Contester's Rate Sheet for September 19, 2007
******************************************** CONTESTER'S RATE SHEET 19 SEPTEMBER 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 Digital Around the Earth - CQ WW RTTY o Signals Between Moon and Earth - ARRL EME o NATO BPL Report o VE4VV and KT0R - Silent Keys o New Filter Box from Array Solutions o Tall Towers and Big Antennas o From Here to There o N6LF's Antenna Articles On-Line o Linux Lineage NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO o A big DX contest is a great way to learn conditions and jump start your DXCC totals. The CQ WW RTTY contest will fill the bands with digital signals to work. Fall conditions are lots better than those in the summer, so hook up that sound card and give it a try! BULLETINS o No bulletins this issue. BUSTED QSOS o K7AWB noticed I forgotten to change the issue date last time - so you got two bulletins for the price of one! o Amateur astronomical vocabulary maven K1DG pointed out that September is the time of the autumnal equinox, not the vernal. I just like saying "vernal", OK? CONTEST SUMMARY (Rules follow Commentary section) September 22 - 23 - Scandinavian Activity Contest, SSB - VHF Fall Sprint, 222 MHz (Sep 25) September 29 - 30 - ARRL EME, 2304 MHz and up - CQ Worldwide RTTY - Texas QSO Party - TOEC Worldwide Grid Contest, CW - CQ Ireland - Fall QRP Homebrewer Sprint, CW - FISTS Coast-to-Coast, CW - Classic Exchange, AM/SSB --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 ARRL Web includes news (http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2007/09/06/100/?nc=1) of a recent report released by NATO on the probable effects of BPL systems (known as PLT in Europe) operating on HF. The conclusions largely support the ARRL's position, including propagation of interference by skywave. The report is well-grounded in good science and makes a strong case supporting that of the worldwide amateur radio community. The second annual "Microwave Achievement Award" will be presented at this year's Microwave Update, October 18-20 - in memory of Earl Price, W8MGJ. Nominations are now being accepted, with a deadline of September 30. Submit nominations by completing the "Microwave Achievement Award" application at http://www.microwaveupdate.org/ then scan all supporting documents and attach them to an email to awards@microwaveupdate.org or mail to: Awards, 73 Landrum Road, Bainbridge, Ohio 45612. (Thanks, Rick K1DS) Time's running out on ordering tickets for the Great Lakes Division Convention (http://www.2007gldc.org/) with today (Sep 19) being the cutoff date for advance ticket sales. The convention will be held at the Sheraton Hotel in Independence, OH. (Thanks, Tim K3LR) Jay WX0B of Array Solutions (http://www.arraysolutions.com/) writes to introduce a new universal radio band decoder and a unique new W3NQN all-inclusive filter box (http://tinyurl.com/32y3to) that has removable filter modules. The filters are available now and the band decoders should follow in 3 to 4 weeks or you might be able to use your existing unit. If tuning the HF bands for a living sounds like your cup of tea, the FCC has some openings (http://tinyurl.com/yudsy5) for telecommunications specialists in their HF Direction Finding office. Applications are being accepted through Sep 27. (Thanks, Dan N1ND) A new release of Randy K5ZD's Super Check Partial database files is now available at http://www.k5zd.com/scp The SCP master files were generated from 3,089 logs containing 4,120,305 QSO's (131,804 unique calls) from contests over the past 2 years. The database was filtered and sorted to result in a master file with 44,143 calls. Randy notes that if you ever want to check the version of SCP files, search for a call beginning with "VER". Every SCP file includes the version number in the list of calls in the format VERYYYYMMDD. Send Randy your logs after each contest by including k5zd@contesting.com as a cc: entry when submitting your Cabrillo format log to the contest sponsor. If you think you are feeling a little old, how about OSCAR-7? Yes, OSCAR-7. From the AMSAT News Service, issue ANS-252 (http://www.amsat.org/), since AO-7's miraculous emergence from a battery problem, it has been an available "other" satellite to use. It has transponders on it so SSB is the normal mode of ops with several QSO's allowed at a time. Dust off those mode A receivers (HF) and try to make a contact on this bird between contests to be sure your 10 meter antennas are still working! Jumping