Contester's Rate Sheet for December 26, 2007

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          CONTESTER'S RATE SHEET
            26 DECEMBER 2007

        Edited by Ward Silver N0AX

Published by the American Radio Relay League
 Free to ARRL members - tell your friends!
(Subscription info at the end of newsletter)
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SUMMARY
o RAC Up The Stew - RAC Winter Contest and Stew Perry
o New Year's Eve and New Year's Day Contests and Events
o ARRL VHF+ Contests - New Rover Rules
o Dayton Contest University Registration Opens
o Dale Hoppe K6UA - Silent Key
o Crazy Keys and Homer's Favorite Frequency
o Free Math Tutorials and Formulas
o Re-Elmering The Missing Calls

NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO
o The Stew Perry Top Band Distance Challenge has an unusual scoring
system - it calculates QSO points based on the distance covered and
the power level of the other station.  Or bring your kids into the
shack to see what all the excitement's about - Kid's Day on Jan 6th!

BULLETINS
o No bulletins this issue.

BUSTED QSOS
o Top Band can be a religious experience, but that was not what I had
in mind, misspelling "cavalry" as "calvary". (Thanks, John KS6M and
others)
o Trey N5KO reminded me that I left out the most obvious phonetic for
M - that is, of course, "mnemonic".  How could I have forgotten?

CONTEST SUMMARY (Rules follow Commentary section)

December 29-30
- RAC Winter Contest
- Stew Perry Top Band Distance Challenge
- DARC Christmas Contest
- Worked All Britain Christmas Party
December 31-January 1
- ARRL Straight Key Night
- New Year's Snowball Contest
- SARTG New Year RTTY Contest
- AGCW Happy New Year Contest
January 5-6
- ARRL RTTY Roundup
- Kid's Day, Phone
- EUCW 160 Meter Contest, CW

--o- ooo - --o- ooo - --o- ooo -  -oo o
NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST
- oooo o   o-o o- - o   ooo oooo o o - -o-

A revision to the ARRL VHF+ contest rover rules was announced last
week.  There are new categories and some new rules for participating.
Take a look at
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/announcements/rules-vhf.html>. This
represents the work of the newly formed VHF/UHF Advisory Committee.
(Thanks, Sean KX9X, ARRL Contest Branch Manager)

With the plaudits still echoing from last year's inaugural running,
Tim K3LR announces that "early bird" registration for Dayton ConTest
University (CTU) 2008 is now OPEN. He reports, "The CTU staff is
working hard to prepare an interesting and informative curriculum for
2008. CTU will be held in Dayton, Ohio on Thursday May 15, 2008.  CTU
2008 will feature some of the best Radio Contest operators and
station builders ("CTU Professors). They will present state of the
art contesting topics that will increase your knowledge and fun."
Thanks to Icom for their support of CTU 2008 and our contesting
radiosport. Lots more information and registration information at
<http://www.contestuniversity.com/>, hosted by Scott KA9FOX's QTH.com
Web site. Make sure to indicate whether you are a first-timer or 
returning CTU alumni.

Vilnis YL2KF points out that a Yahoogroup especially for discussions
about SO1R and SO2R operating.  Join up at
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SO1R-SO2R> and more members are
welcome!

To promote CW skills among VHF+ contesters, the Pacific NW VHF
Society holds a VHF+ version of Straight Key Night every year.  2007
will be the sixth year it's been held and more folks show up every
year! The recommended frequencies are 50.135, 144.210, 222.110,
432.110, and 1296.110 MHz.  Maybe your VHF+ club could give it a try!
(Thanks, Lynn N7CFO)

Physorg <http://physorg.com/> seems to have an interesting story just
about every day.  Two that caught my eye in particular are a good
story about the possibility of a new solar cycle (Oh, puh-LEEEZE!) at
<http://www.physorg.com/news117121262.html> and some interesting
discoveries about the insulating and conducting properties of
lodestone (magnetite) that formed the first compasses
<http://www.physorg.com/news117136013.html>.  How did those ancients
know which way to point the plastic owls, anyway?

Next time you open up your radio, consider that 55 years ago George
Rose K2AH, made the first solid-state amateur transmission with a
single-transistor homebrew rig.  It used an RCA point-contact
germanium transistor. Rose measured an input power of 24 mW and
estimated the radiated power at somewhere around 50 uW. He made a
contact with 25-mile distant W2UK and with W2KNI and W2DPB. (Thanks,
Stew W5FYI)

There was an extended thread alternately discursive and whimsical on
the Amps reflector
<http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/Amps> this past few
days about high-voltage rectifiers, but I don't think it was about
the ones that run the amplifiers for this system -
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_DC_Intertie>.  This is one
serious power supply! (Thanks, Lee K7TJR)

Jim AD1C delivers a Christmas present with an updated version of the
CTY files. Unwrap yourself a copy at
<http://www.country-files.com/cty> Thanks, Jim!

A new Croatian Amateur Radio Society board was established recently
under the leadership of 9A5K and Hrle 9A6XX is the HF Contest
Advisor. <http://www.9acw.org/> contains more information. (Thanks,
Mario S56A)

Dale Hoppe K6UA passed away this week. Long a contest beacon from the
West Coast, Dale's signal was legendary, as were his abilities in the
world of 75 meter DXing.  Dale had been ill for some time.  As
observed by Tim K3LR, "Another contesting pioneer gone..."

URL of the Week - Have you ever wondered whether our weekend ERP
festivals could be detected in a galaxy far, far away?  Well, I don't
know the answer either, but this article <
http://history.nasa.gov/CP-2156/ch5.4.htm> is a good start.  Quite a
substantial analysis by the guys at NASA. (Thanks, Rick W0IS)

oooo  o  -o--     -o-- o- o-oo o-oo
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
o-- o- - -o-o oooo    - oooo oo ooo

What will those Finns come up with next? As someone who has recently
moved to a more northern latitude, Pat N9RV has a new appreciation
for why someone might be motivated to create such unusual keying
devices.  Have a look for yourself at
<http://oh6dc.cw.googlepages.com/strangecwkey>

Trivia time - what is Homer Simpson's favorite frequency? Find out by
paying close attention to the graphics at
<http://www.qsl.net/kb9mwr/files/ham/cartoon/cartoon.html>  Who would
have thought that Homer could pass his Advanced?  Doh! (Thanks, Joe
KJ8O)

And a little more cartoon persiflage - resistance is futile!
<http://xkcd.com/356> (Thanks, Dave NN1N)

And if the holiday season has you fit to be tied, you might as well
know what kind of a knot you're in, anyway.  Don W7WLL contributes
this link <http://www.animatedknots.com/> to some neat knot-tying
animations.

What *is* that signal, anyway? The British Amateur Radio Teledata
Group (BARTG) has made available MP3 recordings of the sounds of
various digital modes. Currently there are 25 recordings on the BARTG
Web site <http://www.bartg.org.uk/Sound%20Files/soundlibrary.htm>
including ALE, DominoEX, Olivia and MT63. (Thanks, Glenn K6NA)

Think about this
<http://my.break.com/content/view.aspx?ContentID=416218> the next
time you have a little ice building up on the guy wires.  That could
really hurt! (Thanks, Doug K1DG)

From ice to fire.  If you look up into the winter night sky and
wonder if any of those little points of light might have our number
on them, then you'll enjoy looking at the potential aftermath of a
small asteroid making an up-close-and-personal visit to our little
planet.
<http://www.sandia.gov/news/resources/releases/2007/asteroid.html> is
done courtesy of our friends at Sandia Labs. Colorful, isn't it?
(Thanks, Pat N9RV)

oo-o oo -o -oo   -o-- --- oo- o-o
RESULTS AND RECORDS
-o-o o- o-oo o-oo    oooo o o-o o

Wow - lots of logs have been received at ARRL HQ as of last Monday
for the 160 Meter contest (962) and 10 Meter contest (1150).  That's
especially impressive for the rather flaccid conditions on 10 lately.
(Thanks, Sean KX9X, ARRL Contest Branch Manager)

The results of the 2007 PreStew contest are now available on the Stew
Perry Top Band Distance Challenge Web Page at
<http://web.jzap.com/k7rat/stew.html>. The real Stew is this weekend
and conditions on 160 seem to be reasonably good! (Thanks, Tree N6TR)

The results of the 2007 Summer Meteor Scatter contest are online at 
<http://www.srv.org.yu/pages/ukt_letnjims.htm> (Thanks, Ilija YU7PAA)

oooo o -o--   -o-- --- oo-
OPERATING TIP
o-- o- -o- o      oo- o--o

Don't forget that contesting is a cacophony of cooperation.  In the
heat of battle, we still must share the same bands in a modicum of
rapprochement.  Be charitable to the other guy or gal and liberal
with the benefit of the doubt.  Bite your tongue (or hold those
fingers) when emotions threaten to get the best of you.  We really
can all get along if we try.

oo oo-o    oo - ooo    -o --- - -ooo o-o --- -o- o
TECHNICAL TIPS AND INFORMATION
-o-- --- oo- o-o o  -o --- -  - o-o -o-- oo -o --o

If you are extra-finical about starting the contest at the earliest
possible moment, you might want to read this article about
ultra-precise clocks
<http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/12/time_nist>
featuring our friends at the National Institute of Science and
Technology. (Thanks, Matt WV1K)

Gene AD3F reports good results when he used tinned bronze connectors
from Harger to make all the wire connections to his aluminum tower,
including the coax shield for a sloper antenna.  He uses the 222T
connectors <http://tinyurl.com/2ezky6> to connect solid ground wires
to the tower legs and the 213T clamps <http://tinyurl.com/27nfnn> for
coax shields.

Power line interference problems may yield to the information in the
Naval Postgraduate School's "Power Line Interference" manual.  It's
downloadable from the ARRL Technical Information Service at
<http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/power_line_handbook> (Thanks, Hank
W6SX)

Most of us get no closer to three-phase power than wondering where
the third phase went when we ponder our household circuit-breaker
box.  But heavens to Tesla, it's neat stuff!  Check out the Wikipedia
article on three-phase systems at
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-phase_electric_power>. Not only
does it explain the details, but there are some neat animations, too!
(Thanks, Martin AA6E)

While the organization of this page
<http://www.geocities.com/ko4nrbs> is, um, unorthodox, it certainly
does not lack for content.  Lots and lots and lots of links to
information about HF amplifiers - an astounding abundance. (Thanks,
Scotty N3RA)

Formulas, formulas everywhere! Just about any formula you can think
of (and I'll bet a lot you haven't) can be found at
<http://www.equationsheet.com/index-Equations.html>. Keep this site
bookmarked, for sure!

Let's talk shelter, shall we?  Nothing warms the tootsies like one's
very own ice-fishing shelter!  Actually, this might be very handy as
a portable operating tent for contests or emergency operations. Take
a look at <http://tinyurl.com/2eqbqe> and see if you don't agree this
is a nifty design and with a fairly low cost of materials! Remember
to keep it ventilated if you use a combustion heater of any sort.
(Thanks, Jeff K8NDB)

TECHNICAL URL OF THE WEEK -- Are your frangible math skills, like my
own, a little rusty?  Check out the free tutorials at
<http://www.intmath.com/> - they start with the basics and take the
student all the way through fundamental calculus.  These are great
resources for students struggling with math as they study for their
ham licenses or to upgrade, as well.

o- -o-o -o-o oo- o-o o- -o-o -o--   oo ooo   o--- --- -ooo
CONVERSATION
--- -o o   oo -o   -o-o --- -o - o ooo - oo -o --o

Re-Elmering The Missing Calls

As we take some time off from work or studies or just our regular
routine, it is a good time to ask ourselves, "Where are the missing
calls?"  Those once-familiar calls that just don't seem to be in our
logs these days or answering our kerchunks on the repeater.  Some may
have moved away, some calls may have new owners, some may just be
operating elsewhere, and, of course, some operators may have slipped
through the F-layer and lost.  But not all of them.

More and more of our friends are "going dark" because of the
vicissitudes of downsizing or necessity.  What of them?  Are they to
be permanently QRT?  Even in days gone by, there were plenty of
circumstances in which it was impossible to put up an antenna or use
a radio.  Today we find even more situations inhospitable to one's
favored modes and bands.  Some of these friends were Elmers to us
when we were unfledged and struggling.  And if not to us, then to
others.  Perhaps it is time to return the favor - re-Elmering, if you
will.

It's always time for those of us that can to help those of us that
can't.  Not just during the holiday season.  January is just as good
a time to offer assistance as any other month and maybe even more so
as the holidays recede, but winter lingers on.

If you know someone who's off the air but misses ham radio, why not
put your thinking cap on and figure out a way to keep the link alive.
 It may be as simple as offering to help install an indoor ground
plane and programming a handheld for someone whose eyesight isn't
quite up to making connections and punching tiny buttons anymore. 
For the truly radio-less but Internet-connected, they might need help
configuring their computer to use the Echolink system. And if you're
really adventurous, what about setting up one of the new transceivers
with Ethernet connectivity so they can chase that New One, too?

What about the faces that are no longer seen at club meetings?  Could
it be that the traffic and the night-time driving are too much for
their comfort or safety?  It costs little to offer to drive and
believe me, it's appreciated.  Coordinating a share-the-ride list
would be a terrific club activity, don't you think?  Plus, it might
get you into the car pool lane, saving everybody time and hassle.

I won't belabor the point except to suggest that during this holiday
season, we pause to consider whether we can render some assistance to
the hams that made us and our hobby what it is today.  Elmering works
just as well in reverse as it does forward.

Best wishes and amity at this holiday season to all of the Rate Sheet
readers.  Your kind words and contributions make enthusiasm easy
about this newsletter and by extension, radiosport.  Thanks!  I'll
see you in 2008.

73, Ward N0AX

-o-o  --o-  - o ooo - -o-o  --o-  - o ooo -
CONTESTS -- 26 DECEMBER 2007 THROUGH 8 JANUARY 2008
-o-o  --o-  - o ooo - -o-o  --o-  - o ooo -

Note that the following abbreviations are used to condense the
contest rules summaries: SO - Single-Op; M2 - Multi-Op - 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 (>100 W); LP -
Low Power; QRP (5W or less)

HF CONTESTS

RAC Winter Contest--CW/Phone, sponsored by the Radio Amateurs of
Canada, 0000Z - 2359Z Dec 29. Frequencies (MHz): CW--25 kHz up from
the band edge (check on the half hour), Phone--1.850, 3.775, 7.075,
7.225, 14.175, 21.250, 28.500, 50 and 144 MHz. Categories: SOAB (QRP,
LP, HP), SOAB-CW, SOAB-Phone, SOSB, MS-LP, MS-HP, and MM. VE stations
exchange RST + Province, VE0 and non-VE stations exchange RST +
serial number. QSO Points: Outside Canada--2 pts, VE/VE0 stations--10
pts, RAC stations--20 pts. Score: QSO points x VE provinces +
territories (counted once per band and mode). For information:
http://www.rac.ca/service/infocont.htm. Logs due 31 Jan to
[email protected] or Radio Amateurs of Canada, 720 Belfast Road, Suite
217, Ottawa, ON K1G 0Z5, Canada.

Stew Perry Top Band Distance Challenge--CW, sponsored by the Boring
Amateur Radio Club, 1500Z Dec 29 - 1500Z Dec 30. Frequencies: 160
meters. Categories: SO and MS. Operate 14 hours max. Exchange: grid
square only. QSO Points: 1 pt + 1 pt for every 500 km distance
calculated between grid centers (see Web page for calculation
information), QSOs with QRP stations x2 and LP stations x4. Score:
QSO points x Power mult (<5W x 4, 5-100W x 2, >100W x 1). For more
information: http://jzap.com/k7rat/stew.rules.txt. Logs due 31 Jan
(Cabrillo format only) to [email protected] or Boring Amateur Radio
Club, 15125 SE Bartell Rd, Boring, OR 97009 USA.

DARC Christmas Contest--CW/SSB, sponsored by the Deutscher Amateur
Radio Club, 0830Z - 1100Z Dec 26. Frequencies (MHz): CW--3.510 -
3.560, 7.010 - 7.040, SSB--3.610 - 3.650 and 3.700 - 3.775, 7.040.
Categories: SO-Mixed, SO-CW. Exchange: RS(T) + DOK or Special Station
code. QSO Points: 1 pt/QSO. The station calling CQ must QSY after
making a QSO. Score: QSO Points x DOK codes + WPX prefixes. For more
information: http://www.darc.de/referate/dx/fedcx.htm. Logs due 3
weeks after the contest to [email protected] or Markus van Bergerem,
Brandenberg 5, D-47533 Kleve, Germany.

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day Contests & Events
ARRL Straight-Key Night--from 0000Z - 2359Z Jan 1, 2005
--http://www.arrl.org/contests
New Years Snowball Contest--sponsored by the Activity Group of
Belarus (AGB) -- http://www.qsl.net/eu1eu/agb_nysb.htm
SARTG New Year RTTY Contest--sponsored by the Scandinavian Amateur
Radio Teleprinter Group (SARTG) -- 
http://www.sartg.com/contest/nyrules.htm
AGCW Happy New Year Contest--sponsored by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft CW
-- http://www.agcw.de/

Worked All Britain Christmas Party--CW/SSB/Digital, from 0000Z Dec 26
- 2359 Jan 6, 2008. Frequencies: 160 meters - microwave. Categories:
SO, MO, SWL (Fixed, Mobile, Portable), QRP. Exchange: RS(T) + serial
number + WAB area or DXCC entity. For more information and scoring: 
http://www.worked-all-britain.co.uk/Christmas%20Party%20Award.php.
Logs due 21 days after the contest to [email protected]
or Dave Brooks, 28 Avon  Vale Road, Loughborough,Leicestershire,LE11
2AA, England.

ARRL RTTY Roundup--1800Z Jan 5 - 2400Z Jan 6. Operate for 24 hours
max. with no more than two off periods. Frequencies: 80 -- 10 meters.
Categories: SO-LP, SO-HP, MS-LP, MS-HP, 10-minute band-change rule
for MS. Exchange: RST + state/province/serial number. QSO Points: 1
pt/QSO. Score: QSO points x States + Provinces + DXCC entities
counted only once (KH6, KL7 count as DXCC only). For more information
- http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules. Logs due Feb 5 to
[email protected] (Cabrillo format only) or RTTY Round-Up, ARRL, 225
Main St, Newington, CT 06111.

Kid's Day--Phone, sponsored by the ARRL and the Boring Amateur Radio
Club from 1800Z to 2400Z Jan 6. Frequencies (MHz): 28.350-28.400,
21.380-21.400, 14.270-14.300 kHz, and 2-meter repeaters with
permission of repeater control ops. Exchange: Name, age, and favorite
color. If the operator has changed, a station can be contacted again.
For more information: http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/kd-rules.html 
No scores or logs are required - every participant is eligible to
receive a colorful certificate. Send a 9 X 12 SASE to Boring Amateur
Radio Club, 15125 SE Bartell Rd, Boring, OR 97009.

EUCW 160 Meter Contest--CW, sponsored by the Union Francaise des
Telegraphistes from 2000Z - 2300Z Jan 5 and 0400 - 0700Z Jan 6.
Categories: EU (HP, LP, QRP), non-EU, SWL. Exchange: RST, serial
number, club name, member number or "NM". QSO Points: own entity--1
pt, different entity--2 pts, diff. Continent--5 pts.  Score: QSO
points x clubs. For more information: http://www.uft.net/.  Logs due
Feb 15 in Cabrillo format to [email protected] or F6CEL - Ghislain,
Barbason 5 Rue d'Ecluse, 02190 Pignicourt, France.

VHF+ CONTESTS

No VHF+ contests are scheduled.

-oo  --- -o - -- oo ooo ooo   -o-- --- oo- o-o
LOG DUE DATES - 26 DECEMBER 2007 THROUGH 8 JANUARY 2008
o-oo  --- --o     -oo o o- -oo o-oo oo -o o ooo

December 26 - ARRL EME Contest, email logs to: [email protected],
paper logs and diskettes to: EME Contest, ARRL, 225 Main St,
Newington, CT 06111, USA. Find rules at:
http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2007/eme.html 

December 26 - ARRL EME Contest, email logs to: [email protected],
paper logs and diskettes to: EME Contest, ARRL, 225 Main St,
Newington, CT 06111, USA. Find rules at:
http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2007/eme.html 

December 26 - ARRL EME Contest, email logs to: [email protected],
paper logs and diskettes to: EME Contest, ARRL, 225 Main St,
Newington, CT 06111, USA. Find rules at:
http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2007/eme.html 

December 31 - ARCI Topband Sprint, email logs to:
[email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: ARCI Top Band
Sprint, c/o Jeff Hetherington, VA3JFF, 139 Elizabeth St W., Welland,
Ontario L3C 4M3, Canada. Find rules at:
http://www.qrparci.org/component/option,com_extcalendar/Itemid,/extmode,view/extid,48/lang,en/


December 31 - JIDX Phone Contest, email logs to: [email protected],
paper logs and diskettes to: JIDX Phone Contest, c/o Five-Nine
Magazine, PO Box 59, Kamata, Tokyo 144-8691, Japan. Find rules at:
http://www.jidx.org/jidxrule-e.html 

December 31 - All Austrian 160-Meter Contest, email logs to:
[email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: OEVSV-HQ,
HF-Contest Manager, Eisvogelgasse 4/1, A-1060 Vienna, Austria. Find
rules at:
http://www.oevsv.at/export/oevsv/download/AOEC/Rules_AOEC_160m_07.pdf


December 31 - IPARC Contest, CW, email logs to: [email protected], paper
logs and diskettes to: Uwe Greggersen, DL8KCG, Hurststr 9, D-51645
Gummersbach, Germany. Find rules at: http://www.ipa-rc.de/cont-e.htm

December 31 - IPARC Contest, SSB, email logs to: [email protected],
paper logs and diskettes to: Uwe Greggersen, DL8KCG, Hurststr 9,
D-51645 Gummersbach, Germany. Find rules at:
http://www.ipa-rc.de/cont-e.htm 

December 31 - Kentucky QSO Party, email logs to: (none), paper logs
and diskettes to: Western Kentucky DX Association, PO Box 73,
Alvaton, KY 42122, USA. Find rules at:
http://wkdxa.com/QSO/rules.html 

December 31 - TARA RTTY Melee, email logs to: (none), post log
summary at: http://www.n2ty.org/seasons/tara_melee_score.html, paper
logs and diskettes to: (none). Find rules at:
http://www.n2ty.org/seasons/tara_melee_rules.html

January 1, 2008 Feld Hell Sprint, email logs to: (none), post log
summary at: http://www.wa6l.com/contests/autolog.html, paper logs and
diskettes to: John Graf, WA6L, 23085 Old Ranch Rd, Alpine, CA 91901,
USA. Find rules at: http://feldhellclub.org/MonthlySprintRules.htm 

January 2, 2008 ARRL 160-Meter Contest, email logs to:
[email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: 160 Meter Contest,
ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111, USA. Find rules at:
http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2007/160-Meters.html 

January 8, 2008 RAEM Contest, email logs to: [email protected], paper logs
and diskettes to: RAEM Contest, PO Box 3945, Izhevsk 426011, Russia.
Find rules at: http://www.qrz.ru/contest/detail/88.html 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS & SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

The Contester's Rate Sheet wishes to acknowledge information from the
following sources:
WA7BNM's Contest Calendar Web page -
<http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal>
SM3CER's Web site - <http://www.sk3bg.se/contest>

ARRL members may subscribe at no cost by editing their Member Data
Page as described at <http://www.arrl.org/contests/rate-sheet>.

Copyright 2007 American Radio Relay League, Inc.  
All Rights Reserved