Contester's Rate Sheet for June 27, 2007
******************************************** CONTESTER'S RATE SHEET 27 June 2007 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 Look North To the Canada Day Contest o NCJ News by K9LA o Shakespeare and Code o Dayton 2007 Antenna & Contest Forum Programs o ARRL 10 Meter Contest Records and EME Rule Changes o Adapting Non-Amateur Gear o Tower Grounding and Cadweld o Instant Experts NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO o With Field Day operations complete, you're probably wondering when the next big contest is happening. You'll find the 24-hour IARU HF Championship (July 14-15) a great opportunity to put those recently-sharpened skills to work, slicing up the bands. BULLETINS o Dates for the IARU HF Championship dates are erroneously listed in the July QST Contest Corral as July 7-8. The correct dates are July 14-15 as shown in the April QST contest announcement. The Web version of Contest Corral has the correct dates. Please relay this information to your club newsletter editor or Webmeister. BUSTED QSOS o Numerous readers pointed out that Field Day was actually TWO weeks after Kid's Day and not just one. CONTEST SUMMARY (Rules follow Commentary section) June 30 - July 5 - Canada Day Contest - MI QRP July 4th CW Sprint July 7 - 8 - DL-DX-RTTY Contest - DARC 10-Meter Digital "Corona" - Venezuelan Independence Day Contest - QRP ARCI Summer Homebrew Sprint, CW - Original QRP Contest, CW --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- NCJ News by NCJ Editor, Carl Luetzelschwab K9LA The July/August issue of NCJ should be reaching mailboxes in the next week or two. For those of you who missed Visalia and Dayton, included in this issue are short summaries of contest activities at these two events (Contest University 2007, etc). Also included is a review of the Elecraft XG1 signal generator, the story of W3ZI M/M in the 2006 PA QSO Party, a review of the technology used by the PT5L team at WRTC2006, and the V31RG operation in CQWW WPX SSB. Six of our regular columnists contribute their columns. Filling out the remainder of the issue are the results of five NCJ Contests: January 2007 NAQP CW and PH, February NAQP RTTY, and February CW and PH Sprint. - - - - - The Pacific Northwest VHF Society is calling for papers to be published in the Proceedings of the 2007 Pacific Northwest VHF+ Conference. The conference will be held at the Shilo Inn, Bend, Oregon, Sep 28-30. Papers need not be long, highly technical pieces. The deadline for submissions is September 10. Questions, comments and paper submissions to PNWVHFS Proceedings Editor Scott Honaker N7SS at scotthon@pilchuckvet.com. More information on the conference itself is available on the PNWVHFS Web site at http://www.pnwvhfs.org/. The ARRL Contest Rate Sheet for 2007-05-30 reports that at Contest University 2007 "The youngest student was 9 year old W9JJC!" There was some confusion because the youngest student was in fact 9 year old KE5LWF. (Thanks, Stephen WD5EAE) If you're getting into RTTY contesting and wonder about strategy, Ed W0YK has made his Dayton 2007 presentation (http://www.w0yk.com/pdf/Dayton%202007,%20v2.pdf) available for you. Even though Ed isn't there with the explanation, you'll learn a bunch just from the slides. Lothar K5LEH points out, as well, that the Tigertronics Signalink USB interface may ease your first steps into digital contesting, as well. Ramon XE1KK contributes an interesting URL for http://hamigg.de/ - a social bookmarking platform for ham radio and technical topics. On June 25th, the lead topic was pneumatically launching tennis balls, so this site seems to be on the right track! (Thanks, Ramon XE1KK) The age-old mystery of how the 807 became the ham's nudge-and-a-wink meaning "cold beer" elicits this suggestion from Sam N5AF. "My Elmer, W5PDE, licensed in 1947 and a builder of home-made rigs, explained that the 807 was just a little harder to tame than other tubes and sometimes had to be neutralized. It was seldom seen as a crystal oscillator. Thus, being a little wilder than other tubes, it was associated with the aforementioned alcoholic beverage." Why listen to yet another recitation of the weather and a litany of equipment makes and models? How do I decode thee? Let me count