARRL Field Day, email logs to: fieldday@arrl.org, post log
summary at: <http://www.b4h.net/cabforms/fielddayentry.php, paper
logs and diskettes to: Field Day Entries, 225 Main St, Newington, CT
06111, USA. Find rules at:
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2006/rules-fd-2006.html>.
July 25 - Ukrainian DX DIGI Contest, email logs to:
orionua@orion.od.ua, paper logs and diskettes to: (none). Find rules
at: <http://www.izmail-dx.com/>.
July 25 - ARCI Milliwatt Field Day, email logs to:
contest@qrparci.org, paper logs and diskettes to: Milliwatt Field
Day, c/o Jeff Hetherington, VA3JFF, 139 Elizabeth St W, Welland,
Ontario L3C 4M3, Canada. Find rules at: <http://www.qrparci.org/>.
July 25 - Marconi Memorial HF Contest, email logs to: ik6ptj@qsl.net,
paper logs and diskettes to: ARI sez.di Fano, PO Box 35, 61032 FANO
(PS), Italy. Find rules at: <http://www.qsl.net/ik6ptj/therules.htm>.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS & SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
The Contester's Rate Sheet wishes to acknowledge information from the
following sources:
WA7BNM's Contest Calendar Web page -
<http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal>
SM3CER's Web site - <http://www.sk3bg.se/contest>
ARRL members may subscribe at no cost by editing their Member Data
Page as described at <http://www.arrl.org/contests/rate-sheet>.
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