Contester's Rate Sheet for August 9, 2006
******************************************** CONTESTER'S RATE SHEET 9 August 2006 Edited by Ward Silver N0AX Published by the American Radio Relay League Free to ARRL members - tell your friends! (Subscription info at the end of newsletter) ******************************************** SUMMARY o Fall Into Contesting - Worked All Europe Contest o Worked All Staters, Rejoice - NAQP SSB and the MD & NJ QSO Parties o CX7BY and EU1MM - Silent Keys o ARRL DX Phone 2006 Results Available o Noise Cancelling Headphones + Boom Mike o Fun With Tubes o Chatting With Mr. Robot BULLETINS o No bulletins this issue BUSTED QSOS o A golden issue last time! CONTEST SUMMARY (Rules follow Commentary section) August 12-13 - WAE CW - Maryland-DC QSO Party - SWOT Hot-Rock Shootout August 19-20 - ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest - NAQP SSB - SARTG WW RTTY Contest - Keyman's Club of Japan CW - NJ QSO Party - Int'l Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend - Russian District Award Contest - Silent Key Memorial Contest --o- ooo - --o- ooo - --o- ooo - -oo o NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST - oooo o o-o o- - o ooo oooo o o - -o- The new Windows version of the Global Overlay Mapper (http://www.mapability.com/ei8ic) has been released with a number of new maps, bringing the total to 8 Continental and 29 Sub-Continental maps, each with 12 overlays. The Global Overlay Mapper now has a new 'Jump-To' feature, which lets you load and annotate a map to indicate the position of a chosen feature. (Thanks, Tim EI8IC) Oms PY5EG and Jorge CX6VM report the passing of Raul CX7BY. Raul put the CX multiplier in many of our logs over his many years of ham radio contesting. I'm also sorry to relay a report from Vladimir VE3IAE-EU1SA that Valery EU1MM passed away on 31 July after a long illness. Valery was one of the strongest RTTY contesters worldwide. These gentlemen will be missed in more ways than one! This is a highly recommended article by Ron Hashiro regarding Kitashi Nose, KH6IJ - http://tinyurl.com/z6bo2 "Nose was a super contester and all-round amateur in his day. He was a professor of physics at the Univ. of Hawaii and wrote several technical articles in QST, mostly on yagi antennas. (Thanks, Duncan W7JEN) The 22 July issue of the AMSAT Weekly Bulletin (http://www.amsat.org/) alerts sky-watchers that an inflatable spacecraft, Genesis I, was launched by Bigelow Aerospace. It is visible to the naked eye and pass times for your location can be found at http://www.heavens-above.com/ URL OF THE WEEK -- Another AMSAT bulletin tipped me off to the High-Performance Software-Defined Radio group, http://hpsdr.org/ This is an Open Source development group that is changing the face of receiver technology. This is what your next rig might have inside! Click on the WIKI button at the left-hand side of the home page for more info. This is a developing group, so keep an eye on the site as it expands over time. oo-o oo -o -oo -o-- --- oo- o-o RESULTS AND RECORDS -o-o o- o-oo o-oo oooo o o-o o ARRL CONTEST RESULTS NEWS Both the Web and PDF versions of the 2006 DX Phone QST results have been posted to the Web and pins for the contest have been shipped, as well. The contest email robot, which was down for a couple of days, has been restored and is accepting entries. If you experienced any difficulties in submitting a log - try again! - - - - - The preliminary results of the January 2006 NAQP SSB contest are now available on the NCJ web site at: http://www.ncjweb.com/naqpssbprelim.php An updated version of the January 2006 NAQP CW preliminary results are also available. If you think there may be an error with your score, contact bhorn@hornucopia.com (Thanks, Bruce WA7BNM) The Top claimed scores for both CQ 160 WW CW and SSB are now on the CQ Magazine Web page at http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/ Go to contests rules and then click on the CQ WW 160 Contest. Contact contest manager Dave K4JRB at k4jrb@juno.com if you have questions or see an error. The correct log submission email address for the Maryland QSO Party (Aug 10-16) is