back to present-day developments, Rod K5RUD is collecting digital communications specifications or links to them. http://thehamnetwork.net/ is also for collaborating on implementation of the standards and development of new protocols. Primarily the focus is on digital messaging, but some of the new protocols will be of interest to digital contesters. Thomas KN4LF is beginning a publishing adventure called the "Daily LF/MF/HF Frequency Radiowave Propagation Forecast" via paid subscription. The Web site is http://www.kn4lf.com/kn4lf6.htm and the first issue is scheduled for 28 Sep 2007. The Web site http://www.amateurradios.info/ contains the beginnings of a list of free ham radio ebooks. Site sponsor Bill W5GRX would be happy to learn of other free books and is continually adding more links. Brian N9ADG found an interesting link at http://ac7fa.net/ on how to set up Morse Runner to 'train' on using N1MM. He reports that the combination is "pretty slick"! Maybe this would be a good trainer for other software packages to add. The 24-page SAC-issue of PileUP! is available (http://www.helsinki.fi/~korpela/PU/PU2_2007.pdf) as a 6 Mbyte PDF file. The issue contains technical, humor, and editorial material from the Contesting Club of Finland (CCF). (Thanks, Ilkka OH1WZ) Ev W2EV contributed the Web URL (http://www.jarl.or.jp/English/2_Outline/A-2-2.htm) for the Japanese amateur radio allocations. This will help you figure out where to tune for our JA friends, particularly on 75 and 80 meters. Kelly VE4XT sadly reports the passing of his long-time friend and fellow contester, Derrick VE4VV after a long illness. Anyone looking for the Manitoba multiplier grew to know and expect Derrick's appearance on the bands. We'll miss him. Another voice from the northern plains fell silent this week, as well, with the passing of Dave KT0R from Minnesota. Dave's big signal was frequently the first in my log for the MN multiplier. He was a fine operator and photos of his station with the operating crew can be found at http://kt0r.spaces.live.com/ (Thanks, John K1AR) URL of the Week - While VU signals pop up from time to time, brightening the faces of North American contesters, we're not really aware of how many VU hams there are or how they "do" ham radio in India. The curious among us will enjoy a browse of the National Institute of Amateur Radio (http://www.hamradioindia.org/) Web site. You'll find a lot to enjoy! oooo o -o-- -o-- o- o-oo o-oo SIGHTS AND SOUNDS o-- o- - -o-o oooo - oooo oo ooo "QRS means slow it down" turns into a funky little ditty by Bob K3PI at http://tinyurl.com/3czh66 as found by Bob N6TV. The Q-signal for "crank it up" is surely QRO! Hams like tower pictures, right? How about these of the world's tallest bridge, the Millau Viaduct - http://tinyurl.com/2geky9 - seen here as a PowerPoint slide show. (Thanks, Tim K3LR) Rick NQ4I has been busy erecting and testing a new antenna - an 8-element, 86-foot boom, 20 meter Yagi. You can salivate over the photos at http://www.nq4i.com/ . More salivating over antenna farms will be induced when http://www.ab5k.net/AntennaFarm2007.aspx is viewed. I guess it's true that they do everything big in Texas! (Thanks, Tim K3LR) oo-o oo -o -oo -o-- --- oo- o-o RESULTS AND RECORDS -o-o o- o-oo o-oo oooo o o-o o The September VHF QSO Party Score Rumors Web form is ready for your claimed scores at http://www.newsvhf.com/sepscores.html. Feel free to enter your breakdowns or check out those of other stations. Note this page does NOT replace submitting your logs to ARRL. (Thanks, Matt KB1VC and Ron WZ1V) The Web version of the 2006 CQ WW SSB Contest results is now available online at http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/18WWSSBStoryAug07NEW.pdf (Thanks, Julio EA4KR) The CQ WW 2006 certificates have been mailed. After they were mailed we located a small error with QRP and ASSISTED single band winners. If you were in one of those categories, you should have received a second, corrected certificate. (Thanks, Bob K3EST) The Adventure Radio Society's (http://www.ARSqrp.com/) Spartan Sprint results for September are now available on-line. If you like operating portable or using QRP, this is a fun weekday contest that runs monthly. oooo o -o-- -o-- --- oo- OPERATING TIP o-- o- -o- o oo- o--o Would you like to really get to know a band? In this time of the solar minimum, when an all-band effort can be a bit of a chore, why not try a single-band contest entry? By focusing on one band for the entire contest, you'll be able to pay more attention to the subtleties of propagation and odd openings you'd miss while operating the other bands. 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 Speaking of radials, Charlie N0TT relays the following method to look for breaks in buried radials (and conductors of any sort), "I've checked for breaks in underground wires by using a portable AM radio placed close to the ground and above where the buried conductor should be. Listen for a sudden change in level as you follow the radial. Tune the radio for noise or a station just strong enough to be heard." How far is it from here to there? Here and There are often defined in interesting ways, but Marc W6ZZZ has happened upon a distance calculator at http://www.indo.com/ that allows entry of place names, as well as lat/long coordinates. Paul W8AEF also notes that if you have the Google Earth software on your computer, zoom in as far as you want to any image and read the lat/long coordinates at the bottom of the map. If you don't live near a metals dealer, how can you get small quantities of tubing, sheet, rod, and so forth? The following businesses sell online and have a wide selection of metal products. http://www.speedymetals.com/ http://www.onlinemetals.com/ http://store.electrical-insulators-and-copper-ground-bars.com/ http://www.harger.com/ (Thanks, Dave AB7E, Mike KM1R, and Bob W5LT) Segueing into another metal-related topic, attaching aluminum wire to an aluminum tower, Joe WD0M uses the interesting method of using a small sheet of stainless steel wrapped around the tower leg so that there is no direct contact between the aluminum and copper. Wrap the sheet around the leg, then attach the copper wire to it with a U-bolt. There are also copper-to-aluminum anti-corrosion pastes that can be used. Dean N6BV reports that he has placed a new set of operating instructions for the use of MicroDEM to generate HFTA terrain profiles on the ARRL Web site at http://www.arrl.org/notes/9876/HFTA.pdf. These instructions reflect changes that have been made to the USGS and other download sites and they reflect his new point of view that using DEMs (the old 7.5-minute topo "quads") is generally more accurate than using NED "seamless" data. Working on an outdoor project before winter arrives? Ken K4XL recommends the small black plastic enclosures made by Hammond from All Electronics (http://www.allelectronics.com/) for housing Beverage and Pennant antenna terminations. They have been outdoors in full sun, unpainted or protected, for two years and he reports no sign of degradation. TECHNICAL URL OF THE WEEK -- Rudy N6LF has a huge collection (http://www.antennasbyn6lf.com/) of useful articles. In fact, Jerry K4SAV considers it the best collection of articles on ground measurements, characteristics, and radial systems he has ever seen. Don't forget the archives and http://www.antennasbyn6lf.com/2005/04/index.html includes links to articles that appear in ARRL publications. 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 Linux Lineage The vast majority of Rate Sheet readers (and you know who you are!) use the Windows operating system on their shack PCs. And what's not to like with the thousands of different applications available, the graphical user interface, and integration with the Internet? Nevertheless, hams are experimenters at all levels and so there is a lot of interest in using the Linux operating system, a descendent of UNIX. But how to find out about Linux? Where are the resources? What version should I try? The membership of the QRP-L email list (http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/qrp-l) tackled this subject recently, led by Dave KC1DI. While this space is usually devoted to excessive editorializing, you'll find an edited summary of the Linux discussion with references to resources you can find on the 'net. As computers and radios grow ever more tightly coupled, a discussion of operating system is just as germane as discussions of filter topology or antenna design. Enjoy! 73, Ward N0AX Dependent on how familiar you are with Linux and your intended purpose in using it, here are KC1DI's recommendations with follow-up comments interleaved: 1. Debian etch - it's solid has a ton of Ham software that can be downloaded via apt-get. It does not represent the cutting edge of the Linux distro(*). but has a long life and is stable for the most part. This e-mail is being written on a Debain Etch machine. On the down side, it is a little more difficult to get to know than some of the other offerings. * - "Distro" is short-hand for "distribution" 2. PCLinuxOS - Great simple easy to use out of the box distro. Getting ham software to install and work with this one may be a bit more difficult as there is no ham software in their repositories, but with the desire it can be done quite easily. 