 April 14, 2010 Editor: Ward Silver, NØAX | ||||||
IN THIS ISSUE
NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO If you've only been licensed for a short time, why not give the ARRL Rookie Roundup a try? Even if you don't qualify as a Rookie, you grizzled veteran you, get on and hand out some contacts to help new operators enjoy the bands, just as you did, way back when! And don't forget to give six meters a try in this contest, too. BULLETINS There are no bulletins in this issue. BUSTED QSOS My understanding of pipe and tubing sizes was cross-threaded (don't hire me to do your plumbing) and corrected by Rick N6RK and Cullen K5HAE. The real story can be found on-line in many places, such as the Wikipedia entry on pipe sizes. And that QST story by W6ISQ, its title is "Planning Ahead" as K8DD gently pointed out. Maybe there is a message in that mixup! CONTEST SUMMARY Complete information for all contests follows the Conversation section Apr 17-18
Apr 24-25
NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST With the July event dates coming soon, the WRTC-2010 committee has made a few announcements. First, Don G3XTT has been added to the WRTC Judging Committee. Don's long experience with the IOTA Contest makes him a natural choice. Stefano, IK2QEI has been named Team Leader for Team EU#1, replacing Matteo IZ3EYZ who resigned for personal reasons. Other personal circumstances have led to new teammates: N6AA is the new partner of K7RL, HA6PX is now paired with HA3OV, and HI3TEJ is looking for a new teammate. Replacing VE7AHA and ZS4TX as Referees, N2GA and RA9USU have been selected from the list of back-ups. It was also learned that corporate sponsor Samsung Russia will be providing 100 LCD monitors for use in the WRTC stations - thank you, Samsung! Look for the WRTC2010 booth at Dayton - committee member Andy UA3AB and North American representative Krassy K1LZ will be there. Complete information on these WRTC2010 updates is available on the event's Web site. Rookie Roundup Update - more information about how to use the Getscores reporting tools is being added to the Rookie Roundup blog every day. PDF copies of a paper log sheet (often the best way to get a new contester started) and a worksheet for calculating scores and checking off multipliers (Remember how much fun that was on the Sweepstakes summary sheet?) are also available on the blog. The registration process will be ready shortly and the Getscores Universal Score Uploader is ready right now, with complete installation instruction on the blog. Two new free Webinars in the Potomac Valley Radio Club's popular series have been announced. On April 14, Tim Duffy K3LR hosts "Contesting Activities at Dayton 2010" An overview of contest-related activities including HARA, the flea market, dinners, suites, photos, hotels, CTU, pile up contest, pizza parties and other points of interest. On May 25, Veteran VHF contester and QST's The World Above 50 MHz column editor Gene Zimmerman W3ZZ shares the secrets of successful VHF Contesting in "VHF Contesting - What to Do and How To Win". Registration is also available on the PVRC home page by and clicking on Upcoming Webinars. Previous Webinars are archived under the Recorded Webinars link. (Thanks, Ken K4ZW) Thursday Night Contesting resumes Thursday evening with the fast and furious ten weeks of the NCCC Sprint Ladder (NSL), now in its seventh year. The contest's controversial dupe rule is history due to higher participation. This Spring '10 edition of NSL will be a four-band CW affair on 20-160 meters from 0230-0300Z (Friday). For those who wish to learn the sprint format, or who may be wary of the 30-40 wpm speeds that are typical of NSL, Mike W9RE, sponsors the Slow NS (SNS) starting at 0200Z, on the same bands and format but with code speed at 18-25 wpm. (Thanks, Bill N6ZFO) Joe W4TV writes to announce micro2R, the newest two-radio controller for SO2R operation from microHAM. The controller is designed for any amateur with two transceivers and any control interface. It provides automatic or manual control of headphone audio and transmitter selection, and is compatible with the automatic modes of the most popular contest logging programs. micro2R uses either USB or LPT control, includes a proven WinKey 2 CW keyer, support for ether electret or dynamic microphones, a UART compatible FSK port for each radio, and built-in support for the voice keyer capabilities of the most popular contesting software.