the ways! Shakespeare's sonnets are available for the most literate code practice anywhere at http://tinyurl.com/2hytst from John AE5X. Should the preceding material evoke a consideration that code by any other name would smell as sweet, Giorgio Armani (http://tinyurl.com/yrlnk6) agrees with you. Know the code! (Thanks, Ellen W1YL) How many rover trips require travel by three modes of transportation? Paul K7CW made the trip to southeastern Alaska - Prince of Wales Island to be exact - for the June VHF QSO Party, operating as KL7FF with KL0RG. He tells quite a story worth reading about at http://www.qsl.net/k7cw/Alaska07/kl7ff.htm. Speaking of rovers, here's something to really "peak" your interest, a tool for finding information for about hilltop locations. Randy W7HR's western states "summits" Web site at http://www.SignalONE.com/Summits describes local maxima in the 6th and 7th districts. If you're looking for a cool QTH for that next hilltopping operation, sites like these are pure gold. Not always exactly about ham radio, but definitely always interesting - Design News Magazine's "Gadget Freak" files (http://www.designnews.com/) are great food for thought. For example, Gadget Freak Case #103: New Potato Gun for the French Fryin' Legion - a triple-barrel spud gun, is just the ticket for getting that multi-element phased array in the air. You could call it the "One Boom Bobtail"! URL of the Week - Tim K3HX wrote to share a nifty bearing-distance calculator (http://tinyurl.com/3xhqza) for those who are really serious about such things. The initial distance answer is in km but there is a function to show a Google map path as a line on a map with each terminal noted. oooo o -o-- -o-- o- o-oo o-oo SIGHTS AND SOUNDS o-- o- - -o-o oooo - oooo oo ooo For those who didn't get to Dayton this year, the Contest and Antenna Forum presentations (http://www.kkn.net/dayton2007) are all available on-line thanks to the efforts (and hard drives) of George K5TR. A good example of the material available is Champ E21EIC's presentation on ham radio in Thailand (http://www.kkn.net/dayton2007/E21EIC-Dayton-2007.pdf). (Thanks, Jim K7WA) The K8GP Grid Pirates always make a big splash in the VHF+ contests and this year is no different. A thorough writeup (http://www.k8gp.net/?page_id=87) with lots of pictures and commentary is just a mouse click away for your enjoyment and information. Tim K6GEP points us to a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44IkazxldLg) featuring the F8BBL/p operation in the recent IARU Region I CW Field Day. The QTH is on a beautiful hilltop with a vineyard near Bordeaux, France. How did your Field Day site compare? About 150 images of really quite wretched and appalling TV antenna installation jobs are shown at http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/roguesgalleryview.html, each with a cheeky description. The subject matter may be TV antennas and satellite dishes in the UK, but many of the horrors shown apply to things on this side of the pond. (Thanks, Tim K3HX) 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 Problems with the June VHF Contest email robot inappropriately rejecting Cabrillo logs have now been fixed. The problems include band and mode identifiers, and rejecting 6-character grids. Discussions are under way regarding what efforts can be made in the future to avoid such undetected problems. If your log was rejected, please give it another try. As a point of clarification, while a log handling robot may not recognize some QSO data, it doesn't remove *any* QSOs from a log. It reports back to the user any inconsistencies it finds so they can be addressed. When an error occurs in the header, however, it's a different story. The robot will generate a complete reject message and the log is not saved until the header is accepted. A couple of major changes are upon us with this year's EME Contest Unlike most other contests self spotting will now be permitted in the assisted categories. Another change allows for stations to work each other on Analog (CW or Phone) and Digital modes on the same band for credit during the 50 MHz through 1296 Weekends of the contest only. This impacts all logging software currently in use by the amateur community. (Thanks, Tom KC1J and Dan N1ND) - - - - - The