3. Ubuntu - It's all the rage in Linux circles, and there is much ham software available for it which is easily accessed from their repositories. 4. Knoppix - Distributed as a live CD(**) that you can take anywhere and use. Debian-based and easy to re-master, but is not a great candidate for hard-drive nstall. There is a ham version available but you'll have Google to find it. The down side is that the ham-mastered CD is an older version. ** - "Live CD" means that the operating system runs from CD and not from the hard drive. 5. Puppy Linux -- another LiveCD that can be installed. It takes some doing but it makes a very small and fast platform for the ham computer. The down side is that it does not easily support all printers and may be a bear to configure your time zones or other non standard desktop features. It's still a viable alternative. [If you use a live CD, you don't have to install it on the hard drive. With a Multi-session CD/DVD, you can store a lot of applications and carry it with you. You can easily put it on a USB drive and make that bootable, and for those who run Windows, you can create a vmware(free) appliance and run Puppy within windows. Time zones are easily handled with one of the supplied utilities. - Thom K3HRN] Dave also discusses the hardest things about learning to use Linux instead of Windows. 1. Learning the File system. It's different from Windows, but not impossible to learn. 2. Learning about the different ways to install programs and getting them to work. Installing new software that is not in the Distro repository lists can be time consuming and frustrating at first, but stick to it and you will be rewarded with a first class system that you know how to work with. 3. Getting used to having all the choices for programs that are basically free if you hunt around the Web. If you would really like to learn Linux and use cutting edge software, take a look at any of the following versions (many more are listed at http://www.distrowatch.com/): RedHat Fedora 8 (Now in Beta) [Fedora keeps up with the latest stuff -- Fedora 7 or even 6 is ahead of most of the other distros. Installing packages and keeping them up to date with the YUM utility is a piece of cake. Fedora has a wide selection of system maintenance configuration and installation operations GUIs. Fedora 6 and later has a HUGE amount of stuff in the distro, and more in the repository, including a lot of stuff of interest to hams, including schematic, PCB and modeling programs, as well as lots of PIC stuff. If you are interested in security, SELinux installs by default and ratchets security up to a whole new level. Fedora makes a clear distinction between things that are totally license-free, and probably license-free. - John WB8RCR] Gentoo - Completely built from the source code. It can take days to install but you end up with a one-of-a-kind system that is really yours and you'll know how it's put together. Suse 10.3-- (In Beta) Diane VA3DB suggests FreeBSD in the form of PCBSD. Its popularity is catching on especially for digital modes on HF. If you simply want to try it without touching your hard drive, you can try a live CD before trying a "real" install of FreeBSD/PCBSD. http://www.db.net/hamfreesbie, or alternatively from http://www.bfStde/hamfreesbie http://hamfreesbie.bitjanitor.net/ http://hamfreesbie.bastropares.org/ Fldigi, recommended by Ken N9VV, is a group of hams actively developing a nice ham Linux implementation. http://www.w1hkj.com/Fldigi.html http://groups.yahoo.com/group/linuxham/ http://www.linux.com/articles/59958 http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/6537 http://www.dxzone.com/catalog/Software/Linux/ -o-o --o- - o ooo - -o-o --o- - o ooo - CONTESTS -- 19 SEPTEMBER THROUGH 2 OCTOBER 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 Scandinavian Activity Contest--SSB, sponsored by Suomen Radioamatooriliitto ry (SRAL) from 1200Z Sep 22 - 1200Z Sep 23. 