w3cwc@adelphia.net, not via WA3EOP. (Thanks, Mike KB3EIA) For fans of the popular Pennsylvania QSO Party, coming up in October, John KD8MQ has been compiling PA QSO Party results for the last 20 years. John posted the last few year's results to the Web at http://www.kd8mq.info/pqp Anyone planning an entry or just curious will enjoy the information. oo oo-o oo - ooo -o --- - -ooo o-o --- -o- o TECHNICAL TIPS AND INFORMATION -o-- --- oo- o-o o -o --- - - o-o -o-- oo -o --o Today we usually think "DSP" or "op amps" when figuring out how to get rid of noise and other "stuff" that we don't want to hear in our audio. Well, 'twas not always so! Passive audio filters still do a fine job in many areas and you never have to change the batteries. One classic reference about these filters is Ed Wetherold W3NQN's article "Passive Audio Filter for SSB" in the Technical Correspondence section of Dec 1979 QST, page 50. Another is "The Crud-O-Ject" by Bob Myers, now W1XT, in the Feb 1972 QST, page 11. (Thanks, John W0UN) If you wish your noise-cancelling Bose headphones came with a boom mike, Doug K1DG shows you how to "make it so" at http://tinyurl.com/mxl6c A bit of work with a drill and little, tiny screws and there you are! Trying to get stuck hardware apart? Dino K6RIX gives this wholehearted endorsement to PB Blaster. "Some products are rust removers and others are penetrants and lubricants. PB Blaster is BOTH! No need to climb twice. Take it up with you and get the job done!" - http://tinyurl.com/bnxsm In this era of high copper prices, surplus lengths of enameled wire can often be had for free or a small fee from electric motor rewinding shops. Lengths of dozens of feet aren't long enough for windings in many cases and have to be discarded or carted to the scrap dealer. If there is such a shop in your town (and most mid-sized and larger towns have at least one), it might be worth stopping in to check. (Thanks, JC K0HPS) Several folks in the construction business remind tower builders to keep the surface of a concrete base wet during the first week of the curing period. This prevent cracks due to the surface hardening faster than the inside. Either keep the surface misted with water or place old rugs or cloth on top of the concrete and keep them wet. Don't be hasty - it takes 28 days for concrete to cure to 90% strength! There are a lot of times when we'd like to find out whether two locations are line-of-sight. With the availability of highly detailed, accurate mapping data in electronic form, the answer to this and other similar questions isn't that far away. Kevan NS4T recommends MicroDEM by Dr. Peter Guth of USNA. It can do terrain mapping, overlay road maps, and similar useful tricks. And the price is right - free! Get the program at http://tinyurl.com/lche Fans of "hollow state" technology (i.e. - vacuum tubes) will enjoy the Fun With Tubes site - http://www.funwithtubes.net/ There are quite a few schematics, tutorials, projects, old parts catalogs and more. In addition, Cardwell Condensers now owns the E.F. Johnson capacitor line with information posted at http://www.cardwellcondenser.com/PAGES/jcd.html (Thanks, Mike AE6WA and Jim WA7DUY) Does the rumble of distant thunder make you nervous? Thomas KN4LF contributed a couple of Web URLs for information about lightning protection - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LightningProtection http://www.lightningsafety.com/ Diamonds are a ham's best friend - L.B. Cebik, W4RNL has a short article about rhombics on his web page (http://www.cebik.com/radio.html) in the series Antennas From The Ground Up. L.B. has also started a new series on Long Wire Antennas (www.cebik.com/wire/lw1.html) which will eventually have a detailed analysis of the V-beam and rhombic. (Thanks, Henry K4TMC) TECHNICAL URL OF THE WEEK -- Although I typically don't reprint information from other ARRL bulletins, this item from ARRL Propagation Bulletin ARLP031 is pretty good stuff: "David Mays, W8UI of St. Marys, West Virginia sent some big beacon lists for HF and six meters, put together by G3USF. See them at http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/por/28.htm and