SSB UBN/NIL reports for the CQ WW contest were delayed this year. They are now available. The contest committee is sorry for the delay and thanks the participants for their understanding. (Thanks, Bob K3EST) The records for the ARRL 10 Meter Contest have been updated on the ARRL Web (http://www.arrl.org/contests) to include results of the 2006 contest (Thanks, Ken WM5R) The results for the second running of the 7th Area QSO Party are posted on the http://www.codxc.org/ Web site. Certificates and plaques will be sent out promptly. We thank all that participated -- especially the 90% of entrants who sent in electronic logs. (Thanks, Dick K4XU) W0YK has posted the newly compiled scores for NS Ladder stations (http://www.ncccsprint.com/results.htm) that are new to NS Ladder this year, thus officially forming the new division of the conteSt A liquid award will go to the station in this category with the highest cumulative score from week 10 to week 18 of NS Ladder, counting the highest 6 scores - a slight change from the original announcement. (Thanks, Bill N6ZFO) The ERAU HF Committee is happy to announce that the results of ES OPEN HF CHAMPIONSHIP 2007 are ready. You can find the results, detailed UBN files, and Soapbox comments on the ERAU Web page http://www.erau.ee/ under ES Open Contests in the ES OPEN HF Championship section. (Thanks, Tonno ES5TV) The WAEDC and WAG contest results are published in a very nice combined booklet. This is one of the standard-setting contest results publication and a great reason to enter and submit a log in these popular European contests. (Thanks, Helmut DF7ZS) If you tried to send in a log for the ANARTS RTTY contest, the published email addresses have only recently been updated at http://anarts.com.au/rules2007.htm Email your logs to patleeper@optusnet.com.au. (Thanks, Phil VK2BAA) oooo o -o-- -o-- --- oo- OPERATING TIP o-- o- -o- o oo- o--o If the band has turned to a mush of interference, splatter, and spurious signals, make sure your preamp and noise blanker are OFF. These circuits make the receiver highly susceptible to overload and distortion by strong signals. Further, reduce RF gain and add attenuation to clean up the band even more. Remember to maximize signal-to-noise ratio instead of absolute signal volume. If you can hear the stations you want to work, that's all the gain you need! 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 Tomas NW7US explores the question of whether HF propagation is reciprocal in a recent CQ Magazine "Propagation" column. The important parts of the text have been posted at http://hfradio.org/ace-hf/ace-hf-reciprocal.html. A similar column covering basic HF propagation concepts can be found at http://hfradio.org/ace-hf/ace-hf-demystified.html - a good resource for someone new to HF operation. In perfect cables, there is no way for energy on the outside of a coax shield to transfer to the center conductor. However, all shields have a transfer impedance, where the current on one side of the shield causes a voltage drop over some length of the cable and that voltage drop is seen on the other side of the shield. Here is a link to Belden's paper on transfer impedance. (http://www.belden.com/pdfs/TechInfo/TechTransfer.htm) Note the charts at the bottom of the page comparing different amounts of shielding and frequency. (Thanks, Gary K4FMX) Bob N6TV's one-tower, city lot antenna farm recently received a makeover. Take a look at http://tinyurl.com/2orqo3 to see how the work was done within the confines of the available space. Hams love to adopt and adapt, particularly when the item fills a real radio need. In paging through the Sporty's Pilot Shop (http://sportys.com/) catalog (my son KD7DQO is a pilot) I noticed several items that could be of interest, particularly to mobile and rover operators. For example, they sell a number of flight gear bags that look like natural go-kit radio packs, the many interesting kneeboards and clips would also work well in at 3' AGL (above ground level) in a vehicle, and the temporary tie-down kits could serve as mast guy points. Food for thought! Wherefore goest thou, watts? This powerful device (http://tinyurl.com/2etaqp) lets you keep an eye on power consumption. Compare your radio's use to that of an equivalent amount of time spent watching the big-screen TV! (Thanks, Dennis N6KI) Gluing Plexiglass for enclosures or repairs can be a mess when solvent glues are used. Kevin N7WIM recommends aquarium glues as being much easier to work with. Locktite Extreme Repair is also highly rated, as it sets with a slightly rubbery consistency but with great strength. If you're a user of 2.4 GHz wireless networking or communications devices in the shack, home, or business you may be finding more and more instances of interference (imagine that!) slowing data transfer, sometimes to the point of unusability. The June 7 issue of EDN magazine (http://edn.com/) contains an interesting story on the subject called "Hop, Jump, and Spread - wireless machine interfaces". Enter CA6447222 into the EDN Network search window at the top of the home page to find the article. Figure 6 really sums up the situation, even without microwave ovens on the band! The Spokane DX Association's Web site (http://www.sdxa.org/) has a link to a set of impedance measurements of bead and solenoid baluns at different frequencies. Click 'DX Tips' to find the measurements. (Thanks, Dan N5AR) An expanded range voltmeter is good for measuring power supply or line voltage. Paul WA9PWP found a link to just that sort of meter circuit at http://www.discovercircuits.com/ and an article about it at http://www.solorb.com/elect/solarcirc/xsvmeter/ Tower building is a popular summer pastime and grounding is quite important. Here are some pictures (http://groups.msn.com/hamtech/shoebox.msnw?albumlist=2) of a cell site ground system under construction near N6IJ. Cadweld techniques are used for conductor bonding and are reviewed at these sites: http://www.k2ut.org/cadweld.htm http://www.rogerhalstead.com/ham_files/ground.htm http://tinyurl.com/22sgz8.HTM (Thanks, Pat AA6EG) Your editor just finished a great book for techies - "Debugging" by David Agans. It will resonate with anyone that has ever had to smoke out a bug in any kind of even-slightly complex system. That includes most ham stations, by the way. This one should go on your to-read list! Jeff K8ND notes that he uses the European lightning strike Web site mentioned in the previous issue from *this* side of the Atlantic during contests (especially 160m contests). In this way, he can see how much difficulty can be expected in getting European QSOs into the log, and so modify his listening pattern. The Web site http://www.k8nd.com/Radio/Planning/Propagation.htm has more information. TECHNICAL URL OF THE WEEK -- Tom K1KI observes that many of us enjoy computer geeky-ness on the side. Well, maybe not entirely on the side, either. Nevertheless, he has decoded the Crypto-Gram (http://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram.html), a free monthly newsletter providing summaries, analyses, insights, and commentaries on security: computer and otherwise. o- -o-o -o-o oo- o-o o- -o-o -o-- oo ooo o--- --- -ooo CONVERSATION --- -o o oo -o -o-o --- -o - o ooo - oo -o --o Instant Experts This past weekend was the scene of the great ham radio "melting pot" known as Field Day. Those of us that have been at this game a while (and that seems to be most contesters) were thrown into the breech along with those whose call signs just appeared in the FCC's ULS data base. (And congratulations to them, by the way.) While this could lead to friction in other situations, hams seem to take it in stride and even the crustiest OT seems to enjoy tutoring. I found myself explaining how to do one thing or another to some very new and very young hams this weekend. I also found myself having to stretch for words that made sense to them as the jargon I find so natural is foreign to their ears. How could this be? Doesn't everybody understand ham jargon? Well, no. For a big splash of insight, record a conversation between two contesters. As it's replayed, make a transcript and underline all of the arcane and obscure references that pepper our verbal transactions. Would a new ham be able to follow that conversation or would they get lost right away? Of course, you wouldn't speak to a new ham like that or do you? I know I certainly forget how much jargon pops out of my mouth. "When the other station gives the feltschmitt, just drop in your bazootie and get ready with a chection and thelman - in that order!" This may be a big shock to some of you out there, (get ready now - I know this will come as a surprise) but not every ham has thirty years of experience! It's true! Why, some of them seem just as green as we were when we got started. Gee, ya think? In our enthusiasm for contesting and all things radio, we can overload the circuits in a newcomer, particularly young ones. Before launching into a detailed explanation or coaching session, take a few minutes to find out what the audience knows and doesn't know. You may have to back up a few steps to help them stay with you. Make sure they understand that it's OK to stop you and ask questions, especially if you use a word they don't understand. Your goal is to get the student to the point at which the light bulb goes on. Don't worry, you'll know because their face will light up with the proverbial 100 watts. Believe me, there isn't much that's better than the smile you get after a teaching success! One more thing...as long as you're prepping the learners to soak up all that knowledge, that some time to find out what they can do, even in their other life outside of ham radio. You might find that they have something to teach you! 73, Ward N0AX -o-o --o- - o ooo - -o-o --o- - o ooo - CONTESTS -- 27 JUNE THROUGH 10 JULY 2007 -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 Canada Day Contest--CW/Phone, sponsored by the Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) from 0000Z - 2359Z Jul 1. Frequencies: 160-10, 6 and 2 meters. Categories: SOAB (HP, LP, QRP., PH only & CW only) , SOSB, MS (LP & HP) & MM. Exchange: Stations in Canada send RS(T) and province or territory, VE0 and non-VE send RS(T) and serial number. QSO Points: VE and VE0--10 pts, non-VE--2 pts, RAC official stations (suffix of -RAC)--20 pts. Score: QSO points x Provinces and Territories counted once per band and mode. For more information: http://www.rac.ca/service/infocont.htm. Logs due Jul 31 to canadaday@rac.ca or Radio Amateurs of Canada, 720 Belfast Road, Ste 217, Ottawa, Ontario K1G 0Z5 Canada. MI QRP July 4th CW Sprint--2300Z Jul 4 - 0300Z Jul 5. 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. DL-DX-RTTY-Contest--RTTY/PSK, sponsored by the DL DX RTTY Contest Group (DRCG) from 1100Z Jul 7 -1059Z Jul 8. Frequencies: 80-10 meters. Categories: SOAB, SOAB-single radio (unlimited, 6 hour, dipole/groundplane), MS, MO. Exchange: RST + serial number. QSO Points: own country--5 pts, diff. country--10 pts, diff. continent--15 pts, with DL station add 3 pts from EU, 5 points elsewhere. Score: QSO Points x DXCC entities + VK/VE/JA/W call areas from each band. For more information: http://www.drcg.de/. Logs in Cabrillo format due 10 Aug to logs@drcg.de. DARC 10-Meter Digital "Corona"--RTTY/AMTOR/PACTOR/PSK31/Clover, sponsored by Deutscher Amateur Radio Club from 1100Z - 1700Z Jul 8. Frequencies: 80-10 meters. Categories: SOAB and SO-Dipole/Ground-Plane (Full-time, 6 Hour), MS. Exchange: RST + serial number. QSO Points: own country--5 pts, diff. country--10 pts, diff. continent--15 pts, with DL station add 3 pts from EU, 5 points elsewhere. Score: QSO Points x DXCC entities + VK/VE/JA/W call areas from each band. For more information: http://www.drcg.de/. Logs in Cabrillo format due 9 Aug to logs@drcg.de. Venezuelan Independence Day Contest--CW/SSB--sponsored by the Radio Club Venezolano from 0000Z Jul 7 - 2400Z Jul 8. Frequencies: 160-10 meters. Categories: SOAB and SOSB (CW, SSB, and mixed), MS (mixed mode). Exchange: RS(T) plus serial number. Work any station--not just YV. QSO Points: Own country--1 pt, different country, same continent--3 pts, different cont.--5 pts. Score: QSO Points x YV call areas + DXCC entities counted once per band. For more information: http://radioclubvenezolano.org/concurso.htm. Logs due 31 Aug to contestyv@cantv.net or Radio Club Venezolano, Concurso, Independencia de Venezuela, PO Box 2285, Caracas 1010-A, Venezuela. QRP ARCI Summer Homebrew Sprint--CW, from 2000Z - 2400Z Jul 8. Frequencies (MHz): 1.810, 3.560, 7.040, 14.060, 21.060, 28.060. Categories: SOAB, SOSB, SO20-10, SO160-40, MOAB, DX stations are SOAB only. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and Power or QRP ARCI number. QSO Points: members--5 pts, non-members/different continent--4 pts, non-members/same cont.