 February 2, 2011 Editor: Ward Silver, NØAX | |||||
IN THIS ISSUE
NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO You may not realize that the Northern California Contest Club weekly NS CW sprint on Thursday evenings is preceded by a slow-speed version called the SNS. This is a good way to try the sprint format without the blazing speeds of the full-speed version. February is the busiest contest month next to October - you'll find plenty to do! BULLETINS There are no bulletins items for this issue. BUSTED QSOS Watson - a name! Peter N5UWY reports that the correct call sign for the author of DXLab Suite is AA6YQ and Jim WI9WI observes that the great Antarctic explorer was Shackleton, not Shackleford (whose name is burned into my synapses as a junior-high Vice Principal). CONTEST SUMMARY Complete information for all contests follows the Conversation section Feb 5-6
Feb 12-13
ARRL Contest Branch Manager, Sean KX9X has just released some important information for this year's ARRL Field Day. The "free" VHF station that was previously restricted to Class A participants with two or more transmitters is now available to all Class A operations! This should promote additional VHF+ weak-signal operation and know-how. In order to promote better VHF+ operating practices, Sean and Steve WB8IMY have collaborated on a VHF Operator FAQ document that presents information on how to operate on 6 and 2 meter SSB and CW, using FM phone, and working the satellites. Field Day offers VHF+ operating opportunities to hams that may not have tried it before - this document will help them get better results and follow regular operating practices. Now it's up to the VHF+ operators out there to help their teams get that VHF station on the air and making QSOs! Read more about this year's rules on the ARRL Field Day web site. CQ WPX Contest Director, Randy K5ZD reports on the CQ WPX blog, "Everyone who submitted a log for the 2010 CQ WPX SSB Contest should have received an email with a link to their log checking report. The log check report is a text file that contains all the information about how your log was scored and any errors that were found." Not only is the information you miscopied available, but the report also includes information about how your information was copied by other stations. This is solid gold information you can use to improve your operating! Randy is not entirely without sympathy for a first-time report reader, "It can be shocking to see a log check report for the first time. Everyone makes errors. The best ops have spent years improving their skills and learning a vocabulary of call signs. Study your errors and work to improve them in the next contest." Several log checking reports from winning stations (and Randy's as well) have been made public for comparison.
Array Solutions has announced a new wide-band vector impedance antenna analyzer, the AIM UHF. Its operating range is 5 kHz to 1 GHz and it operates just like the popular AIM4170C. The companion PC software displays the data graphically and stores the digitized information in files, as well. Another instrument in the increasingly sophisticated tool set available to amateurs! Ham radio has been in the news more and more recently. One could say things are looking up, especially when the subject is finding an errant satellite! NASA's NanoSail-D got stuck in its canister and failed to deploy as expected. (I have whole weeks like that.) To the rescue came hams with UHF weak-signal capability! Asked by NASA to listen for the satellite, the beacon was almost immediately detected. The satellite turns out to be in orbit and the experiment is running - way to go! Now that NanoSail-D is, in fact, sailing, Spaceweather.com and NASA have announced a contest to photograph the orbiting solar sail. It should be bright enough to see and web sites like Heavens-Above can help you locate it. The contest will end along with NanoSail-D when it re-enters the atmosphere in April or May of this year. (from AMSAT bulletin 030.05) Rick NQ4I announces the second annual Contest Ham Radio cruise from September 16-19th on the Monarch of the Seas. The ship will sail from Port Canaveral, Florida with a destination of Coco Cay in the Bahamas. Contact Rick's spouse, Georganne N4ZUF for information about the cruise. The MARAC US Counties QSO Party has undergone a major overhaul of rules, dates, and scoring, moving to the last full weekend of July. Mobile contesting is a lot of fun and this is one of the bigger contests of its type. (Thanks, Scott KA3QLF) If you've ever encountered gear you once owned and sold, you may agree that hamfests may have an analog in kula rings - a formal network of trinket exchange in the islands near Papua New Guinea. (Thanks, Mike AA1TJ) Web Site of the Week - If you've ever Elmered a new ham, you know they ask a lot of questions, some of which aren't that easy to answer, like "Why do hams abbreviate everything?" Sometimes, even the old-timers can't answer! Luckily, there is a one-stop-shop resource on the AC6V "Jargon" web page. I was surprised to learn the origin of the Philco company name! WORD TO THE WISE Mega-irks - From "The First 50 Years of University of Wisconsin Broadcasting", a listener wrote in 1969 inquiring, "...(the announcer) tells us that WHKW operates on a frequency of 89.3 mega-irks. What, if you please, is a mega-irk?" Obviously, a mega-irk is what happens when someone tries to steal your frequency above 1 MHz. A few days ago, a spectacular double eruption on the Sun resulted in an M1-class flare, the strongest of the year so far. Luckily for HF'ers the flare's ejected material missed Earth, so no geomagnetic storms resulted. (VHF+ ops could use the aurora!) You can watch the explosions on the Spaceweather.com highlight movie captured by SOHO and the Solar Dynamics Observatory.
Quite a jump from the A-frame lumber masts in the old Antenna Books, the tallest wooden tower in the world is nearly 400 feet high! The story and a whole lot more Is available at the online site for the Modesto Radio Museum. (Thanks, Tim K3LR) IBM equipment (and employment) has been a part of many hams' lives. Mike K7NT found this enjoyable video about the last 100 years at IBM, one of the world's oldest technology companies still doing business. Lots of old-radio pictures are available around the web - take a look at the Shorpy site and search for "wireless" or "radio". (Thanks, Brad AA1IP) Two sets of ARRL contest results hit the web this week; the excellent 2010 September VHF QSO Party writeup by Jeff K1TEO and the preliminary version of the 2010 CW Sweepstakes results. (The full package, including the writeup by VE4XT will be out later around late April.) There is something very rare in the CW SS results - a TIE between the top two Single-Op, High Power stations, N9RV and NØNI (operated by AG9A)! It looks like the coasts were not the places to win this year. The SSB SS preliminary results should be out in a couple of weeks. (Thanks, ARRL Contest Branch Manager, Sean KX9X) Don't forget to add your photos and stories about the Jan VHF Sweepstakes to the ARRL Soapbox page at http://www.arrl.org/contests/soapbox - some good ones are up there already! Dink N7WA also maintains a comprehensive text Soapbox page for major and minor contests, too. The results of the 2010 CQ WPX SSB Contest are now available on the CQ WPX Web site. Visitors can read the results article from CQ Magazine, search through the online score database and review the public logs. The score records have also been updated. It was another record year for WPX SSB with almost 700 more logs than 2009. (Thanks, CQ WPX Director, Randy K5ZD) With the CW weekend in the history books, the CQ WW 160 Contest is looking forward to the SSB weekend at the end of February. Contest Director, Andy N2NT reports that there are four new trophies this year: SSB/CW Combined - Multioperator - World OPERATING TIP Good troubleshooting tips sound like good operating training tips, too! NW7US has published a web page on "De-mystifying HF Radio Propagation and Modeling". It includes some coverage maps which may be generated using VOACAP as explained in ARRL Propagation Forecast Bulletin ARLP003.
Clamp-style connectors in the N and BNC families have been popular for years. Now a clamp-style UHF connector is available from RF Industries. An advantage of clamp-style connectors is the ability to inspect the work before and after the cable is fitted into the body until the center pin is crimped. Full assembly instructions are also on-line. While more expensive than the solder-style connector, the extra waterproofing of the jacket and inspection feature might be worth it for specific projects. (Thanks, Paul W9AC) Pete N4ZR reports finding a useful coax stripping tool for many different types of cable. "I discovered the DataShark 70029 cutter and stripper - for $9.95 it strips phone cable, Cat5-5e-6, RG6Quad, RG6, RG59, RG7 and RG11 (if the latter, then I suspect RG-213 as well). It is the perfect complement to [type-F] compression connectors because it automatically and precisely trims RG-6 family cables to fit perfectly." Why use a butterfly variable capacitor? Originally created for push-pull amplifiers with the rotor grounded, they can be useful as a "regular" variable capacitor, too. If you do not ground the rotor and use the two stators as the two ends of the cap, the result is half the minimum capacitance (important at VHF), twice the breakdown voltage, and no poor rotor contact issues. The trade-off is that the frame can't be grounded and an insulated shaft coupling is required. (Thanks, Mike WV2ZOW) Magnetic declination - the difference between True and Magnetic North - varies quite a bit across the US and especially Canada. This NOAA web page will figure your magnetic declination based on ZIP code or lat/long, plus the date. (Thanks, Kevin ACØH) "Practical Sailor" is a product evaulation magazine for sailors. In 2007 they tested a comprehensive list of corrosion inhibitors and the results may be of interest to maritime and land-based hams. (Thanks, Jim KS4O) Roger K8RI describes a simple way to make a template for rotator mounting bolts without using a measuring instrument. "Using thin cardboard (such as from a pad of paper) or even a plastic sheet protector, turn the rotator upside down and lay the plastic or cardboard over the base. With a ball-peen hammer, using the ball end lightly tap on the sheet over the areas where the bolt holes are located. Make sure all holes remain aligned with the sheet. Done properly this can actually develop cutouts for each bolt hole. Place the template on the work-piece, mark the bolt holes and drill. This procedure also works well for making gaskets using gasket material of the proper thickness." Technical Web Site of the Week - Reuse is a favorite past-time (if not a full-time) activity of hams and no re-use is more fun than that staple of the workbench - a candy tin. The web site "Art of Manliness" shows 22 ways to reuse the popular Altoids tin. I'm sure there must be an equivalent "Art of Womanliness" site, but maybe the female re-users just don't feel the need to show off as much! (Thanks, John AE5X) When All Else Is Made to Fail Ham radio has been making surprise media appearances here and there over the past couple of years and not just as a novelty story, either. In just the past couple of weeks, NASA asked hams to listen for the NanoSail-D solar sail (see the News section for more) and a variety of "media hits" find hams providing emergency communications and other useful services. Now there are rumors coming out of the Egyptian turmoil about using ham radio to communicate when a government decides to close off the usual information channels. (Information about use of ham radio in Egypt is unsubstantiated.)
I have often characterized ham radio as "the world's most powerful form of communications available to the private citizen" when asked why it is still relevant. It may not be the fastest or the most ubiquitous or have the ultimate convenience, but that is the source of its power - it must meet none of those requirements in order to survive. Let's face it - ham radio does not compete with broadband data links carrying commerce and entertainment traffic! If that was its mission, we would long ago been off the air. We've all heard the slogan "When All Else Fails" and it has a certain truth but consider what happens when the communications outages to which we respond are intentional - when all else is made to fail. Back in the Soviet Union's fading days of glasnost, a coup attempted to restore the old government structure. While not well-known, some Russian hams passed information around the country, playing a game of electromagnetic cat-and-mouse with the would-be authorities trying to follow and jam them across the bands and modes. Months later, when the Lithuanian parliament in Vilnius was surrounded by Russian military forces, authority of the government was transferred to a minister outside the country via the ham radio club station inside the parliament building. Finally, there was the tale of the "Last Voice from Kuwait" as one ham kept transmitting even under occupation. Regardless of how Amateur Radio is used in response to extraordinary circumstances, the keys to the utility of Amateur Radio are two-fold; our flexibility and our independence. Amateur Radio is the only licensed service that assigns no channels and encourages operators to use any frequency available to them. Amateur Radio also offers the ability to communicate completely independently of any other communications service or infrastructure. Amateurs may choose to channelize operations and combine their operation with other communications services if that is what most suits the need or preference, but it is critically important that we maintain our flexibility and independence for when direct point-to-point communication is the only answer. Amateur radio is a broad hobby or service - and getting broader all the time. Yet along with all the many novel constructs that make up ham radio today, that we can make contacts unassisted and independently remains a core element of who we are and what we do. Contesting and radiosport exercise the skills that support those abilities. In our zeal to explore the game we should always remember and make room for the elemental aspects of Amateur Radio "know-how" unique to our service, fulfilling our Basis and Purpose in the most fundamental, necessary, and yes, enjoyable ways. Let us not ever take the essential "amateur" out of Amateur Radio. 2 February through 15 February 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 North American Sprint--CW, from Feb 6, 0000Z to Feb 6, 0400Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. Exchange: Both call signs, serial, name, and S/P/C. Logs due: 7 days. Rules North American Sprint--Phone, from Feb 13, 0000Z to Feb 13, 0400Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. Exchange: Both call signs, serial, name, and S/P/C. Logs due: 7 days. Rules School Club Roundup--Phone,CW,Digital, from Feb 14, 1300Z to Feb 18, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50+. Exchange: RS(T), Class, S/P/C. Logs due: 30 days. Rules NS Weekly Sprint--CW, from Feb 4, 0230Z to Feb 4, 0300Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-14. Frequencies: Weekly on Thursday evenings local time. Exchange: Serial, name, and S/P/C. Logs due: 2 days. Rules YLISSB QSO Party--CW, from Feb 5, 0000Z to Feb 6, 0000Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: Call sign, RS(T), ISSB number. Logs due: Mar 19. Rules Ten-Ten Winter Phone QSO Party--Phone, from Feb 5, 0001Z to Feb 6, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 28. Exchange: Call sign, name, QTH, 10-10 number. Logs due: Feb 21. Rules Black Sea Cup International--Phone,CW, from Feb 5, 1200Z to Feb 6, 1200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS(T) and org'n ID, member nr or ITU zone. Logs due: 30 days. Rules EPC WW PSK Contest--Digital, from Feb 5, 1200Z to Feb 6, 1200Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST and serial. Logs due: 30 days. Rules Vermont QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Feb 5, 1300Z to Feb 6, 0300Z and Feb 6, 1300Z to Feb 7, 0300Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Frequencies: Multiple operating periods; CW band edge + 60 kHz; SSB 1.89, 3.89, 7.29, 14.29, 21.39, 28.39. Exchange: RS(T) and VT county or S/P/C. Logs due: 30 days. Rules Minnesota QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Feb 5, 1400Z to Feb 5, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50+, Frequencies: CW 1.850,3.550,7.050,14.050,21.050,28.050; SSB 1.870,3.850,7.250,14.270,21.350,28.450. Exchange: Name and MN county or S/P/C. Logs due: Mar 15. Rules FYBO Winter QRP Field Day--Phone,CW, from Feb 5, 1400Z to Feb 5, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS(T), S/P/C, name, power, temp in deg F. Logs due: 30 days. Rules Straight Key Party--CW, from Feb 5, 1600Z to Feb 5, 1900Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5. Exchange: RST, serial, category, name, age. Logs due: Feb 28. Rules British Columbia QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Feb 5, 1600Z to Feb 6, 0800Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Frequencies: CW 1.815,3.535,7.035,14.035,21.035,28.305; SSB 1.845,3.85,7.23,14.25,21.3,28.4; Dig per band plan. Exchange: RST and BC district or S/P/Territory or DX. Logs due: Mar 31. Rules Delaware QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Feb 5, 1700Z to Feb 6, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50+, Frequencies: CW 1.825,3.55,7.05,14.05,21.05,28.05,50.95; SSB 1.86,3.96,7.26,14.26,21.36,28.36,50.135; Digital per band plan. Exchange: RS(T) and DE county or S/P/C. Logs due: 30 days. Rules XE Int'l RTTY Contest--Digital, from Feb 5, 1800Z to Feb 6, 1759Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST and XE state/district or serial. Logs due: 30 days. Rules QRP Winter Fireside SSB Sprint--Phone, from Feb 6, 2000Z to Feb 6, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Frequencies: 3.865, 7.285, 14.285, 21.385, 28.385. Exchange: RS, S/P/C, QRP ARCI number or power. Logs due: Mar 7. Rules ARS Spartan Sprint--CW, from Feb 8, 0200Z to Feb 8, 0400Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Frequencies: Monthly on the first Monday evening. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and power. Logs due: 2 days. Rules NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint--CW, from Feb 9, 0130Z to Feb 9, 0330Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. Frequencies: Monthly on 2nd Tuesday or 3rd Wednesday (alternating). Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and NAQCC mbr nr or power. Logs due: 4 days. Rules CWops Monthly Mini-CWT Test--CW, from Feb 9, 1100Z to Feb 10, 0400Z and See Web site. Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. Frequencies: Multiple operating periods, monthly on the second Wednesday, 18 to 28 kHz above band edge. Exchange: Name and member number or S/P/C. Logs due: 2 days. Rules PODXS Valentine Sprint--Digital, from Feb 11, 8 PM to Feb 12, 2 AM. Bands (MHz): 1.8-7. Frequencies: 1.807,3.580,7.070/7.035 EU/7.028 JA. Exchange: Name, OM or YL, S/P/C. Logs due: Mar 4. Rules YL-OM Contest--Phone,CW,Digital, from Feb 11, 1400Z to Feb 13, 0200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: Call sign, RST, serial and S/P/C. Logs due: 30 days. Rules CQ WW RTTY WPX--Digital, from Feb 12, 0000Z to Feb 13, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST and serial. Logs due: Mar 1. Rules Asia-Pacific Sprint--CW, from Feb 12, 1100Z to Feb 12, 1300Z. Bands (MHz): 7,14. Exchange: RST, serial. Logs due: 7 days. Rules Dutch PACC Contest--Phone,CW, from Feb 12, 1200Z to Feb 13, 