http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/por/50.htm" o-o o o- -oo -o-- oo-o --- o-o - oooo o oo-o o- o-oo o-oo CONVERSATION -o-o --- -o - o ooo - ooo o o- ooo --- -o oo--oo Chatting With Mr. Robot How quickly we adopt a new technology, changing it from a threatening new disruption to a baseline requirement! Nowhere is that more visible than after the contest. Nowadays, before we even take that post-contest shower, we fill out our 3830 Web form (http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score), read the compiled list on Monday and have a pretty good idea of who won and who didn't by Friday. Sure, there is some place-swapping due to log checking and other surprises, but not much. If 3830 disappeared tomorrow, that 6-month (or longer) wait for published results would be interminable! (Thanks, WA7BNM and N7WA!) The other major innovations are the contest log-handling robot programs that read and review Cabrillo files we send in. For some contests, including the majors, most logs are sent electronically and the majority of those are received within a few days of the contest! I remember how this innovation was originally received. For days after major contests, the reflectors would run red as email was posted with subjects like "Cabrillo - An Alien Threat!" and "Robots are the Death of Contesting." Nowadays, the shoe is on the other foot as the reflectors run red with the refrains of "Robot's Down - Death of Contesting" and "Why Doesn't This Contest Have a Robot?" And here we are. We are now so used to the robots that we have begun to talk to them by sending little messages in the Subject of the email containing our logs! We are trying to be helpful, of course. Examples include subject lines such as: Subject: N0AX /my call is not listed on the logs received list/ Subject: N0AX please make this log a CHECKLOG Subject: N0AX I never received my certificate This is actually counterproductive. If your log is properly formatted, no human will ever see your email! All those notes in the Subject line will be discarded and you'll never know! Trey N5KO, author of a number of these valuable programs, also points out that in order to defeat spam filters, spammers often fill the Subject with callsigns, such as: Subject: ad0lt b2bc0st c1ock c1alis di3t d0se dr0gs d8s" Seldom do you see spam that has a one-word Subject, such as: Subject: header So by putting just a single call sign in the subject, your emailed log avoids the spam bucket. It's not useful to include other notations in the Subject line, such as: Subject: IARU HF World Championship 2006 log submission for N0AX Subject: N0AX Participation in IARU HF World Championship 2006 Subject: IARU 2006 N0AX SO AB LP LOGFILE Subject: N0AX SOAB LOW CW This is no more effective than: Subject: N0AX Why? Because the robot does not save or process ANYTHING else than the single call sign. That's right, all you should put in the email subject is your call. True, that subject won't mean much to *you* in your Sent Mail folder, but that email will never be read by a human. Just put the single call sign in the Subject of the email as follows: Subject: N0AX Trey says, "I would like folks to understand that this is truly a robot operation--the robot does not do anything with the message subject lines except use them as a spam filter. Any issue that requires human attention should be brought to the attention of a human, presumably via the contests@arrl.org email alias." So as we head into the fall contest season, remember that the sweet nothings we murmur to the robot fall on deaf ears. For a complaint or compliment to be completely satisfying, a real human has to be on the receiving end. 73, Ward N0AX -o-o --o- - o ooo - -o-o --o- - o ooo - CONTESTS -- 9 AUGUST TO 22 AUGUST 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 Worked All Europe DX Contest--CW, sponsored by the Deutscher ARC from 0000Z Aug 12 - 2359Z Aug 13, (Phone is Sep 9 - 10; RTTY is Nov 11 - 12). Frequencies: 80-10 meters according to Region I band plan. Categories: SOHP, SOLP, MS, SWL. Spotting assistance 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. 