Contester's Rate Sheet for August 25, 2004
*********************** Contester's Rate Sheet 25 August 2004 *********************** Edited by Ward Silver N0AX SUMMARY o OH & KH6 QSO Parties and All-Asian DX Phone o Southeastern VHF Society - VHF Fall Sprints o New products from DX Engineering and Vibroplex (100th Bug Anniversary!) o ARRL DX 2004 Web Results now available o Drilling small enclosures o Improving the Ten-Tec Orion o Race Day BULLETINS o No bulletins this issue. BUSTED QSOS o Logs are now accepted via email to [email protected] for 10-10 contests. (Thanks, Steve N0WY and Jon NJ7I) ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICES FOR 25 AUGUST TO 7 SEPTEMBER 2004 Logs are due for the following contests: August 31 - Portugal Day Contest, email to: (none), paper logs and diskettes to: REP Award/Contest Manager, PO Box 2483, 1112 Lisboa Codex, Portugal August 31 - Venezuelan Ind. Day Contest, email to: [email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: Radio Club Venezolano, Concurso Independencia de Venezuela, PO Box 2285, Caracas 1010-A, Venezuela August 31 - European HF Championship, email to: [email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: Slovenia Contest Club, Saveljska 50, 1113 Ljubljana, Slovenia August 31 - National Lighthouse Weekend QSO Contest, email to: (none), paper logs and diskettes to: Dave Ruch, NF0J, PO Box 20696, Bloomington, MN 55420-0696, USA September 1 - ANARTS WW RTTY Contest, email to: [email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: Contest Manager ANARTS, PO Box 93, Toongabbie, NSW 2146, Australia September 1 - CQ Worldwide VHF Contest, email to: [email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: CQ VHF Contest, 25 Newbridge Road, Hicksville, NY 11801, USA September 1 - RSGB IOTA Contest, email to: [email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: RSGB IOTA Contest, PO Box 9, Potters Bar, Herts EN6 3RH, England September 4 - TARA Grid Dip Shindig, submit scores on-line at http://www.n2ty.org/seasons/tara_grid_score.html September 7 - ARRL UHF Contest, email to: [email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: August UHF Contest, ARRL Contest Branch, 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111, USA The following contests are scheduled: Note that the following abbreviations are used to condense the contest rules summaries: SO - Single-Op; M2 - Multiop - 2 Transmitters; MO - Multi-Op; MS - Multi-Op, Single Transmitter; MM - Multi-Op, Multiple Transmitters; AB - All Band; SB - Single Band; S/P/C - State/Province/DXCC Entity; HP - High Power; LP - Low Power; Entity - DXCC Entity HF CONTESTS Ohio QSO Party--CW/SSB--sponsored by the Mad River Radio Club, 1600Z Aug 28-0400Z Aug 29. Frequencies (MHz): CW -- 3.545, 7.045, 14.045, 21.045, 28.045; SSB -- 3.850, 7.225, 14.250, 21.300, and 28.450. Categories: SO, MM, Mobile and Rover. Exchange: Serial Number and Ohio county, state or province, DX stations send "DX". QSO Points: CW--2 pts, SSB--1 pt. Score: QSO points x OH counties (OH station count states, provinces, and OH counties) counted once per mode. For more information: http://www.oqp.us/. Logs due 30 days after the contest to [email protected] or to Ohio QSO Party c/o Jim Stahl K8MR, 30499 Jackson Road, Chagrin Falls, OH 44022-1730. TOEC WW Grid Contest--CW--sponsored by the Top of Europe Contesters (TOEC), 1200Z Aug 28-1200Z Aug 29. Frequencies: 160-10 meters. Categories: SO (no packet) -AB, -SB, Low Power (<100W, AB only), MS (10 min band change rule), MM, Mobile (SOAB) -- work mobiles from each grid field (i.e. -- JP, KO, EM). Exchange: RST + grid square, i.e.--JP73 (log must show all grid fields activated). QSO Points: own continent -- 1 pt, other cont--3 pts, QSOs with mobiles--3 pts. Score: QSO points � two-letter grid fields. For more information: http://www.qsl.net/toec/contest.htm. Logs due 30 days after the contest to [email protected] or to TOEC, Box 178, SE-83122 Ostersund, Sweden. Hawaii QSO Party--CW/Phone/RTTY/PSK31--sponsored by the Koolau ARC, 0700Z Aug 28-2200Z Aug 29. Frequencies: 160-10 meters. Categories: SOAB and MS (single or mixed-mode), MM (mixed-mode only). Spotting nets and packet allowed in all classes. Exchange: RS(T) and SPC, maritime region (1-3), or HI county. QSO Points: 20-15-10 meters, Phone--1 pt, CW/Digital--2 pts; 40 meters, Phone--2 pts, CW/Digital 4 pts; 80 meters, Phone--4 pts, CW/Digital--8 pts; 160 meters, Phone 8 pts, CW/Digital 16 pts. Score is total points plus 150 pts for QSO with KH6J. For more information: http://www.karc.us/hi_qso_party.html. Logs due 30 days after contest to [email protected] or Hawaii QSO Party, PO Box 8960788, Wahiawa, HI 96786-0788. YO-DX Contest--CW/SSB--sponsored by the Romanian Amateur Radio Federation (RARF), 1200Z Aug 28 - 1200Z Aug 29. Frequencies: 80-10 meters. Categories: SOAB, SOSB, MS. Exchange: RST and serial number, YO stations send county abbreviation. QSO Points: different country own continent--2 pts, different continent--4 pts, YO stations--8 pts. Score: QSO points x YO counties and DXCC entities counted once per band. For more information: http://www.hamradio.ro/contests/yodx_eng.htm. Logs due 30 days after the contest to [email protected] or YO DX HF Contest, PO Box 22-50, 71100 Bucharest, Romania. SARL HF DX Contest--CW--sponsored by the Bloemfontein Radio Amateur Club from 1330Z -- 1730Z Aug 29. Frequencies: 80 -- 20 meters. Categories: SOAB, MS. Exchange: RS(T) + serial number. QSO Points: SSB -- 1 pt, CW -- 2 pts. Total score: QSO points + ZS call areas and South African countries (see Web site). For more information: http://www.sarl.org.za/public/contests/contestrules.asp#HFCWPHONE. Logs due 14 days after the contest to [email protected] or PO Box 1721, Strubensvallei 1735, Republic of South Africa. SCC RTTY Championship, sponsored by the Slovenian Contest Club, 1200Z Aug 28-1159Z Aug 29. Frequencies: 80-10 meters. Categories: SOAB-HP, SOAB-LP, SOAB-Assisted, MS. Exchange: RST and 4-digit year first licensed. QSO Points: own country--1 pt, different country same continent and between W, VE, VK, ZL, ZS, JA, PY call areas, LU provinces, and UA9/0 oblasts--2 pts, different continent--3 pts. Score: QSO points x different years from all bands. For more information: http://lea.hamradio.si/~scc/rtty/htmlrules.htm. Logs due Sep 15 to [email protected] (Cabrillo format preferred) or on diskette to Slovenia Contest Club, Saveljska 50, 1113 Ljubljana, Slovenia. All-Asian DX Contest--Phone, sponsored by the Japan Amateur Radio League from 0000Z Sep 4 - 2400Z Sep 5. Frequencies: 80 - 10 meters, incl. 10-min. band change rule. Categories: SOAB, SOSB, MO, Low Power (Asian stations only), Junior (JA stations <20 years), Senior (JA stations >70 years). Exchange: RS(T) and a two digit number denoting the operator's age. YL stations may send 00. QSO Points for non-Asian stations: 40 - 15 meters - 1 pt, 80 and 10 meters - 2 pts, 160 meters - 3 pts. Score: QSO pts � Asian prefixes (WPX rules). For more information and Asian station QSO points: http://www.jarl.or.jp/English/4_Library/A-4-3_Contests/2004AA_Rule.htm. Logs due Oct 31 to [email protected] or JARL, All Asian DX Contest, 170-8073, Japan. IARU Region 1 Field Day--SSB--sponsored by IARU Societies, 1300Z Sep 4 - 1300Z Sep 5 (See June QST, p 98) Frequencies: 160 - 10 meters. Categories: SOAB (LP, QRP), MS (HP, LP). Exchange: RST and serial number. QSO Points: non-EU to EU - 3 pts, with portable EU stations - 4 pts. Score: QSO points x DXCC and WAE entities counted once/band. For more information: http://www.iaru.org/ or IARU Region 1 society Web sites. Send logs to the appropriate national societies (NA hams to RAC or ARRL). DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest--Digital Modes--sponsored by the Deutsche Amateur Radio Committee, 1100Z - 1700Z Sep 5. Frequencies (MHz): 28.050 - 28.150 on RTTY, Pactor PSK31, Amtor, Clover. Categories: SO, SWL. Stations may be worked on each mode, but count for multipliers only once. Exchange: RST + serial number. QSO Points: 1 pt/QSO. Score: QSO Points x WAE countries + DXCC entities + W/VE/JA districts. For more information: http://www.darc.de/referate/hf/contest/. Logs due 4 weeks after the contest to [email protected] or Werner Ludwig, DF5BX, PO Box 1270, D-49110 Georgsmarienhuette, Germany. MI QRP Labor Day CW Sprint, 2300Z Sep 6 - 0300Z Sep 7. Frequencies: 160 - 6-meters. Categories: SOAB with classes A (<250 mW), B (<1 W), C (<5 W), D (>5W). Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and MI-QRP number or power output. QSO Points: MI-QRP members--5 pts, non-member W/VE--2 pts, DX--4 pts. Score: QSO points x S/P/C counted once per band. If homebrew RX or TX, multiply by 1.25. If both RX and TX are homebrew, multiply by 1.5. For information: http://www.qsl.net/miqrpclub. Logs to [email protected] or L. T. Switzer, N8CQA, 427 Jeffrey Ave., Royal Oak, MI 48073-2521, USA. VHF CONTESTS VHF Fall Sprints--CW/Phone/Digital--sponsored by the Southeastern VHF Society as follows: 144 MHz--7 - 11 PM local Sep 20; 222 MHz--7-11 PM Sep 28; 432 MHz--7-11 PM Oct 6; Microwave--902 MHz and higher--6 AM -- 1 PM Oct 16; 50 MHz--2300Z Oct 23 - 0300Z Oct 24. Fixed and Rover categories. Exchange: Grid Square. QSO Points: 1 pt/QSO. Score is QSO Points x Grid Squares, score each sprint separately. Rovers all grids worked from each grid. For more information: http://svhfs.org/fall_sprint_rules.htm. Logs must be emailed or postmarked within four weeks of the contest. 144 MHz logs to [email protected] or Ottmar Fiebel W4WSR , PO Box 957, Hayesville, NC 28904. 222 MHz logs to [email protected] or Bob Lear K4SZ, PO Box 1269, Dahlonega, GA 30533. 432 MHz logs to [email protected] or Jim Worsham W4KXY, 1915 Oak Wind Lane, Buford, GA 30519-6766. Microwave logs to [email protected] or Greg Robinson KB4NVD, 208 Dogwood Acres Rd, Hampton, TN 37658-3348. 50 MHz logs to [email protected] or Ray Rector WA4NJP, 3493 Holly Springs Rd, Gillsville, GA 30534. NEWS AND PRESS RELEASES DX Engineering announces their new RR8-HD remote antenna switching system that has a number of new features unavailable on competitive units. For example, it has a plug-in control line connector so you don't have to take the unit apart on the tower to connect and disconnect it. The antenna port selections are configurable for stacking and phasing, as well as grounding or leaving open the unused ports. The RR8-HD has built-in lightning protection and unterminated port-to-port isolation is more than 70 dB at 30 MHz, Inexpensive CAT 5-style control cable can be used, too. It looks like someone was paying attention to existing products and decided to go them one better. List price is just under $250. Vibroplex is celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the patent for the Original Bug (August 9, 1904) with the release of the 100th Anniversary Special Edition Bug. The black powder coated base duplicates the smooth but "weathered" look of the early cast bases and includes distinctive gold pin striping and gold leaf designs in each corner. They are also announcing the new Chrome Warrior, a deluxe version of the popular Code Warrior Jr. featuring a brushed chrome base with polished brass upper parts and clear paddles. The 100th Anniversary bug lists at $199.95 and the Chrome Warrior at $139.95. Photos of these beauties should soon be available on the Vibroplex Web site (http://www.vibroplex.com/). The Central Texas DX & Contest Club has been publishing information on the tower and antenna ordinances of local municipalities as a service to members and anyone thinking of moving into the area. Since there can be significant variability of tower regulations from one municipality to the next, the CTDCC Web site (http://www.ctdxcc.org/localregs/) is pretty handy. (Thanks, Ken WM5R) Marlin P. Jones has an August special on a coaxial crimping tool kit for $39.95 (http://www.mpja.com/productview.asp?product=14667+TL). It crimps just about everything you could consider coax. I doubt that it's production quality at this price, but if you have been holding out for a low-priced occasional-use tool, this may be it. There is an additional discount for orders of five or more, so this would be a good club purchase. Has your antenna's resonant frequency been creeping downwards for no apparent reason? Have you been feeling a little tired lately? Maybe you're just red-shifted. Here's an interesting, non-spoof story about a gradual change in the speed of light - http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=39733 (Thanks, Harold W4MMC) For NA Sprint aficionados, the next pair of Sprints is coming up in September. How about trying for some additional participation? George K5TR reminds us that there are plenty of "how-to" and information links on the Web about the Sprints. W4AN's "CW Sprinting - Beginner's Guide" is available at http://www.contesting.com/articles/198. The Sprint Survival Web Page by N6TR can be found at http://n6tr.jzap.com/sprint.html. There's even a practice audio at http://www.kkn.net/~k5tr/audio/sprint_practice/. Rules, records, and scores are on the sponsoring National Contest Journal's Web page at http://www.ncjweb.com/. How about sending these links and encouragement to get on the air to your local associates? Thomas KN4LF is the moderator of a new propagation reflector that has been created on http://www.contesting.com/. Sign up at http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/propagation. You can also sign up by sending an email to [email protected] with "subscribe" in the subject line or message body. You can also use the Web site to sign up for other mailing lists such as [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected]. Nick VK1AA/2 announces the formation of the nation-wide VK Contest Club. The club is looking for VK full members and Associated Members - everybody else who enjoys contesting. The club will offer an unmoderated email reflector, Web forums, and live monthly meetings with an Echolink conference. Check it out at http://www.vkcc.com/ and good luck to the VKCC - we hope to hear more from Down Under in the upcoming contests. If you haven't seen the movie of soldering in space aboard the International Space Station, check it out - http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/16aug_solder.htm?list610324. (Thanks, Rick K7LOG) In case you were wondering where the name Cabrillo comes from, the Cabrillo College is in Aptos, CA where N5KO (the developer of the Cabrillo spec) lives. Cabrillo was an early Spanish explorer of the New World - http://www.win.tue.nl/~engels/discovery/cabrillo.html. No word on who checked his logs. RESULTS AND RECORDS The ARRL DX Phone 2004 results writeup compiled by your editor are now available at http://www.arrl.org/contests/results. I'm pleased (and thankful) to report that this year we have regional analysis of all ARRL Divisions (two are still under construction, but are promised soon) two continents, and the Caribbean. Plus, there are some lively new maps and a pair of great sidebar stories. Thanks to all the contributing writers - be sure to say thanks. The Top 200 Claimed scores for CQ 160 CW and SSB have been posted to the CQ magazine Web page - http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/. Select the information center to find contests and awards. Selecting the CQ WW 160 Contests gets you to the high claimed scores in PDF (Adobe) format. If you feel your score is missing or wrong please send an e-mail to [email protected]. (Thanks, Dave K4JRB) For the second straight year, the Tennessee Contest Group has won the Non-California club competition in the King of State QSO Parties, the CQP. The Northern California Contest Club began sponsoring the club award in 2002. The TCG has managed to claim the trophy both years so far. Be sure to mark your calendars for the 2004 CQP on October 2, 2004. (Thanks, Marc W6ZZZ) The results of the 2004 TAC Sprint and Soapbox are now available at http://www.n3epa.org/. The club is considering changes in contest date and rules, so please make comments via the Web site. (Thanks, Ron N3EPA) TECHNICAL When starting a rebuilding project for a basket case R7000, I put out a call for help about what was "inside the box" that matches the antenna to 50-ohm coax. Right away I got a response from John EI7BA. He has done the work on this network and made it available on his Web site at http://www.iol.ie/~bravo/. Quite the homebrewer, there are several other interesting projects described there - a homebrew crank-up/tilt-over tower, a hex beam, info on low-band verticals, and more. Worth the browse! From the ARRL Propagation Bulletin on 30 July, an interesting Macromedia Flash movie introducing HF propagation by AE4RV is posted at http://www.ae4rv.com/tn/propflash.htm. (Thanks, Tad K7RA and Mike KC1SX) Can't find the data sheet for that digital or analog IC? Try the Univ. of WA Electrical Engineering Department's resource page at http://www.ee.washington.edu/stores/. Along with links to data sheets, there is a circuits archive, too. The simplest of projects still requires some kind of enclosure and the drilling thereof often reduces the most elegant of electronics to a grubby, gougy mess. A recent discussion on the QRP-L mailing list debated the merits of how best to deal with flimsy metal boxes, such as the popular metal mint tins. The best combination was to fill the enclosure with water (or immerse it) and freeze it. The ice supports the wall against the pressure of the drill. A Unibit (a stepped drill bit available at a variety of hardware emporia) also got high marks as not tearing the metal as regular fluted bits tended to do. Paul WN7T reports that the best lubricant for sliding contacts in edge-wound roller inductors seems to be Molybdenum disulfide applied as a slurry solution in a very light film. It's a dry-lubricating film that does not attract dust and bonds to the metal substrate and with intrinsic metal-like conductivity. He found the product at the Rose Mill Company's Bemol Lubricants http://metalshopper.websitecandy.com/category.asp?category=19. A very interesting report of improving receiver performance of the Ten-Tec Orion was made available at http://users.vnet.net/btippett/inrad_.htm by Bill W4ZV. A narrow roofing filter - soon to be available from International Radio - made dramatic improvements in the receiver's linearity at very close signal spacings down to 1 kHz. CW Sweepstakes, here we come! CONVERSATION Race Day Today was spent with the local radio club providing communications support for a triathlon. This was definitely a win-win for both the club members and the race organizers since everything went quite smoothly. The organizers got terrific race status update information and our members, many of whom were unlicensed at this time last year, racked up some excellent experience that will be invaluable under more stressful conditions. As we reported on all the competitors streaming by on foot and pedal power, I got a chance to look at the racers and how they competed with each other. Clearly, there were experts in all age classes. The first racer through the course was about 15 years old and I can tell you she was going a lot faster and breathing a lot easier than I usually am when I round those same corners. Yikes! There were also some huff-and-puff folks a little closer to my level composing the slower echelon. So far, it looked not too different than ham radio contesting. After two fairly serious races and a break for some awards, it was time for the afternoon junior race for kids through age thirteen. They competed on an attenuated version of the same course with fewer hills. They were divided into three groups by age. When they passed my new course station, it was clear that some were competitive within their groups, but most were on their first or second triathlon. Here's where radio and racing start to diverge. Most of our contests are intentionally national or larger affairs and the sponsors do their best to attract the top contesters. The bigger it is the better! Those big contests are a lot of fun...IF you can handle them. If you can't, they are pretty intimidating. I continually encourage folks to give them a try - and they do - but too often come back shaking their heads, saying, "I'm not going down in THERE!" Obviously, just telling 'em it's great fun and tossing them to the lions isn't a high-success strategy. What I think we need to do is to take a three-fold approach with some clues from other more popular sports. One - Publicize or create smaller events. There are lots and lots of smaller contests such as most of the state QSO parties, second-tier national DX contests, specialty events, and so forth. The pace and intensity of these events is orders of magnitudes easier to deal with. Get notices of these events in club newsletters, on Web sites, and on email reflectors. Stress their friendly, casual nature. Give examples of how to operate in the contest (not everybody is born with a microphone in one hand and key in the other) and how to submit a log. Show how easy it is to put out a score on 3830. Then distribute the reported scores within your club or over the same sites on which you publicized the event. Timely feedback is important to hold interest. Two - Emphasize a more localized, reasonable scope of competition. If, when I started playing baseball, Lou Brock and Bob Gibson were within ten miles of the field, I would have been too intimidated to show up. (Bob Gibson had that effect on major leaguers, too, but I digress...) Sponsor local club or school-to-school challenges. Post a local score total from competitors in the area. Have a rookie or "minor league" section. Don't embarrass people because they aren't instantly competitive on a high level. Present modest, accomplishable goals for a contest-within-a-contest. Reward modest, but consistent, performance over the course of a year. As the operators improve, they will naturally gravitate toward more intense competition without being pushed. Three - train, guide, and mentor. Be a contest Elmer. Have an open house multi-op. Have a competition for the "Best Hour" by one of your visitors. Give a talk to a local club about how to interface a computer and radio, showing how to use one of the freeware versions of a contest logging program. The word "free" will draw hams like flies. As you build a stable of operators, let them be the teacher - the students will relate to them better than you, Mr. Big Gun Contester. Sponsor a parent-child or "buddy up" weekend for one of the less intense contests and take lots of pictures. Let scores be secondary. (Blasphemy!) Back to the race. The younger racers knew they were rank beginners, but they weren't getting pounded by their older peers, either. What brought them to the course was open doors and a sense that they were competing with peers. They'll be back and getting better every time. We can learn from that example by spending some of our considerable energy and talent to make our sport a little more accessible to the casual contester. 73, Ward N0AX ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Contester's Rate Sheet wishes to acknowledge information from the following sources: WA7BNM's Contest Calendar Web page - http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal ARRL Contest page - http://www.arrl.org/contests SM3CER's Web site - http://www.sk3bg.se/contest