1200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS(T) and Dutch province or serial. Logs due: Mar 14. Rules Louisiana QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Feb 12, 1500Z to Feb 13, 0300Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Frequencies: CW 1.84,3.54,7.04,14.04,21.04,28.04; Phone 1.865,3.865,7.255,14.255,21.365,28.465; VHF 50.095,50.135,144.05,144.21. Exchange: Call sign, RS(T), LA parish or S/P/C. Logs due: Mar 15. Rules OMISS QSO Party--Phone, from Feb 12, 1500Z to Feb 13, 1500Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RS, S/P/C and OMISS nr or "DX". Logs due: Mar 30. Rules New Hampshire QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Feb 12, 1600Z to Feb 13, 0400Z and See Web site, See Web site to See Web site, See Web site. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Frequencies: CW - 1.815 and band edge + 45kHz; Phone - 1.875, 3.935, 3.950, 7.235, 14.280, 21.380, 28.390. Exchange: RS(T) and NH county or S/P or "DX". Logs due: Mar 31. Rules FISTS CW Winter Sprint--CW, from Feb 12, 1700Z to Feb 12, 2100Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, first name, FISTS nr or power. Logs due: 30 days. Rules RSGB - First 1.8 MHz Contest--Phone,CW, from Feb 12, 2100Z to Feb 13, 0100Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8. Exchange: RST, serial, UK district. Logs due: Feb 28. Rules Classic Exchange--Phone, from Feb 13, 1400Z to Feb 14, 0800Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, Frequencies: AM--1.890,3.880,7.160,7.290,14.286,21.420,29.000,50.400,144.300; SSB--1.885,3.870,7.280,14.270,21.370,28.390,50.125,144.200. Exchange: RST, QTH, model of rcvr and xmtr. Logs due: 30 days. Rules VHF+ CONTESTS School Club Roundup--Phone,CW,Digital, from Feb 14, 1300Z to Feb 18, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50+. Exchange: RS(T), Class, S/P/C. Logs due: 30 days. Rules Minnesota QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Feb 5, 1400Z to Feb 5, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50+, Frequencies: CW 1.850,3.550,7.050,14.050,21.050,28.050; SSB 1.870,3.850,7.250,14.270,21.350,28.450. Exchange: Name and MN county or S/P/C. Logs due: Mar 15. Rules Delaware QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Feb 5, 1700Z to Feb 6, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50+, Frequencies: CW 1.825,3.55,7.05,14.05,21.05,28.05,50.95; SSB 1.86,3.96,7.26,14.26,21.36,28.36,50.135; Digital per band plan. Exchange: RS(T) and DE county or S/P/C. Logs due: 30 days. Rules Classic Exchange--Phone, from Feb 13, 1400Z to Feb 14, 0800Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, Frequencies: AM--1.890,3.880,7.160,7.290,14.286,21.420,29.000,50.400,144.300; SSB--1.885,3.870,7.280,14.270,21.370,28.390,50.125,144.200. Exchange: RST, QTH, model of rcvr and xmtr. Logs due: 30 days. Rules Maine FM Simplex Challenge--Phone, from Feb 13, 1900Z to Feb 13, 2300Z. Bands (MHz): 144, Frequencies: FM simplex frequencies only. Exchange: Call sign, QTH, power. Logs due: 30 days. Rules LOG DUE DATES 2 February through 15 February February 8 - MI QRP January CW Contest February 8 - EUCW 160m Contest February 8 - WW PMC Contest February 8 - PODXS 070 Club PSKFest February 8 - ARRL RTTY Roundup February 13 - UBA DX Contest, SSB February 14 - ARCI Fireside SSB Sprint February 15 - Midwinter Contest February 15 - Hungarian DX Contest February 15 - UK DX Contest, RTTY ARRL Information Click here to advertise in this newsletter. Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information ARRL membership includes QST, Amateur Radio's most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month. Subscribe to NCJ - the National Contest Journal. Published bimonthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties. Subscribe to QEX - A Forum for Communications Experimenters. Published bimonthly, features technical articles, construction projects, columns and other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals. Free of charge to ARRL members: Subscribe to The ARRL Letter (weekly digest of news and information), the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and emergency communications news), Division and Section news -- and much more! ARRL offers a wide array of products to enhance your enjoyment of Amateur Radio. Visit the site often for new publications, specials and sales. Donate to the fund of your choice -- support programs not funded by member dues! ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ARRL Contest Update wishes to acknowledge information from WA7BNM's Contest Calendar and SM3CER's Contest Calendar. | |||||
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