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 inside EU, DXCC outside EU, plus call districts.) 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 may only be exchanged between 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 Sep 15 (CW), Oct 15 (Phone) or Dec 15 (RTTY) to waedc@dxhf.darc.de or to DARC, WAEDC Contest, Lindenallee 4, 34225 Baunatal, Germany. Maryland-DC QSO Party--CW/Phone, sponsored by the Antietam Radio Association from 1600Z Aug 12 - 0400Z Aug 13 and 1600Z-2359Z Aug 13. Frequencies (MHz): CW -- 3.643, 7.060, 14.060, 21.060, 28.035, Phone - 1.895, 3.920, 7.230, 14.270, 21.370, 28.370, VHF/UHF - 50.150, 52.525, 144.15, 146.55, 146.580, 432.15, 446.000. Categories: Club, Mobile, Novice/Tech, QRP, and Standard. Work stations once per band/mode, portable/mobiles can be worked again in each county. Exchange: QTH and category. QSO Points: Club--10 pts, Mobile--5 pts, QRP or Novice/Tech--4 pts, CW or RTTY or ATV--3 pts, all others--1 pt. Highest single point value applies. Score: QSO points x MD counties + Baltimore City + DC. (MD-DC stations also count S/P/C) For more information: http://www.w3cwc.org/rules.html Logs due Sept 15 to w3cwc@adelphia.net (ASCII format) or Antietam Radio Association, PO Box 52, Hagerstown, MD 21741-0052 North American QSO Party--SSB, sponsored by the National Contest Journal from 1800Z Aug 19 - 0600Z Aug 20. 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 due 14 days after the contest via Web entry form at http://www.ncjweb.com/naqplogsubmit.php to ssbnaqp@ncjweb.com or Bruce Horn, WA7BNM, 4225 Farmdale Avenue, Studio City, CA 91604. SARTG WW RTTY Contest, sponsored by the Scandinavian Amateur Radio Teleprinter Group from 0000Z-0800Z and 1600Z-2400Z Aug 19 and 0800Z-1600Z Aug 20. Frequencies: 80-10 meters. Categories: SOAB (HP, LP), SOSB, MS, SWL. Exchange: RST and serial number. QSO Points: own country--5 pts, different country on same continent--10 pts, diff. cont.--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 contest@sartg.com 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 from 1200Z Aug 20-1200Z Aug 21. 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 kcjlog@freeml.com or Masayoshi Namba, JA1FCY, 1420-55 Kibara, Sambu-town, Sambu, Chiba 289-1212 Japan. New Jersey QSO Party--CW/Phone, sponsored by Englewood ARA from 2000Z Aug 19 - 0700Z Aug 20 and 1300Z Aug 20 - 0200Z Aug 21. Frequencies (MHz): 1.810, 3.535, 7.035, 14.035, 21.100, 28.100, SSB -- 3.950, 7.235, 14.285, 21.355, 28.400, VHF/UHF 50-50.5 and 144-146 MHz. Exchange: QSO number and S/P/C 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://www.qsl.net/w2rj Logs due Sep 16 to Englewood Amateur Radio Association, Inc., PO Box 528, Englewood, New Jersey 07631-0528. International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend--CW/SSB/Digital, sponsored by ILLW from 0001Z Aug 19 - 2359Z Aug 20. Frequencies: CW - 21 kHz above band edge; SSB - 51 kHz above band edge. Exchange: Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society (ARLHS) number, if at a lighthouse or lightship. For more information: http://illw.net/index.html Russian District Award Contest--CW/SSB, sponsored by the Tambov Award Group and Russian Contest Club from 1400Z 19 Aug - 0800Z 20 Aug. Frequencies: 160 - 10 meters. Categories: SOAB (CW, SSB, Mixed), MS (with 10-min rule), SWL, Portable SO and MS - Russian only. Exchange: RS(T) + serial number or Russian District code. QSO Points: 10 pts/QSO. Total Score: QSO Points x Russian districts, counted only once. For more information: http://rdaward.org/rda_contest1.htm Logs due 30 days after the contest to rx3rc@rdaward.org or rx3rc@mail.ru or rx3rc@qsl.net or Roman A.Novikov, P.O.Box 21, Tambov, 392000, Russia. Silent Key Memorial Contest--CW, sponsored by the QRP ARCI from 1500Z -- 1800Z Aug 19. Frequencies (MHz): 1.810, 3.560, 7.030, 7.040, 14.060, 21.060, 28.060. Categories: SOAB, SB, High Bands (20-10), Low Bands (160-40). Exchange: RST + S/P/C + QRP ARCI member number or power. QSO Points: non-member, same continent--2 pts, non-member different cont--4 pts, member--5 pts. Score: QSO points x S/P/C x Power multiplier (<55 mW x 20, <250 mW x 15, <1 W x 10, <5 