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. Score: QSO pts × Scandinavian call areas counted once per band. For more information: http://www.sk3bg.se/contest/sacnsc.htm. Logs due Oct 31 to sacssb2007@sral.fi SSB to sacssb2007@sral.fi or SACSSB, Jussi-Pekka Sampola, OH6RX, Tölbyn niittytie 238, FIN-65460 Tölby, Finland CQ Worldwide RTTY DX Contest--sponsored by CQ Magazine from 0000Z Sep 29 - 2400Z Sep 30. Frequencies: 80 - 10 meters. Categories: SOAB (LP, HP>150W), SOSB, Assisted (AB only), MS (LP, HP), M2, MM. Exchange: RST + CQ Zone (W/VE stations also send state/province). QSO Points: own country--1 pt, different country, same continent--2pts, diff. cont.--3pts. Score: QSO points x S/P/C (incl. WAE countries) + CQ Zones counted once per band. For more information: http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/. Logs due 26 Oct in Cabrillo format to rtty@cqww.com. Texas QSO Party--CW/Phone/Digital, sponsored by the Northwest Amateur Radio Society (NARS) from 1400Z Sep 29 - 0200Z Sep 30 and 1400Z - 2000Z Sep 30. Frequencies (MHz): CW--40 to 60 kHz above bottom of band, Phone--25 kHz above edge of General segments and 28.300 - 28.500, VHF--50.2, 144.2. Categories: Fixed Stns--SO-Mixed (HP and QRP <5W CW, <10W Phone), SO-CW, Multi-Single, Multi-Multi; Mobile (Texas Only)--SO-Mixed, SO-CW, Multi-Single, Multi-Multi. Exchange: RST + TX County or S/P/C or MM region. QSO Points: Phone--2 pts, CW/Digital--3 pts. Score: QSO points x TX counties (TX stations add S/P/C). Multipliers counted only once. Add 500 points for every 5 counties from which a specific TX Mobile is worked. Texas mobiles add one thousand (1000) points to final score for every county activated with five or more QSOs. For more information: http://www.txqp.org/. Logs due 31 Oct to no5w@consolidated.net or Texas QSO Party Committee, 6 Sweetdream Place, The Woodlands, TX 77381-6009. TOEC WW Grid Contest--CW, sponsored by the Top of Europe Contesters (TOEC) from 1200Z Sep 29 - 1200Z Sep 30. Frequencies: 160-10 meters. Categories: SO (no packet) -AB, -SB, LP-AB, QRP-AB), MS (10 min band change rule), MM, Mobile (SOAB) -- work mobiles from each grid field (i.e. -- JP, KO, EM). Exchange: RST + grid square, i.e.--JP73 (log must show all grid fields activated). QSO Points: own continent -- 1 pt, other cont--3 pts, QSOs with mobiles--3 pts. Score: QSO points × two-letter grid fields. For more information: http://www.sk3bg.se/contest/toecwwgc.htm. Logs due 30 days after the contest to contest@toec.net or to TOEC, Box 178, SE-83122 Ostersund, Sweden. CQIR Ireland Calling--CW/SSB, sponsored by the Irish Radio Transmitters Society from 1200Z Sep 29 - 1200Z Sep 30. Frequencies: 80-10 meters, work stations once per band and mode, 10-minute band change rule. Categories: Irish and World SOAB (CW, SSB, Mixed). Exchange: serial number or year (see Web site) and county code (Irish only). QSO Points: CW - 3 pts, SSB - 2 pts. Total score: QSO Points x County codes counted on each band and mode. For more information and special prize announcements: http://www.irts.ie/. Logs due 31 Oct to cq-ir-logs@irts.ie. Fall QRP Homebrewer Sprint--CW, sponsored by New Jersey QRP Club from 0000Z - 0400Z Sep 25. Frequencies: QRP calling frequencies on 80 - 10 meters. Exchange: RST + S/P/C + Output Power. QSO Points: Commercial Equipment--2 pts, Homebrew Xmtr or Rcvr--3pts, Homebrew Xmtr and Rcvr or Xcvr--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/. Logs due 30 days from the contest to w2lj@arrl.net (text format) or Larry Makoski, 327 Clinton Place, South Plainfield, NJ 07080. FISTS Coast to Coast Contest--CW, sponsored by FISTS Northwest Club, K7FFF, Contest from 1700Z Sep 29 - 1700Z Sep 30. Frequencies: 80-10m. Categories: SOAB, MS, (QRP/QRO). Exchange: RST, name, state or DX prefix, and FISTS number or power. For more information on QSO points and scoring: http://www.tomochka.com/k7fff. Send logs to FistsC2C@yahoo.com within 30 days of the conteSt Classic Exchange--AM/SSB, from 1300Z Sep 30 - 0700Z Oct 1. (CW is Oct 7-8) Frequencies (Mc); AM--1.890 3.880 7.290 14.286 21.420 29.000 50.300 144.300. SSB-1.885, 3.870, 7.280, 14.270, 21.370, 28.390, 50.125, 144.200. Exchange: RS, name, QTH, TX, RX, XCVR. QSO Points: 1 pt/QSO. Total Score: QSOs per mode × CX multiplier (age of all RX TX and XCVR used for at least 3 QSOs). For more information: http://qsl.asti.com/CX. Logs to jmac6235@yahoo.com or WQ8U, 104 W Queen St, Hillsborough, NC 27278. VHF+ CONTESTS VHF Fall Sprint--CW/Phone/Digital, sponsored by the Southeastern VHF Society from 7 PM to 11 PM local time on Tuesday, September 25. Frequencies: 222 MHz. Categories: Fixed and Rover. Exchange: Grid Square. QSO Points: 1 pt/QSO. Score