Bob Locher W9KNI has a new book published by Idiom Press, entitled "A Year of DX" The story follows Bob as he makes an all-out effort to win the 2008 running of CQ Magazine's DX Marathon -- a one-year event during which a contestant works as many countries and CQ zones as possible on any band or mode. The chase is like telescoping a career of DX'ing into a single year. While the 280-page book chronicles Bob's efforts in the pileups and through the lonely watches of the night, it also contains discussions of what DX'ing is all about, the possibilities of DX'ing in low sunspot periods by Jim Henderson KF7E, a chapter on optimizing SSB transmit audio by Hall of Famer Chip Margelli K7JA, a discussion of the ideal linear amplifier, and much more. If you enjoyed Bob's "Compete DX'er", you'll find this book equally worthwhile. The MicroHams Amateur Radio Club is announcing the new date and time of its annual Ham Radio Digital Conference. Now in its 4th year, the MicroHams Digital Conference is moving from March to September 18, 2010. The event will be ARRL-sanctioned and include speakers covering a diverse range of topics in the digital realm of Amateur Radio. The Digital Conference will be held on the Microsoft Campus in Redmond, Washington. To keep track of the conference announcements, follow the Digital Conference Blog. (Thanks, Kenny KU7M) It's so hard to keep up with all the reflectors and interest groups in ham radio, so when a time management tool like the fi-ni report's cq-contest reflector schedule comes along, I jump right on it! Glad to be of service! Hams love a good map and a map-making tool attracts them (well, your editor, anyway) like flies to honey. Tom K5RC found a link to NS6T's azimuth mapmaking Web site - it's easy to use and the price is right! Enter your location, tell it how far to extend the map's outer reaches and back comes a PDF map that will look great right above the rotator control box! The map's coverage can be all the way to the antipode (great for HF DXing) or a smaller radius for local or regional coverage. I had no idea that there were such coffee experts reading the Contest Update! Another suggestion for making it through a long contest night is to switch to Russian Tea. You can find this sort of tea in various gourmet food stores. Actually, just switching beverages can provide an additional bit of novelty to keep one's brain engaged. (Thanks, Jim W1EQO)
CW Skimmer v1.6 has been released! The upgrade improves the management of call signs and the ability to distinguish between stations calling CQ and those responding. (Thanks, Alex VE3NEA) Getting a 1-by-1 call sign is a popular way of combining a special event with contesting, but these assignments are temporary. How can you find out who is responsible for a specific call in past operations? John K1ER points us to the 1x1 Special Event Call Signs online database. Click the hyperlink "One by One Database", enter the call and click the Search button. You'll get a complete history of that call sign with a "details" link leading to the responsible individual or organization's contact information. Listening for Pacific AM radio stations might be a good way to to check propagation in the hours before sunrise, depending on where you live. Nick VE7DXR suggests the Pacific Asian Log. You can either check it out online or download a PDF file. The Radioheritage Foundation appreciates a donation, but it's not required. Medium wave listening clubs such as the International Radio Club of America or National Radio Club may also provide pointers. The editors of Finnish contesting magazine PileUP! are asking for your contest-oriented articles, stories, opinions, and photos, including humor! Send your contribution by May 10, 2010, to Ilkka OH1WZ, Esa OH7WV, or Kim OH6KZP. From the Amateur Radio Newsline for 1 April, we learn that the Consumer Electronics Association says many consumers are unaware of local options for recycling unused consumer electronics products. The CEA maintains a Web site to find electronics recycling opportunities in a specific area and other information as well. This is a great way to find out where to properly dispose of that old analog TV set, used up household batteries, broken electronic devices, etc. The 2010 Dayton Hamvention RTTY Forum (May 15 at noon in Room 3) will feature a program on RTTY From the Stanford University Amateur Radio Club Station W6YX. Stanford alumnus and club member Mark K6UFO, will discuss how the changes occurred and how the lessons learned can help individuals, and other school and club stations, increase their enjoyment of RTTY and RTTY contesting. (Thanks, Shelby K4WW) Web Site of the Week - Bruce WA7BNM has performed a major upgrade to his online Contest Calendar. There are more ways of viewing contests, such as the very useful 8-day contest chart and graphic of when the contests run. Clicking the '+' to the left of a contest listing displays the rules for each contest! You can also customize the site for the contests you want to follow and there is historical information as well as RSS feeds and an iCal format output for your personal calendars. A tip of the Contest Update cap to 'BNM for another useful contesting tool. WORD TO THE WISE "The reason lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place is that the same place isn't there the second time." - Willie Tyler (Thanks, Ray ND8L) SIGHTS AND SOUNDS What does a signal see as it travels the polar path? Thanks to the astronauts aboard the International Space Station, you can find out! They have been taking a lot of pictures lately and the recent solar storm caused some photographic aurora.
Why should you trade in that comfy old lineman's belt for a full-body harness. Dave N4ZKF sent a link to a Gravitec video showing falls into a waist belt and into a harness. Just click on the button that says "Articulated Mannequin Drop Tests." Put your mouse over the lower left of the screen and click on the arrow to start the interesting video. Food for thought. SO2R operators, take heart! Automation is just a stepper motor or two away as shown in this microcontroller project video. Maybe these methods could be adapted to the CW Skimmer? (Thanks, Rick KUØW and John KE7HCA) Jean Shepherd K2ORS was a nationally-known radio host and screenwriter during the latter half of the 20th century and you can hear Jean talking about his ham radio hobby in a two-part interview In Part 1, he talks about getting his Class A license and Part 2 continues the story. Greatly told and fun to listen! (Thanks, Barry W6YE) RESULTS AND RECORDS The full Web versions of the 2009 Sweepstakes CW and SSB writeups by VE4XT and N2IC are now available at the ARRL's temporary Contest Branch Web site. Each is a downloadable PDF that contains an expanded writeup and all scoring tables. Printable Line Scores and a PDF version of the QST article are also available. When the new ARRL site is online, the scores database and LCR's will be uploaded ASAP. Sweepstakes mugs and pins began shipping last week and are being received. (Thanks, ARRL Contest Branch Manager, Sean KX9X) The results for the 2009 WPX CW Contest are now available and the online score database and score records pages have also been updated. Contest Director, Randy K5ZD notes that, "Log checking reports for the contest are available by sending me an email with your call and specifying CW or SSB." For the first New York QSO Party since the mid-1980's, the final results for the 2009 edition are online. Contest managers Paul K2DB/K2NNY and Rick W1TY are appreciative for the support of the Rochester DX Association (RDXA) and the Western New York DX Association (WNYDXA) in making the NYQP a reality. OPERATING TIP Late spring - early summer contests open a window of 20 meter propagation (and 30 and 17 meters, too, on occasion) in the evenings across northern polar paths. (Similar southern path enhancement occurs in late fall for our Southern Hemisphere friends.) Later in the season, increased absorption reduces signal levels on this path. With the rapidly improving solar flux levels, don't assume the higher bands are dead after dark as they have been over the past couple of years. TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION Let's say you have some scraps of surplus CATV hardline - not long enough for antenna feed lines, but what ham could throw them away? David K1TTT suggests making stub filters out of them. Assume a velocity factor of 0.81 to 0.83 (or measure it with an antenna analyzer) and create your own set of high-Q RF filters. The lower loss of hardline, compared to flexible coax, will result in better cancellation of the undesired signal. If you have a preferred or favorite graphic showing the state of the ionosphere, it is surely somewhere on this new and exhaustive compilation thereof, EA4FSI-28T1 HF Panel. Enjoy! (Thanks, Diane NH6HE) Beginning circuit designers need all the tutorial information they can get, such as the recent Electronic Design News (EDN) article "MOSFET Design Basics You Need to Know, Part 1" by Schimel. You can also find the article by browsing to the EDN home page and searching for 'mosfet design basics'. Solar cell technology continues to make incremental improvements on many fronts. The latest is somewhat counterintuitive - a new and cheaper way of turning the cell surface black. The Technology Review story "Black Silicon Makes Solar Cells Cheaper" describes the process and why the black surface improves cell efficiency.
Residents of rural areas and Field Day antenna planners might be interested in using the ARRL's online QST archive to read the Aug 1956 article, "Multiple V Beams - High Gain In All Directions With Only Four Wires". The clever design uses some relays and one unusual V beam to cover the globe sans rotator. Old-timers will be surprised to learn the author's name and, especially, his call sign! (Thanks, Chuck WØDLE) Why buy the fancy "lawn staples" to hold down radials (or sod or hose or anything else, for that matter)? Armed with a stout wire cutter, you can make hundreds from roll of galvanized or aluminum fence wire at a fraction of a cent per staple. Or use the even more inexpensive iron rebar tie wire that will rust quickly away without a trace. Regular hair bobby pins can also work in firm soil. (Thanks to the denizens of the Towertalk email reflector) Daniel K7DGL notes a new iPhone app, "Allocations", that places the FCC frequency allocation reference database at your fingertips. The iPhone could be an emerging platform for all sorts of wireless-over-wireless applications. Two interesting articles at Physorg sparked my interest this week. The first is "Magnetic 'ropes' tie down solar eruptions" including an interesting video. With Cycle 24 heating up, we can expect more hiccups from the Sun. The second is a boon to QRPers everywhere - "Record measurement of extremely small magnetic fields". It's that time of year again! Every sporting goods store across the land is running sales on outdoor items and that includes such ham-friendly items as tackle boxes (great for small tools and parts), fishing poles and line that can hold up an antenna, coolers and "stuff sacks" for lightweight tool and equipment storage, and the list goes on. Why not take a trip through the aisles with an eye towards the ham shack? If you live near an airport, putting up a tower takes on additional requirements for avoiding interference with air traffic. Here's your first stop, the FCC TOWAIR Web page. You can get your exact geographic coordinates from Geocoder and your elevation from Veloroutes, for example. Should the results indicate a conflict (or a near conflict), the airport manager can put you in touch with additional resources. Obstruction evaluation can be done on-line with the FAA, as well. The applicable rules about who needs to file information about their towers is stated in CFR Title 14 Part 77.13. (Thanks to the Towertalk Reflector inhabitants) With North American weather improving and the open road calling, can mobile operation be far behind? Of course not! The second question after "How do I get the power leads through the firewall?" is "How can I improve my antenna system?" For the seasoned improviser, this presents an attractive challenge as addressed by Cecil W5DXP in this eham.net article, "A Junkbox Bugstick for 20m-10m". I'm humming "On The Road Again"...how about you? Technical Web Site of the Week - Here's a straightforward, nicely-illustrated introduction to Software-Defined Radio by Tobias DH1TW. It makes for a good introduction to the subject and more advanced treatments of the subject, including some of the other SDR articles on the site. (from AMSAT bulletin ANS-094) CONVERSATION A Cornerstone Is Laid Back in the early 1960's, DXing and DX-peditioning were in the process of taking the modern form that we know today. Building from Bob Denniston WØDX's "Gone-Waki" expeditions in the late-1940's, the sophistication of the operations and the difficulty of travel began to increase. It was clear that word-of-mouth and volunteer funding of these activities would soon be insufficient. As a result, hams formed non-profit foundations such as the Northern California DX Foundation (NCDXF) and the International DX Association (INDEXA) to assist DX-peditioners with funding, equipment, sponsorship, and materials. Over the past forty years, this model has proven to be quite successful and dozens of foundations now exist. While there has always been some overlap between DXing and contesting, radiosport as it is now conducted has grown to become a major segment of ham radio in its own right. At one time, contests drew a few hundred participants, but it is now routine for the call signs of more than 10,000 different stations to appear in the contacts of major events. Paper log sheets have given way to electronically-filed logs that are automatically scanned and compiled into databases for sophisticated log-checking. Sponsors of these competitions rely on volunteers for much of the adjudication and administrative functions, volunteers that are often hard-pressed to keep up with the demands of the job. In addition, radio and operating technologies are advancing rapidly, placing even more demands on the sponsors to insure equitable treatment and judging of all participants and to accelerate the publication of results. In many ways, the worlds of radiosport today and early DXing yesterday share elements in common. Just as in the world of DX, the power of independent organizations is coming to contesting with the welcome news of a new organization - the World Wide Radio Operators Foundation (WWROF). Its founding members are leading operators you've worked many times if you're an active contester. These are the hams who have done a lot of the heavy lifting to create modern log processing and adjudication. The WWROF Board of Directors consists of:
They are supported by an advisory committee consisting of:
The WWROF is dedicated to improving the skills of amateur radio operators around the world, utilizing education, competition, advancement of technology and scientific research, promoting international friendship and goodwill, and preparing them to better serve society in times of communication need. The means by which these goals are to be pursued? It's contesting!
