 March 16, 2022 Editor: Paul Bourque, N1SFE | |
In this Issue: Upcoming Contests - Things to Do Virginia QSO Party For those of you who like to participate in state QSO parties, the Virginia QSO Party begins this Saturday, March 19 at 1400 UTC. The event concludes on Sunday, March 20 at 2359 UTC. See www.qsl.net/s/sterling//VA_QSO_Party/2022_VQP/2022_VQP_Main.html for more information. CQ WW WPX Contest, SSB The CQ World Wide WPX Contest, SSB, runs from 0000 UTC Saturday, March 26 through 2359 UTC Sunday, March 27. Participants may operate on the 1.8, 3.5, 7, 14, 21, and 28 MHz bands. The exchange is signal report and a sequential contact serial number starting with 1. Single Operator stations may operate 36 of the 48 hours - off times must be a minimum of 60 minutes, during which no QSO is logged. Multioperator stations may operate the full 48-hour contest period. For full rules and scoring details, see www.cqwpx.com/. Contest Summary March 17
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March 20 March 21 March 22 March 23 March 24 March 25 March 26 March 27 March 28 March 29 March 30 Complete information for all contests follows the Technical Topics and Discussion section. News, Press Releases and Special Interest SWODXA DX Dinner The SouthWest Ohio DX Association (SWODXA) has announced that Dr. Scott Wright, K0MD, will be the keynote speaker at the 37th annual DX Dinner®. The dinner, held in conjunction with the 2022 Dayton Hamvention®, will be on Friday, May 20, at the Marriott Hotel in Dayton, Ohio. Scott will present the "High C's of DXing - Operating in the Caribbean, Chile, and China". For more information and to order dinner tickets, visit www.swodxaevents.org. Sights and Sounds Will advances in artificial intelligence (AI) benefit ham radio? With AI applied to challenges such as noise reduction and decoding CW, this might very well be in our near future. The BBC News channel program, Click, featured a segment about nVida's work with artificial intelligence being applied to noise reduction. The segment begins at 6:07 in the video linked below. www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0_O8l-jKEc -Thanks to Brian Moran, N9ADG, and Robert Grinnell, KD7WNV. Results and Records The January North American QSO Party SSB preliminary results are posted the National Contest Journal website - ncjweb.com/current-naqp-ssb-results/. -Thanks to Bill Lippert, AC0W Keith, NM5G, the Texas QSO Party Coordinator, informs us that the final scores for the 2021 event have been posted on their web site at www.txqp.net/. "Thanks to Chuck, NO5W, for log processing; and webmaster Scott, N5DD. If you were a participant last year, please review your score, and report any discrepancies to logs@txqp.net. My goal is to have certificates for the top three participants in each category out by April 15. 73! Keith, NM5G" The February 2022 North American QSO Party RTTY preliminary results are now available at the National Contest Journal website -www.ncjweb.com/current-naqp-rtty-results/. Please report any problems to Mark, K6UFO, NAQP RTTY Contest Manager, via email at rttynaqpmgr@ncjweb.com. Operating Tip
During the major phone contests (ARRL DX, CQ WW and WPX), DX stations will often operate just below the US phone band. There are times in the heat of the battle that tired operators do not pay attention and end up transmitting outside the of the US phone band. During the last contest, all the operators held Amateur Extra-class licenses, and every one of them, including myself, made this mistake. As the station owners, we have implored our ops, new and old, to "watch the band edges," but this error still occurs every now and then. During the last CQWW I found a solution, and after implementation, no operators have made the error. N1MM allows you to set the CW band limit in the Band Map window. However, the color of the frequencies is the same in both the CW and phone portions of the band map. N1MM also allows you to change the color of the frequencies of both CW and phone. I allowed the phone frequencies to remain their normal "black." I changed the color of the CW frequencies to an annoying phosphorescent bright "purple." Whenever a station appeared in the "purple," it was an immediate visual cue, telling the op "DON'T TRANSMIT," as they would be in the CW portion of the band. A similar thing could be done by moving the CW portion up 2 kHz into the bottom of the 40-meter phone band, alerting you so that your lower sidebands would not go into the CW portion of the band. Here is the process: In N1MM Config Menu, left click "Manage Skins, Colors, and Fonts." Under the "Colors" tab of the next window, Section 4, left click "<Change>" next to "Color of the CW portion of Bandmap Window". Pick the color you want, then left click "OK," then left click "Save" at the next window. Technical Topics and Discussion This simple HF Propagation app for Android by APKmonk provides current solar data to your Android phone. It's available from their website and the Google Play Store. Read more about it at the link below www.apkmonk.com/posts/hf-propagation-android-app/ -Thanks to Bob Wilson, N6TV With the warmer spring weather approaching, many operators have begun to get started on antenna and tower projects. Ward, N0AX, shared some tower climbing safety tips that he and other fellow tower climbers were discussing. Specifically, what to do if your muscles start to cramp while on the tower. An unpleasant surprise when climbing or working on a tower is the onset of cramps in legs, arms, or hands. Even the most experienced climbers can be rattled by cramps, which come on suddenly and release slowly. When muscles, in particular those of your fingers, hands, or arms, refuse to respond normally, it's time to immediately stop whatever you were doing and recover. Dealing with cramps begins before you ever start up the tower. Eat a meal with the right minerals and drink plenty of Gatorade or another fortified sports drink of your choosing, particularly if you will be working in high temperatures. During extended periods on the tower, continue to drink a quart of fluids every hour or so. One sports drink per three or four bottles of water works well. Everyone, young and old, must make the time to do this!
If you find yourself cramping, don't panic. Your climbing gear will keep you secure. Cramps are just one reason to be attached to the tower 100% of the time, whether climbing or working. Your body is telling you that it has run out of something important and needs attention. Have your ground crew send up some fluids immediately. Start with sports drinks and let your body absorb them. Allow adequate time for your body to relax. Do some flexing. If the cramp is in your arms, alternate between letting your arm hang loosely at your side and then placing your hand palm-up on top of your head to gently stretch the muscles. Consider your options carefully - should you continue working or retreat to the ground to rest? After a cramp, you may not be at full-strength for some time. Another cramp when you're doing heavy work or not completely secured is an unnecessary risk. Whatever you were doing can wait until you are fully recovered from the cramp. The safety of you and your ground crew are of the utmost importance. -Thanks to Ward Silver, N0AX and friends. That's all for this time. Get out there and get on the air! Remember to send contesting-related stories, book reviews, tips, techniques, press releases, errata, schematics, club information, pictures, stories, blog links, and predictions to contest-update@arrl.org. Contests March 17, 2022 - March 30, 2022 An expanded, downloadable version of QST's Contest Corral is available as a PDF. Check the sponsors' website for information on operating time restrictions and other instructions. HF CONTESTS Walk for the Bacon QRP Contest, Mar 17, 0000z to Mar 18, 0300z; CW; Bands: 20; Maximum 13 wpm, RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (Member No./power); Logs due: Mar 24. NAQCC CW Sprint, Mar 17, 0030z to Mar 17, 0230z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20; RST + (state/province/country) + (NAQCC No./power); Logs due: Mar 20. CWops Test (CWT), Mar 17, 0300z to Mar 17, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 19. CWops Test (CWT), Mar 17, 0700z to Mar 17, 0800z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 19. RTTYOPS Weeksprint, Mar 17, 1700z to Mar 17, 1900z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20; [other station's call] + [your call] + [serial no.] + [your name]; Logs due: Mar 24. BCC QSO Party, Mar 17, 1900z to Mar 17, 2059z; CW, SSB, RTTY; Bands: 80; RS(T) + T-shirt size (see rules); Logs due: Mar 17. EACW Meeting, Mar 17, 1900z to Mar 17, 2000z; CW; Bands: 80, 40; EACW Member: RST + Member No. + Nickname, EA non-Member: RST + Nickname + EA province, non-EA: RST + Nickname + DXCC prefix; Logs due: Mar 19. NTC QSO Party, Mar 17, 1900z to Mar 17, 2000z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20; NTC Member: RST + Member No., non-Member: RST + "NM", Less than 25 wpm; Logs due: Mar 20. QRP Fox Hunt, Mar 18, 0100z to Mar 18, 0230z; CW; Bands: 20; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: Mar 19. NCCC RTTY Sprint, Mar 18, 0145z to Mar 18, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: Mar 20. NCCC Sprint, Mar 18, 0230z to Mar 18, 0300z; CW; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: Mar 20. K1USN Slow Speed Test, Mar 18, 2000z to Mar 18, 2100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 20. BARTG HF RTTY Contest, Mar 19, 0200z to Mar 21, 0159z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + Serial No. + 4-digit time (UTC); Logs due: Mar 28. Russian DX Contest, Mar 19, 1200z to Mar 20, 1200z; CW, SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Ru: RS(T) + 2-character oblast, non-Ru: RS(T) + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 3. F9AA Cup, SSB, Mar 19, 1200z to Mar 20, 1200z; SSB; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 2; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 19. Virginia QSO Party, Mar 19, 1400z to Mar 20, 2359z; CW, Phone, Digital; Bands: All, except WARC; VA: Serial No. + county, non-VA: Serial No. + (state/province/"DX"); Logs due: Apr 15. Feld Hell Sprint, Mar 19, 2000z to Mar 19, 2159z; Feld