--2 pts. Score: QSO points x S/P/C (counted once per band) x Power multiplier (<250mW x 15, 250mW--1W x 10, 1--5W x7, >5W x 1). Add the following bonus points for each band on which homebrew gear is used; 2000 pts for homebrew transmitter, 3000 pts for homebrew receiver, 5000 pts for homebrew transceiver. For more information: http://www.qrparci.org/. Logs due 30 days after the contest to contest@qrparci.org or Jeff Hetherington VA3JFF, 139 Elizabeth St W, Welland, Ontario, Canada L3C 4M3. Original QRP Contest--CW, sponsored by the QRP Contest Community from 1500Z Jul 7 - 1500Z Jul 8. Frequencies: 80 - 20 meters. Categories: VLP (<1W), QRP (<5W), MP (<20W), Handmade. Exchange: RST, serial number, category (RST OK for non-participating stations). QSO Points: Participants--4 pts, others--1 pt. Total Score: calculated by sponsor, see Web site for more information: http://www.qrpcc.de/. Logs due 31 Jul to oqrpc@qrpcc.de or Dr. Hartmut Weber, DJ7ST, Schlesierweg 13, D-38228 Salzgitter, Germany. VHF+ CONTESTS No VHF+ contests are scheduled. -oo --- -o - -- oo ooo ooo -o-- --- oo- o-o LOG DUE DATES - 27 JUNE THROUGH 10 JULY 2007 o-oo --- --o -oo o o- -oo o-oo oo -o o ooo June 27 - ARCI Hootowl Sprint, email logs to: contest@qrparci.orgpaper logs and diskettes to: ARCI Hoot Owl Sprint, c/o Jeff Hetherington, VA3JFF, 139 Elizabeth St W, Welland, Ontario L3C 4M3, Canada. Find rules at: http://www.qrparci.org/component/option,com_extcalendar/Itemid,/extmode,view/extid,51/lang,en/ June 27 - MI QRP Memorial Day CW Sprint, email logs to: k8nwd@arrl.netpaper logs and diskettes to: Tim Pepper, K8NWD, 4391 Clintonville Rd, Waterford, MI 48329, USA. Find rules at: http://www.qsl.net/miqrpclub/conteSthtml June 30 - MARAC SSB QSO Party, email logs to: maracssbcontest@sktc.netpaper logs and diskettes to: MARAC SSB Contest Manager, 214 S 1st St, Clearwater, KS 67026, USA. Find rules at: http://marac.org/ssbrules.htm June 30 - SEANET Contest, email logs to: e21eic@gmail.compaper logs and diskettes to: Seanet Contest 2007, Champ Muangamphun,, PO Box 1090 Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10903, Thailand. Find rules at: http://www.sabah.net.my/seanet/contest_rules.htm June 30 - US IPARC Annual Contest, CW, email logs to: (none)paper logs and diskettes to: Contest IPARC 2006, 4828 Elm, Newport, Michigan 48166, USA. Find rules at: http://www.iparc.org/ June 30 - US IPARC Annual Contest, SSB, email logs to: (none)paper logs and diskettes to: Contest IPARC 2006, 4828 Elm, Newport, Michigan 48166, USA. Find rules at: http://www.iparc.org/ June 30 - IARU Region 1 Field Day, CW, email logs to: (see your national society rules) paper logs and diskettes to: Your national society. Find rules at: Your national society web site. July 1 - CQ WW WPX Contest, CW, email logs to: cw@cqwpx.compaper logs and diskettes to: CW WPX Contest, CQ Magazine, 25 Newbridge Rd, Suite 405, Hicksville NY 11801, USA. Find rules at: http://www.cqwpx.com/rules.htm July 1 - Baltic Contest, email logs to: lrsf@lrsf.ltpaper logs and diskettes to: Baltic Contest, PO Box 210, LT-44003Kaunas, Lithuania. Find rules at: http://www.lrsf.lt/bcontest/english/rules_html.htm July 2 - Alabama QSO Party, email logs to: logs@alabamaqsoparty.orgpaper logs and diskettes to: Jim Johnson, KC4HW, 6274 South CR 49, Slocomb, Al 36375-5528, USA. Find rules at: http://www.alabamaqsoparty.org/2007/2007Rules.pdf July 2 - AGCW VHF/UHF Contest, email logs to: vhf-uhf@agcw.depaper logs and diskettes to: Manfred Busch, DK7ZH, Ebachstr 13, D-35716 Dietzhoelztal-Mandeln, Germany. Find rules at: http://www.agcw.org/agcw-con/2007/Englisch/agcw-dl0_e.htm July 8 - REF DDFM 6m Contest, email logs to: ddfm50@ref-union.orgpaper logs and diskettes to: F6IIT, Patrick Vermote, 175 chemin des Meuniers, F-86130 Dissay, France. Find rules at: http://concours.ref-union.org/reglements/actuels/reg_ddfm50_fr_0610.pdf July 10 - UKSMG Summer Contest, email logs to: contest@uksmg.orgpaper logs and diskettes to: Peter Bowyer G4MJS, Flat 18, Dawn Court, Bakers Close, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 5FH, UK. Find rules at: http://www.uksmg.org/sporadic.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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