Just as foundations to support DXing and other amateur radio activities operate, the WWROF has been created to assist contesting and contest-related activities. So that contributions by US-based supporters are tax-deductable the WWROF has applied for 501(c)3 status as an Ohio non-profit corporation I encourage readers to visit the WWROF Web site and learn more about the organization's mission and goals. Should you choose to make a donation of any amount, look for the PayPal button on the site's Donate page. As an example of technology needs the WWROF was formed to address, the CQ WW 160 Meter contest committee recorded the entire 2009 contest using five wide-band software-defined receivers located in several countries around the world. The cost to obtain the disc drives and ship the packages was approximately $500, using on-hand receivers. This experiment was successful but imagine extending the concept to a full six-band contest! Even with commercial and organizational sponsors, similar needs outstrip the limited budgets of even the largest contest organizers. In the training area, many Contest Update readers have attended a Contest University session, either here in the United States or in Europe at the English and Italian versions of CTU. The Potomac Valley Radio Club's series of training videos has proven to be popular, too. Some of the expense of putting on these high-quality programs is borne by volunteers or through donations by event sponsors. As the events attract more attendance, expenses can outstrip these funds and donation-raising abilities. Helping to defray venue costs, video server costs, even printing costs - all are within the WWROF's mission. The goal is to train more operators to be better operators, making them better contesters, certainly, but better amateurs, in general. The WWROF will support outside projects that further the WWROF's goals and mission, but may also initiate and conduct projects on its own. For example, the WWROF could act as a repository for training materials and records that are re-used by a sequence of training event sponsors. The WWROF could develop operator-tracking databases and event rules or standards to be used by independent event sponsors. Much as the DX foundations do, equipment or software could be loaned to various contest and training efforts or donors could be matched with recipients. Following in the footsteps of the DX foundations, a parallel model for radiosport and contesters could be equally successful. The Contest Update applauds the directors of this new organization for stepping up to the many challenges facing ham radio contests and event sponsors. However, its success can only be realized by your participation and support. Please take a look at the WWROF Web site and pass along this information to your friends and clubs. Get involved today! CONTESTS 13 April through 26 April 2010 An expanded, downloadable version of QST's Contest Corral in PDF format is available. Check the sponsor's Web site for information on operating time restrictions and other instructions. HF CONTESTS ARRL Rookie Roundup--Phone, from Apr 18, 1800Z to Apr 18, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28, 50. Exchange: Both calls, name, check, S/P XE# or "DX". Logs due: See Web. Rules CWops Test--CW, from Apr 14, 1100Z to Apr 14, 2000Z and Apr 15, 0300Z to Apr 15, 0400Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. Frequencies (MHz): 18 to 28 kHz above band edge. Exchange: Name, member number or S/P/C. Logs due: 2 days. Rules Holyland DX Contest--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 16, 2100Z to Apr 17, 2100Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS(T), serial or Israel district. Logs due: May 31. Rules EU Spring Sprints--Phone, from Apr 17, 1600Z to Apr 17, 1959Z . Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. Frequencies (MHz): 3.730, 7.050, 14.250. Exchange: Both call signs, serial, name. Logs due: 15 days. Rules TARA Skirmish Digital Prefix Contest--Digital, from Apr 17, 0000Z to Apr 17, 2400Z . Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: Name, prefix. Logs due: May 17. Rules ES Open HF Championship--Phone,CW, from Apr 17, 0500Z to Apr 17, 0859Z . Bands (MHz): 3.5,7. Exchange: RS(T), serial, dupes OK once/hour. Logs due: May 20. Rules Michigan QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Apr 17, 1600Z to Apr 18, 0400Z . Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Frequencies (MHz): CW 45 kHz from band edge,Phone 3.825,7.200,14.250,21.300,28.450. Exchange: Serial and MI county or S/P/C. Logs due: 30 days. Rules EA QRP Contest--CW, from Apr 17, 1700Z to Apr 18, 1300Z . Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST, category, M if EA QRP member. Logs due: 30 days. Rules Ontario QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Apr 17, 1800Z to Apr 18, 0500Z and Apr 18, 1200Z to Apr 18, 1800Z . Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, Frequencies (MHz): CW 30 kHz above band edge; Phone 1.870,3.735,3.860,7.070,7.260,14.130,14.265,21.260,28.360; VHF-SSB: 50.130,52.540,144.205,146.550. Exchange: RS(T), S/P/C or Ontario QTH. Logs due: May 19. Rules YU DX Contest--CW, from Apr 17, 2100Z to Apr 18, 0500Z and Apr 18, 0900Z to Apr 18, 2100Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST and ITU zone. Logs due: 30 days. Rules John Rollins Memorial DX--CW, from Apr 21, 2300Z to Apr 22, 2300Z and Apr 24, 2300Z to Apr 25, 2300Z. Bands (MHz): 7,14. Exchange: RST, name, and S/P/C. Logs due: 30 days. Rules Ten-Ten Spring CW Contest--CW, from Apr 24, 0001Z to Apr 25, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 28. Exchange: Call, name, county & S/P/C, 10-10 number. Logs due: May 10. Rules SP DX RTTY Contest--Digital, from Apr 24, 1200Z to Apr 25, 1200Z . Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST, serial, SP province. Logs due: May 25. Rules Helvetia Contest--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 24, 1300Z to Apr 25, 1259Z . Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS(T), serial or Swiss canton. Logs due: 15 days. Rules QRP To The Field--CW, from Apr 24, 1500Z to Apr 25, 0300Z. Bands (MHz): 7-28. Exchange: RST, S/P/C. Logs due: Jun 1. Rules Florida QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Apr 24, 1600Z to Apr 25, 0159Z and Apr 25, 1200Z to Apr 25, 2159Z . Bands (MHz): 7-28. Frequencies (MHz): CW 7.025-7.035, 14.040-14.050, 21.040-21.050, 28.040-28.050; Phone 7.18-7.19,14.265-14.275, 21.340-21.350, 28.480-28.490. Exchange: RS(T), FL county or S/P/C. Logs due: 30 days. Rules Nebraska QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 24, 1700Z to Apr 25, 1700Z . Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, Frequencies (MHz): CW: 1.805 and 35 kHz above band edge, Nov/Tech--10 kHz above band edge; Phone--1.915,3.865,7.265,14.265,21.365,28.465,146.460. Exchange: RS(T), NE county or S/P/C. Logs due: May 31. Rules VHF+ CONTESTS ARRL Rookie Roundup--Phone, from Apr 18, 1800Z to Apr 18, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28, 50. Exchange: Both calls, name, check, S/P XE# or "DX". Logs due: See Web. Rules VHF Spring Sprints--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 20, 7 PM to Apr 20, 11 PM. Bands (MHz): 222. Exchange: Grid Square (6-character preferred). Logs due: 14 days. Rules EU EME Contest--Phone,CW, from Apr 17, 0000Z to Apr 18, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 2.3G. Exchange: TMO/RS(T) and "R". Logs due: Jun 12. Rules EU EME Contest--Phone,CW, from Apr 24, 0000Z to Apr 25, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 432, 5.7G. Exchange: TMO/RS(T) and "R". Logs due: June 12. Rules WSJT Sprint--Digital, from Apr 24, see Web to Apr 24, see Web. Bands (MHz): 50,144. Exchange: NA report or NA grid. Logs due: Next Sat. Rules TARA Skirmish Digital Prefix Contest--Digital, from Apr 17, 0000Z to Apr 17, 2400Z . Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: Name, prefix. Logs due: May 17. Rules Ontario QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Apr 17, 1800Z to Apr 18, 0500Z and Apr 18, 1200Z to Apr 18, 1800Z . Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, Frequencies (MHz): CW 30 kHz above band edge; Phone 1.870,3.735,3.860,7.070,7.260,14.130,14.265,21.260,28.360; VHF-SSB: 50.130,52.540,144.205,146.550. Exchange: RS(T), S/P/C or Ontario QTH. Logs due: May 19. Rules Nebraska QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 24, 1700Z to Apr 25, 1700Z . Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, Frequencies (MHz): CW: 1.805 and 35 kHz above band edge, Nov/Tech--10 kHz above band edge; Phone--1.915,3.865,7.265,14.265,21.365,28.465,146.460. Exchange: RS(T), NE county or S/P/C. Logs due: May 31. Rules LOG DUE DATES 13 April through 26 April 2010 April 13 - ARCI HF Grid Square Sprint, email logs to: contest@qrparci.org, paper logs and diskettes to: ARCI Spring QSO Party, c/o Jeff Hetherington, VA3JFF, 139 Elizabeth St. W., Welland, Ontario L3C 4M3, Canada. Rules April 13 - Idaho QSO Party, email logs to: idqplogs@msn.com, paper logs and diskettes to: Edward Campbell, NX7TT, 157 N 3300 E, Rigby, ID 83442, USA. Rules April 13 - LZ Open 40m Sprint Contest, email logs to: LZ1GL@yahoo.com, paper logs and diskettes to: LZ Open 40m Sprint Contest, P.O. Box 830, Sofia 1000, Bulgaria. Rules April 14 - NSARA Contest, email logs to: ve1pjs@rac.ca, paper logs and diskettes to: Peter J. Surette, VE1PJS, 55 Edgewood Drive, Truro, Nova Scotia B2N 1P1, Canada. Rules April 14 - RSGB Commonwealth Contest, Upload log at http://www.rsgbcc.org/cgi-bin/hfenter.pl, paper logs and diskettes to: RSGB-G3UFY, 77 Bensham Manor Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey CR7 7AF, England. Rules April 14 - Wisconsin QSO Party, email logs to: k9kr@tds.net, paper logs and diskettes to: Wisconsin QSO Party, West Allis Radio Amateur Club, P. O. Box 1072, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA. Rules April 15 - Classic Exchange, CW, email logs to: WQ8U@NC.RR.COM, paper logs and diskettes to: WQ8U, 104 W. Queen St., Hillsborough, NC 27278, USA. Rules April 15 - Classic Exchange, Phone, email logs to: WQ8U@nc.rr.com, paper logs and diskettes to: WQ8U, 104 W. Queen St., Hillsborough, NC 27278, USA. Rules April 15 - CLARA HF Contest, email logs to: va1yl@ns.sympatico.ca, paper logs and diskettes to: Helen Archibald, VA1YL, 25 Canard Street RR#1, Port Williams, NS V0P 1T0, Canada. Rules April 15 - Virginia QSO Party, email logs to: vqp@verizon.net, paper logs and diskettes to: VA QSO Party, Call Box 599, Sterling, VA 20167, USA. Rules April 16 - SARL 80m QSO Party, email logs to: glevey@gmail.com, paper logs and diskettes to: West Rand Amateur Radio Club, PO Box 562, Roodepoort 1725, South Africa. Rules April 16 - SKCC Weekend Sprint, Post log summary at http://www.skccgroup.com/sprint/wes/wes-submit.html, paper logs and diskettes to: (none). Rules April 18 - UBA Spring Contest, 2m, email logs to: ubaspring@uba.be, paper logs and diskettes to: Michel Gerits, ON4CAQ, Mommestraat 69, B-3550 Heusden Zolder, Belgium. Rules April 20 - 9K 15-Meter Contest, email logs to: 9k2rr@9kcc.com, paper logs and diskettes to: Faisal N. Al-Ajmi, 9K2RR, P.O.Box 1124, Alfarwanya 80000, Kuwait. Rules April 20 - RSGB RoPoCo 1, Upload log at http://www.rsgbcc.org/cgi-bin/hfenter.pl, paper logs and diskettes to: RSGB G3UFY, 77 Bensham Manor Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey CR7 7AF, England. Rules April 20 - QRP Homebrewer Sprint, email logs to: w2lj@verizon.net, paper logs and diskettes to: Larry Makoski, W2LJ, 327 Clinton Place, South Plainfield, NJ 07080, USA. Rules April 24 - EA RTTY Contest, email logs to: rttycontest@ure.es, paper logs and diskettes to: (none). Rules April 25 - CQ WW WPX Contest, SSB, email logs to: ssb@cqwpx.com, paper logs and diskettes to: SSB WPX Contest, CQ Magazine, 25 Newbridge Rd, Suite 405, Hicksville NY 11801, USA. Rules April 25 - EU Spring Sprint, CW, email logs to: eusprint@kkn.net, paper logs and diskettes to: Dave Lawley, G4BUO, Carramore, Coldharbour Road, Penshurst, Kent TN11 8EX, England. Rules April 26 - Hungarian Straight Key Contest, email logs to: hskc@ha8kux.com, paper logs and diskettes to: Provics Ferenc, P.O. Box 620, Szeged-1 H-6701, Hungary. Rules ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ARRL Contest Update wishes to acknowledge information from WA7BNM's Contest Calendar and SM3CER's Contest Calendar. | ||||||
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