Hell; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; (see rules); Logs due: Mar 23. UBA Spring Contest, SSB, Mar 20, 0700z to Mar 20, 1100z; SSB; Bands: 80; ON: RS + Serial No. + UBA Section, non-ON: RS + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 3. Run for the Bacon QRP Contest, Mar 20, 2300z to Mar 21, 0100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + (state/province/country) + (Member No./power); Logs due: Mar 27. K1USN Slow Speed Test, Mar 21, 0000z to Mar 21, 0100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 23. OK1WC Memorial (MWC), Mar 21, 1630z to Mar 21, 1729z; CW; Bands: 80, 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Mar 25. Bucharest Digital Contest, Mar 21, 1800z to Mar 21, 2059z; FT4; Bands: 80, 40; RST + QSO No.; Logs due: Mar 28. Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest, Mar 22, 0100z to Mar 22, 0159z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RS + age group (OM, YL, Youth YL or Youth); Logs due: Mar 23. RTTYOPS Weeksprint, Mar 22, 1700z to Mar 22, 1900z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20; [other station's call] + [your call] + [serial no.] + [your name]; Logs due: Mar 29. SKCC Sprint, Mar 23, 0000z to Mar 23, 0200z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (SKCC No./"NONE"); Logs due: Mar 25. QRP Fox Hunt, Mar 23, 0100z to Mar 23, 0230z; CW; Bands: 20; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: Mar 24. Phone Weekly Test, Mar 23, 0230z to Mar 23, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15; NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: Mar 25. A1Club AWT, Mar 23, 1200z to Mar 23, 1300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: RST + Name; Logs due: Mar 28. CWops Test (CWT), Mar 23, 1300z to Mar 23, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 26. Mini-Test 40, Mar 23, 1700z to Mar 23, 1759z; CW; Bands: 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Mar 25. Mini-Test 80, Mar 23, 1800z to Mar 23, 1859z; CW; Bands: 80; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Mar 25. CWops Test (CWT), Mar 23, 1900z to Mar 23, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 26. CWops Test (CWT), Mar 24, 0300z to Mar 24, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 26. CWops Test (CWT), Mar 24, 0700z to Mar 24, 0800z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 26. RTTYOPS Weeksprint, Mar 24, 1700z to Mar 24, 1900z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20; [other station's call] + [your call] + [serial no.] + [your name]; Logs due: Mar 31. EACW Meeting, Mar 24, 1900z to Mar 24, 2000z; CW; Bands: 80, 40; EACW Member: RST + Member No. + Nickname, EA non-Member: RST + Nickname + EA province, non-EA: RST + Nickname + DXCC prefix; Logs due: Mar 26. RSGB 80m Club Championship, SSB, Mar 24, 2000z to Mar 24, 2130z; SSB; Bands: 80; RS + Serial No.; Logs due: Mar 25. QRP Fox Hunt, Mar 25, 0100z to Mar 25, 0230z; CW; Bands: 20; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: Mar 26. NCCC RTTY Sprint, Mar 25, 0145z to Mar 25, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: Mar 27. NCCC Sprint, Mar 25, 0230z to Mar 25, 0300z; CW; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: Mar 27. K1USN Slow Speed Test, Mar 25, 2000z to Mar 25, 2100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 27. CQ WW WPX Contest, SSB, Mar 26, 0000z to Mar 27, 2359z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RS + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 1. FOC QSO Party, Mar 26, 0000z to Mar 26, 2359z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, VHF; FOC-Member: RST + Name + Member No., non-Members: RST + Name; Logs due: Apr 2. K1USN Slow Speed Test, Mar 28, 0000z to Mar 28, 0100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 30. QCX Challenge, Mar 28, 1300z to Mar 28, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + Name + (state/province/country) + Rig; Logs due: Apr 3. OK1WC Memorial (MWC), Mar 28, 1630z to Mar 28, 1729z; CW; Bands: 80, 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 1. QCX Challenge, Mar 28, 1900z to Mar 28, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + Name + (state/province/country) + Rig; Logs due: Apr 3. RSGB FT4 Contest, Mar 28, 2000z to Mar 28, 2130z; FT4; Bands: 80, 40, 20; 4-character grid square; Logs due: Mar 29. Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest, Mar 29, 0100z to Mar 29, 0159z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RS + age group (OM, YL, Youth YL or Youth); Logs due: Mar 30. QCX Challenge, Mar 29, 0300z to Mar 29, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + Name + (state/province/country) + Rig; Logs due: Apr 3. RTTYOPS Weeksprint, Mar 29, 1700z to Mar 29, 1900z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20; [other station's call] + [your call] + [serial no.] + [your name]; Logs due: Apr 5. QRP Fox Hunt, Mar 30, 0100z to Mar 30, 0230z; CW; Bands: 20; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: Mar 31. Phone Weekly Test, Mar 30, 0230z to Mar 30, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15; NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: Apr 1. A1Club AWT, Mar 30, 1200z to Mar 30, 1300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: RST + Name; Logs due: Apr 4. CWops Test (CWT), Mar 30, 1300z to Mar 30, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Apr 2. Mini-Test 40, Mar 30, 1700z to Mar 30, 1759z; CW; Bands: 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 1. Mini-Test 80, Mar 30, 1800z to Mar 30, 1859z; CW; Bands: 80; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 1. CWops Test (CWT), Mar 30, 1900z to Mar 30, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Apr 2. UKEICC 80m Contest, Mar 30, 2000z to Mar 30, 2100z; CW; Bands: 80; 6-Character grid square; Logs due: Mar 30. VHF+ CONTESTS SARL VHF/UHF Analogue Contest, Mar 19, 0300z to Mar 20, 0900z; Analog (CW/SSB/AM/FM); Bands: 50 MHz, 70 MHz, 144 MHz, 432 MHz, 1296 MHz; RS(T) + 6-character grid locator; Logs due: Mar 27. AGCW VHF/UHF Contest, Mar 19, 1400z to Mar 19, 1800z; CW; Bands: 144 MHz, 432 MHz; RST + "/" + Serial No. + "/" Power class + "/" + 6-character grid locator; Logs due: Mar 27. UBA Spring Contest, 6m, Mar 27, 0600z to Mar 27, 1000z; CW, Phone; Bands: 6; ON: RS(T) + Serial No. + UBA Section, non-ON: RS(T) + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 10. See also: F9AA Cup, SSB, Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest, SKCC Sprint, FOC QSO Party Log Due Dates March 17 March 18
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March 29 March 30 ARRL Information Click here to advertise in this newsletter, space subject to availability. Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information ARRL membership includes a choice of one print magazine: QST, the monthly membership journal, or On the Air, ARRL's new bimonthly publication for beginner and intermediate hams. All ARRL members can access all four ARRL magazines - QST, On the Air, NCJ, and QEX - digitally. 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! Reprint permission can be obtained by sending email to permission@arrl.org with a description of the material and the reprint publication. Acknowledgements ARRL Contest Update wishes to acknowledge information from WA7BNM's Contest Calendar. | |
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Alan, WA3EKL, and Susan, N3DPB, have devised a way to remind operators not to transmit out of band when a DX station is spotted on the cluster and operating below the US phone band. With the CQ WW WPX phone contest coming up, this might be something you want to incorporate into your N1MM Logger+ setup.
Climbing and working aloft works our hands and arms much harder than usual, with a very tight grip that restricts the blood from getting oxygen to your muscles. Your arms are working at or above chest level, making blood flow even more difficult. Remember to stop every so often and drop and shake out your arms to restore full blood flow and flush out and re-oxygenate your muscles. Climb and work slowly and deliberately with frequent rests while the climbing gear supports your weight.