is QSO Points x Grid Squares, score each sprint separately. Rovers add all grids worked from each grid. For more information: http://www.svhfs.org/. Logs must be emailed or postmarked within four weeks of the contest to w4zst@windstream.net or Bob Lear K4SZ, PO Box 1269, Dahlonega, GA 30533. ARRL EME Contest, from 0000Z Sep 29 - 2400Z Sep 30. Frequencies: 2304 MHz and up. Categories: SOAB, SOSB, MO, Commercial. Exchange: signal report. QSO Points: 100 pts/QSO. Score: QSO points x W/VE states/provinces + DXCC entities (counted once per band). For more information: http://www.arrl.org/contests Logs due Dec 17 to emecontest@arrl.org or EME Contest, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. -oo --- -o - -- oo ooo ooo -o-- --- oo- o-o LOG DUE DATES - 19 SEPTEMBER THROUGH 2 OCTOBER 2007 o-oo --- --o -oo o o- -oo o-oo oo -o o ooo September 19 - Russian District Award Contest, email logs to: rx3rc@rdaward.org, paper logs and diskettes to: Roman A. Novikov, PO Box 21, 392000 Tambov, Russia. Find rules at: http://rdaward.org/rdac1.htm September 20 - Keyman's Club of Japan Contest, email logs to: kcjlog@kcj&#8722;cw.com, paper logs and diskettes to: Akira Sasaki, JH8CBH, 210−13 Zenikamecho, Hakodate 042-0922, Japan. Find rules at: http://www.kcj-cw.com/contest/07_kcjtest_rules_e.pdf September 22 - North American Sprint, SSB, email logs to: (see rules, web upload preferred), upload log at: http://www.ncjweb.com/sprintlogsubmit.php, paper logs and diskettes to: Jim Stevens, K4MA, 6609 Vardon Ct, Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526, USA. Find rules at: http://www.ncjweb.com/sprintrules.php September 24 - Run for the Bacon QRP Contest, email logs to: W2LJ@arrl.net, upload log at: http://gentzow.com/fpqrp/autolog.asp, paper logs and diskettes to: Larry Makoski, W2LJ, 327 Clinton Place, South Plainfield, NJ 07080, USA. Find rules at: http://www.gentzow.com/fpqrp/fpqrprun.htm September 24 - Ohio QSO Party, email logs to: logs@oqp.us, paper logs and diskettes to: Ohio QSO Party, c/o Jim Stahl, K8MR, 30499 Jackson Rd, Chagrin Falls, OH 44022-1730, USA. Find rules at: http://www.oqp.us/rules September 25 - Hawaii QSO Party, email logs to: kh6j@karc.us, paper logs and diskettes to: Hawaii QSO Party, PO Box 8960788, Wahiawa, HI 96786-0788, USA. Find rules at: http://www.karc.us/hi_qso_party.html September 25 - YO DX HF Contest, email logs to: yodx_contest@hamradio.ro, paper logs and diskettes to: YO DX HF Contest, PO Box 22-50, Bucharest RO-014870, Romania. Find rules at: http://www.radioamator.ro/contest/us/yodxhf2007rules.html September 30 - AGCW Straight Key Party, email logs to: htp@agcw.de, paper logs and diskettes to: Friedrich W. Fabri, DF1OY, Moselstrasse 17b, D-63322 Roedermark-Urberach, Germany. Find rules at: http://www.agcw.org/agcw-con/2007/Englisch/htp_e.htm September 30 - IARU Region 1 Field Day, SSB, email logs per your national society rules, paper logs and diskettes to: your national society. Find rules at your national society Web site September 30 - ALARA Contest, email logs to: alaracontest@wia.org.au, paper logs and diskettes to: Mrs. Marilyn Syme, VK3DMS, 99 Magnolia Avenue, Mildura, VIC 3500, Australia. Find rules at: http://www.alara.org.au/index.cfm?objectid=C8A1157A-CF1D-76B8-A7EAB43AE367C904&navid=141BF449-CF1D-76B8-A00C3562071EC594 October 1 - SARL VHF/UHF Contest, email logs to: derek.gravett@siemens.com, paper logs and diskettes to: VHF Contest Committee, 69 Erskine St, Scottburgh 4180, South Africa. Find rules at: http://www.sarl.org.za/public/contests/SARL_Contest_Manual.pdf October 1 - Russian RTTY WW Contest, email logs to: contest@radio.ru, paper logs and diskettes to: Russian RTTY WW Contest, Radio Magazine, Seliverstov per 10, Moscow 107045, Russia. Find rules at: http://www.radio.ru/cq/contest/rule-results/index2.shtml October 1 - Feld Hell Sprint, email logs to: (none), post log summary at: http://www.wa6l.com/contests/autolog.html, paper logs and diskettes to: John Graf, WA6L, 23085 Old Ranch Rd, Alpine, CA 91901, USA. Find rules at: http://feldhellclub.org/MonthlySprintRules.htm October 2 - DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest, email logs to: df5bx@darc.de, paper logs and diskettes to: Werner Ludwig, DF5BX, PO Box 1270, 49110 Georgsmarienhuette, Germany. Find rules at: http://www.darc.de/referate/ukw-funksport/sonder/tei-digi.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>. Windows and Vista are trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation