 April 9, 2014 Editor: Ward Silver, NØAX | |||||||||
IN THIS ISSUE
NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO Did you or your club participate in February's School Club Roundup? (Final results have just been released, by the way!) If you did, why not follow up with April 20th's SSB edition of the ARRL Rookie Roundup? A contest just for new hams, grab the microphone and call "CQ Rookie Roundup" (non-Rookies call "CQ Rookies"). You can use your regular logging program or maybe give In The Log's cloud-based logbook a try. BULLETINS No bulletins in this issue. BUSTED QSOS Nothing to see here, either...move along! CONTEST SUMMARY Complete information for all contests follows the Conversation section April 12-13
April 19-20
The Super Check Partial (SCP) database has a new administrator, Stu Phillips K6TU. All of the files and processes have been transferred to Stu by outgoing administrator, Bob WA1Z, who says, "Going forward, please continue to send Stu your contest logs after every contest to the same email address - logs@supercheckpartial.com. SCP files will continue to be released via the supercheckpartial.com website. I'd like to thank Stu for taking over and everyone else who expressed interest in helping out. I'd also like to thank George K5TR, who donates web server space for SCP, for the technical assistance he provided us during the transition process."
Simone Wilson MØBOX has volunteered to become the BARTG Contest Manager. She also adjudicates all the RSGB Club Championship contests. (Thanks, BARTG Chairman, Roger G3LDI) WRTC2014, Inc., is pleased to announce that it has received a significant financial contribution in the form of a Colvin Award Grant. Managed by the ARRL, the Colvin Award is funded by an endowment established by Lloyd D. Colvin, W6KG (SK). The Colvin Award is conferred in the form of grants in support of Amateur Radio projects that promote international goodwill in the field of DX. (Thanks, WRTC2014 Co-Chair, Doug K1DG)
Barry W2UP, an opthamologist, posts a caveat about using over-the-counter (OTC) reading glasses as suggested in the previous issue. "If you currently wear prescription glasses with astigmatic correction, the OTC readers are not a good solution, as they only partially correct your vision. While not doing any physical harm to your eyes, the image will remain blurry and can cause headaches. You can measure the distance from your eyes to the monitor and bring that information to your eye doctor. He can then write you a prescription for the proper lenses." That description also fits your editor's eyesight! Ross KB8NTY contributes news of the Time and Date website that provides information on holidays and observances from around the world, in addition to other international tidbits. The site offers world clocks, time zones, solar and lunar calculations, timers, calculators, apps, and more! This helps Ross determine when amateurs of a specific needed country may be "off" at home and on-the-air during a normal work week schedule - insights of which we in the US may not normally be aware.
50 years ago on March 27, 1964, the magnitude 9.2 "Good Friday" earthquake ripped through Alaska and Amateur Radio was there as described in this video and Anchorage Daily Times story. (Thanks, Mark N7XYO) Web Site of the Week - Many of you may recall participating in the Juno experiment last October 9th, where we all went key down simultaneously on 10 meters to slowly send "HI" in Morse to the Juno satellite, during its fly-by of Earth. Well, the results have been published, and it clearly heard us according to this JPL news release! This 4.5-minute video features a number of hams and a second, shorter video includes audio from Juno's receiver. But will Juno QSL? (Thanks, Bob N6TV) WORD TO THE WISE Update - keep your software, firmware, hardware, and wet-ware (that stuff in between your ears) up to date. Agreed, change can be uncomfortable, but keeping up with the times will often pay dividends you aren't expecting. For SO2R (Single-Op, Two Radios) beginners, WRTC2014 competitor Ash KF5EYY has posted a video using audio from this year's Russian DX Contest to show what can be done with an SO2R setup. The video is intended to make it simple for beginners to understand.
Tim Duffy K3LR will preview Contest University (CTU) and other contest related activities at the 2014 Dayton Hamvention in an April 20th webinar. The show begins at 9 PM EDT (Monday, April 21st at 0100 UTC) and will be archived by the World Wide Radio Operators Foundation for future viewing. (Thanks, Ken K4ZW) A lunar eclipse will be visible from most of the US will occur on the evening of April 15th. Gee, has anyone alerted the EME operators of the impending fadeout? On the website, enter your city's name and find out the times at your location! (Thanks, Tim K3HX) You might not know that famed actor Marlon Brando was licensed as KE6ZPH here in the USA and FO5GJ while in Tahiti, using the name "Martin Brandeaux" to preserve his privacy on the air. A couple of photos of his station from the 1980s are available online. I'll bet he coulda worked somebody! (Thanks, Fernando EC1AME and Amateur Radio Newsline's Report 1911) The backlog of ARRL Contest awards continues to shrink: 2012 ARRL EME Contest certificates were mailed March 20, 2012 ARRL 10 GHz & UP Contest certificates were mailed March 27, and 2013 ARRL January VHF Contest certificates were mailed March 28. Former Contest Branch Manager, Sean KX9X, notes "This eliminates the backlog of VHF contest certificates. We are now within our standard distribution window for ARRL VHF Contest awards beginning with the 2013 June VHF Contest. We will begin processing those once we have eliminated some HF certificate backlog. You can always track the ARRL contest awards processing status online, as well."
Final results of the February edition of the School Club Roundup are now posted thanks to the efforts of the Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club (LIMARC) and web host Bruce WA7BNM. The listing of the 708 electronic logs received for the 2013 Canada Winter Contest is now posted. Log categories are based on contents of logs submitted and paper logs are not included. (Thanks, RAC Winter Contest Manager, Sam VE5SF) The Alabama Contest Group announces the publication of results for the 2013 Alabama QSO Party. Plaques and certifications will soon follow. (Thanks, Jim KC4HW) The Straight Key Contest Club publishes a regularly updated set The raw scores from last month's EAPSK63 contest are now online. (Thanks, Jesus EC1KR) OPERATING TIP So you are tuning around the bands and hear a station calling "CQ TEST" and maybe working stations but there is no indication in which contest they happen to be engaged. You can always make an inspired guess and just send them a signal report and a made-up serial number - or just ask them - but how do you really figure it out without calling? Start by downloading a Contest Corral PDF or log on to WA7BNM's or SM3CER's contest calendars. See if you can determine what the stations are exchanging - is it a number that changes or is it a fixed value or code? How many elements are there in the exchange? Note the location of the station calling CQ - perhaps there are more of them in the same part of the band. Now look at the contest listings and see if you can match them with a listed contest - you will probably be able to narrow the choices down to one or two contests. Jump in and give it a try! (Thanks for the idea - Ken KX6X) Designers of power supplies have a friend in the Power Supply Unit Designer II software, available from Duncan Amplification. Designed for vacuum tube audio amp supplies, it is a natural tool for RF amplifier designers, too. You can look at waveforms and other behavior on a cycle-by-cycle basis, too. The program is described in more detail in this eight-page article.
Kris N5KM contributed a link to Tindie - "it has a lot of interesting "maker" gadgets, kits, and components that would be useful for hams." The magnetic canopy of sunspot AR2017 erupted on March 29th, producing an impulsive X1-class solar flare right in the middle of CQ WPX SSB, causing a Sudden Ionospheric Disturbance (SID) and shutting down the bands for a while. Impressive, wasn't it? More information about this flare which produced a rare "magnetic crochet" is available on the Spaceweather website. What do you mean, you "dropped the capacitor drawers"? For those unexpected times when a lot of components have to be sorted, here's a circuit from EDN magazine that will "bin" capacitors quickly and easily. Keeping the parts boxes from tipping over is up to you, though. Did you have a little fun on April Fools' Day? Here's another EDN magazine article about some classic pranks from, on, and by famous electronic industry figures! Technical Web Site of the Week - Getting used to using an oscilloscope can be difficult because of all the specialized terminology. Tektronix tackles those trepidations with an online glossary on the subject. Peer Review I have just returned from a weekend in Visalia, California attending the International DX Convention. The weather sure made it tough on the airlines to get me there as a line of thunderstorms shut down the Dallas-Fort Worth airport about the time I was scheduled to make my final flight of the day to Fresno. It turned out to be a long night. Luckily, about the time folks were getting to the gate area, I happened upon Craig K9CT and Jerry WB9Z also headed west. Mike K9AJ and his wife joined us as the evening lingered on.
This sort of travel tale is not unknown or even unusual these days, but rarely do you get to share the adventure with fellow travelers having so much in common! What could have been a typical boring stuck-in-the-airport affair turned into hours of conversation on a variety of interesting topics, not the least of which were accounts of Jerry's and Craig's recent DXpedition to FT5ZM. As it turned out, they sailed right through the area in which teams are searching for the missing "Flight 370" and it's a remote and lonely place! Even if the airlines didn't, we certainly covered a lot of ground before finally pulling into the hotel just before sunrise. The convention, of course, was just getting started on Friday as travelers from all continents finally dropped their bags at the front desks and started shaking off their jet lag. Of the several-hundred registrees, dozens of overseas and overland visitors graced the roll call. The nice thing about the Visalia convention is that it is relatively focused (mostly HF DXing and contesting) and both large enough to attract an international clientele and small enough to see just about everybody while you're there. Frequent contributor to the Contest Update, Bob N6TV has published his terrific set of 2014 Visalia DX Convention photos, a few of which are included in this issue for your enjoyment. As you can see, the convention is mostly about having a good time - a goal that was fulfilled many times over. And thanks to the sponsoring Southern California DX Club for their hospitality and hard work on our behalf. The Northern California DX Club gets its chance next year - the bar gets raised a bit every time.
Ham radio is about personal relationships along with technical achievement and operating skill. While the Visalia event has an international-sized profile, there are surely a number of similar events in your region. Whether they attract hams from around the world or around the town, there is so much more to them than just the latest (or the oldest) gear! Quiet conversation or raucous hilarity, take your pick, it's all there for the taking. Don't miss out - take the opportunity to spend a day (or two!) with your local ham gatherings. If you are new to the hobby or to the town, take the opportunity to volunteer your services to the organizers - it's a great way to meet folks and become part of the team! For those of us with more miles under our belts, help a new ham join in and become part of the great ham family. All it takes is a handshake and a smile. 9 April through 22 April 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 NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint--CW, from Apr 9, 0030Z to Apr 9, 0230Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. Monthly on 2nd Tuesday or 3rd Wednesday local time (alternating). Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and NAQCC mbr nr or power. Logs due: 4 days. Rules CWops Monthly Mini-CWT Tests--CW, from Apr 9, 1300Z - See website. Multiple time periods. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Twice monthly on 2nd and 4th Wed, 28 to 38 kHz above band edge. Exchange: Name, member number or S/P/C. Logs due: 2 days. Rules EU Spring Sprints--CW, from Apr 12, 1600Z to Apr 12, 1959Z . Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. 3.550, 7.025, 14.040 MHz. Exchange: Both call signs, serial, name. Logs due: 15 days. Rules Japan International DX Contest--CW, from Apr 12, 0700Z to Apr 13, 1300Z . Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST, JA prefecture or CQ Zone. Logs due: 30 days. Rules New Mexico QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 12, 1400Z to Apr 13, 0200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, CW-1.82, 3.55, 7.045, 14.05, 21.05, 28.05, 50.095; SSB-1.85, 3.815, 7.26, 14.28, 21.38, 28.38, 50.13 MHz. Exchange: Call sign, name, and NM county or S/P/C. Logs due: Apr 30. Rules Georgia QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Apr 12, 1800Z - See website. Multiple time periods. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, CW 1.815, 3.545, 7.045, 14.045, 21.045, 28.045, 50.095; Phone 1.865, 3.810, 7.225, 14.250, 21.300, 28.450, 50.135 MHz. Exchange: RS(T), S/P/C or GA county. Logs due: May 15. Rules Yuri Gagarin DX Contest--CW, from Apr 12, 2100Z to Apr 13, 2100Z . Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST, ITU Zone. Logs due: May 14. Rules International Vintage Contest--Phone,CW, from Apr 13, 1200Z to Apr 13, 1800Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5,7. Exchange: RS(T), grid square. Logs due: May 30. Rules Straight Key Weekend Sprintathon--CW, from Apr 13, 1200Z to Apr 14, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: RST, QTH, name, member nr if member. Logs due: 5 days. Rules VHF Spring Sprints--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 15, 7 PM to Apr 15, 11 PM. Bands (MHz): 222. Exchange: Grid square (6-character preferred). Logs due: 14 days. Rules Lighthouse Spring Lites QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 17, 0001Z to Apr 22, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. See website. Exchange: ARLHS number or serial, name, S/P/C. Logs due: 12 days. Rules Holyland DX Contest--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 18, 2100Z to Apr 19, 2100Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS(T), serial or Israel district. Logs due: May 31. Rules TARA Skirmish Dig Pfx Contest--Digital, from Apr 19, 0000Z to Apr 19, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: Name, prefix. Logs due: May 17. Rules ES Open HF Championship--Phone,CW, from Apr 19, 0500Z to Apr 19, 0859Z . Bands (MHz): 3.5,7. Exchange: RS(T), serial, dupes OK once/hour. Logs due: May 10. Rules Worked All Provinces of China--Phone,CW, from Apr 19, 0600Z to Apr 20, 0559Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RS(T) and serial or province abbreviation. Logs due: 7 days. Rules CQMM DX Contest--CW, from Apr 19, 1200Z to Apr 20, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST, continent, and category. Logs due: Jun 30. Rules EU Spring Sprints--Phone, from Apr 19, 1600Z to Apr 19, 1959Z . Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. 3.730, 7.050, 14.250 MHz. Exchange: Both call signs, serial, name. Logs due: 15 days. Rules Michigan QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Apr 19, 1600Z to Apr 20, 0400Z . Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. CW 45 kHz from band edge,Phone 3.825, 7.200, 14.250, 21.300, 28.450 MHz. Exchange: Serial and MI county or S/P/C. Logs due: 30 days. Rules EA QRP Contest--CW, from Apr 19, 1700Z to Apr 20, 1300Z . Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST, category, M if EA QRP member. Logs due: 30 days. Rules Nebraska QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 19, 1800Z to Apr 20, 1800Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, 144, 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 MHz. Exchange: RS(T), NE county or S/P/C. Logs due: May 31. Rules North Dakota QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 19, 1800Z to Apr 20, 1800Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, CW 1.850, 3.550, 3705, 7.050, 14.050, 21.050, 28.050; Phone 1.870, 3.850, 7.250, 14.270, 21.350, 28.450; VHF+/Digital per band plan. Exchange: RST and ND county or S/P/C. Logs due: May 15. Rules Ontario QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Apr 19, 1800Z - See website. Multiple time periods. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, 144, 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 MHz. Exchange: RS(T), S/P/C or Ontario QTH. Logs due: May 18. Rules Feld-Hell New Member Sprint--Digital, from Apr 19, 2000Z to Apr 19, 2200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, Monthly on 3rd Saturday. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, Feld-Hell member nr. Logs due: 7 days. Rules YU DX Contest--CW, from Apr 19, 2100Z - See website. Multiple time periods. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST and ITU zone. Logs due: 30 days. Rules ARRL Rookie Roundup--Phone, from Apr 20, 1800Z to Apr 20, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: Both calls, name, check, S/P XE# or "DX". Logs due: See web. Rules Run For the Bacon--CW, from Apr 21, 0200Z to Apr 21, 0400Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Monthly on 3rd Sunday night (local). Exchange: RST, S/P/C, Flying Pig nr or power. Rules Low Power Spring Sprint--CW, from Apr 21, 1400Z to Apr 21, 2000Z . Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST, grid square, power category. Logs due: 30 days. Rules VHF+ CONTESTS VHF Spring Sprints--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 15, 7 PM to Apr 15, 11 PM. Bands (MHz): 222. Exchange: Grid square (6-character preferred). Logs due: 14 days. Rules New Mexico QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 12, 1400Z to Apr 13, 0200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, CW-1.82, 3.55, 7.045, 14.05, 21.05, 28.05, 50.095; SSB-1.85, 3.815, 7.26, 14.28, 21.38, 28.38, 50.13 MHz. Exchange: Call sign, name, and NM county or S/P/C. Logs due: Apr 30. Rules Georgia QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Apr 12, 1800Z - See website. Multiple time periods. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, CW 1.815, 3.545, 7.045, 14.045, 21.045, 28.045, 50.095; Phone 1.865, 3.810, 7.225, 14.250, 21.300, 28.450, 50.135 MHz. Exchange: RS(T), S/P/C or GA county. Logs due: May 15. Rules Straight Key Weekend Sprintathon--CW, from Apr 13, 1200Z to Apr 14, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: RST, QTH, name, member nr if member. Logs due: 5 days. Rules TARA Skirmish Dig Pfx Contest--Digital, from Apr 19, 0000Z to Apr 19, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: Name, prefix. Logs due: May 17. Rules Nebraska QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 19, 1800Z to Apr 20, 1800Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, 144, 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 MHz. Exchange: RS(T), NE county or S/P/C. Logs due: May 31. Rules North Dakota QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 19, 1800Z to Apr 20, 1800Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, CW 1.850, 3.550, 3705, 7.050, 14.050, 21.050, 28.050; Phone 1.870, 3.850, 7.250, 14.270, 21.350, 28.450; VHF+/Digital per band plan. Exchange: RST and ND county or S/P/C. Logs due: May 15. Rules Ontario QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Apr 19, 1800Z - See website. Multiple time periods. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, 144, 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 MHz. Exchange: RS(T), S/P/C or Ontario QTH. Logs due: May 18. Rules Feld-Hell New Member Sprint--Digital, from Apr 19, 2000Z to Apr 19, 2200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, Monthly on 3rd Saturday. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, Feld-Hell member nr. Logs due: 7 days. Rules LOG DUE DATES 9 April through 22 April
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