W x 7, >5 W x 1). Add 5000 points if portable with temporary antenna. For more information: http://www.qrparci.org/ Logs due 19 Sep to contest@qrparci.org or Silent Key Memorial Sprint, c/o Jeff Hetherington, VA3JFF, 139 Elizabeth St W, Welland, Ontario, Canada L3C 4M3. VHF+ CONTESTS SWOT Hot-Rock Shootout--CW/SSB/Digital, sponsored by Sidewinders On Two Radio Club from 0000Z Aug 10 -- 2359Z Aug 16. Frequencies (MHz): 144 only. Categories: SO-HP (>200 W)/LP/QRP (<30 W), Rover. Exchange: Grid Square and "Roger." QSO Points: QRP or Rover--5 pts, otherwise 1 pt. Score: QSO Points x total grid squares, Rovers add grids activated to total grid squares. For more information: http://www.swotrc.net/ Send logs to johnkm5es@gmail.com or John Petersen KM5ES, HC64 Box 1007, Eufaula, OK 74432. ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest, 6 AM local Aug 19 -- 12 AM (Midnight) local Aug 20. 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 Logs due Oct 18 to 10GHz@arrl.org or ARRL Contest Branch, 225 Main St, Newington, CT, 06111, USA. -oo --- -o - -- oo ooo ooo -o-- --- oo- o-o LOG DUE DATES - 9 AUGUST TO 22 AUGUST 2006 o-oo --- --o -oo o o- -oo o-oo oo -o o ooo August 9 - ARCI Summer Homebrew Sprint, email logs to: va3jff@yahoo.capaper logs and diskettes to: ARCI Summer Homebrew Sprint, c/o Jeff Hetherington, VA3JFF, 139 Elizabeth St W, Welland, Ontario L3C 4M3, Canada. Find rules at: http://www.qrparci.org/ August 9 - IARU HF World Championship, email logs to: IARUHF@iaru.orgpaper logs and diskettes to: IARU HF Championship, IARU International Secretariat, Box 310905, Newington, CT 06111, USA. Find rules at: http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2006/iaru.html August 9 - Great Lakes Sweepstakes, email logs to: k8khz@yahoo.compaper logs and diskettes to: Sean Fleming, K8KHZ, 27120 Barrington St, Madison Heights, MI 48071, USA. Find rules at: http://mdxa1.org/GLSWEEPSRULES.html August 10 - DL-DX RTTY Contest, email logs to: logs@drcg.depaper logs and diskettes to: (none). Find rules at: http://www.drcg.de/dl-dx/rules_eng.html August 15 - CQC Great Colorado Gold Rush, email logs to: ki0rb@arrl.netpaper logs and diskettes to: Colorado QRP Club, PO Box 17174, Golden, CO 80402-6019, USA. Find rules at: http://www.cqc.org/contests/gold2006.htm August 16 - VK/Trans-Tasman 160m Contest, CW, email logs to: vktasman@hotmail.compaper logs and diskettes to: VK/trans-Tasman Contest, 28 Crampton Crescent, Rosanna, VIC 3084, Australia. Find rules at: http://home.iprimus.com.au/vktasman/RULES.HTM August 17 - Quebec QSO Party, email logs to: qso-log@raqi.capaper logs and diskettes to: Radio Amateur du Quebec (QQP), 4545, Av. Pierre-de-Coubertin, C.P. 1000, Succursale M, Montreal, QC H1V 3R2, Canada. Find rules at: http://www.raqi.ca/qqp/qqp-e.pdf August 17 - DIE Contest, email logs to: ea5aen@ea5ol.netpaper logs and diskettes to: EA5AEN, PO Box 11055, Valencia, Spain. Find rules at: http://www.ea5ol.net/die/X%20CONCURSO%20DIE.htm August 19 - North American QSO Party, CW, email logs to: (see rules, web upload preferred), Upload log at: http://www.ncjweb.com/naqplogsubmit.phppaper logs and diskettes to: Bruce Horn, WA7BNM, 4225 Farmdale Avenue, Studio City, CA 91604, USA. Find rules at: http://www.ncjweb.com/naqprules.php August 20 - SARL HF Phone Contest, email logs to: zs4bs@netactive.co.zapaper logs and diskettes to: Bloemfontein Radio Amateur Club, Box 12104, Brandhof, 9324, South Africa. Find rules at: http://www.sarl.org.za/public/contests/SARL_Contest_Manual.pdf August 21 - 10-10 Int. Summer Contest, SSB, email logs to: tentencontest@alltel.netpaper logs and diskettes to: Steve Rasmussen, N0WY, #68684, 312 N. 6th Street, Plattsmouth, NE 68048, USA. Find rules at: http://www.ten-ten.org/rules.html August 22 - RSGB RoPoCo 2, email logs to: ropoco2.logs@rsgbhfcc.orgpaper logs and diskettes to: RSGB G3UFY, 77 Bensham Manor Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey CR7 7AF, England. Find rules at: http://www.contesting.co.uk/hfcc/rules/rropoco.shtml 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>. Excel and Windows are trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation