 April 1, 2009 Editor: Ward Silver, NØAX | |||||
IN THIS ISSUE
NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO If you are curious about what you can do with QRP, the annual Spring QRP ARCI QSO Party is a good way to find out. Spring counterpart to its October edition, the QSO Party brings out a lot of QRP stations so you won't be slugging it out with the Big Guns for spectrum space. Turn down the juice and see what happens! BULLETINS No bulletins in this ludic issue. BUSTED QSOS The fellow holding the CTU certificate in last issue's picture was actually the head of the Italian CTU organizing committee, Stefano IK2QEI! Sorry about the busted call, OM. (Thanks, Tim K3LR) CONTEST SUMMARY Complete information for all contests follows the Conversation section April 4-5
April 11-12
NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST Dayton Hamvention (Apr 15-17) planning is under way - for those of you busily balancing forums and flea marketing, the Antenna Forum with host K3LR is scheduled for Friday from 1430 to 1700 and the K1DG-modulated Contest Forum will be on Saturday from 0915 to 1115. These schedules may change, so stay tuned for an update. There will be another Kansas City DX Club Pileup Contest on Saturday night at the Crowne Plaza hotel again this year. Don't forget Thursday's Contest University! Late flash - your editor just drove I-70 past Dayton and it is 100% improved from last year's construction! Really, really, really long-delayed echoes were received on March 25th as echoes off the planet Venus by a team from the German space organization AMSAT-DL! EVE (Earth-Venus-Earth) is the farthest distance crossed by radio amateurs; over 100 times further than echoes from the Moon. The high power amplifier used for the test and described in the current AMSAT-DL journal is a key component for the planned P5-A Mars mission. The EVE experiment was repeated on Thursday, March 26th for several hours with good echoes from Venus. Morse code was used to transmit the well-known "HI" signature of the AMSAT OSCAR satellites, beginning with OSCAR-1. (from the AMSAT Weekly Bulletin AMS-088) Another of the missing state QSO parties is found! The Rochester DX Association announces the 2009 New York QSO Party will be held on Oct 17-18, the third Saturday in October. Stay tuned for more details as the date approaches. That leaves only Iowa and South Dakota without representation in the pantheon of state QSO parties. As the Boeing Employees Amateur Radio Club has announced the return of the Kansas QSO Party, how about it, Iowa and South Dakotians? (Thanks, Paul K2DB) Where is everybody on 40 meters now that broadcasters have (mostly) moved out? IARU Region 1 (Eu/Africa) has an updated band plan. There is no change in allocations in Region 2 (North/South America) so no band plan changes are expected. IARU Region 3 (Asia/Pacific) has not posted an updated band plan yet. (Thanks, Tom K1KI) Ponzi schemes have been in the news of late. International Reply Coupons are no longer issued but many hams had decades of experience using them to send along with QSLs, before they were replaced by "Green Stamps." Italian immigrant and Bostonian Charles Ponzi (for whom the scheme is named) used IRC-laundering for the basis of his larceny in the 1920s, buying them at a discount overseas and redeeming them for full price in the U.S. Or so he told his gullible "customers." (Thanks, Jim K1TN) After long consideration of the rapidly evolving contest operating practices, the AARL's Contest Admonitionary Committee is considering replacing existing event rules with a more appropriate collection known by the code name "Calvinball". The hush-hush-I-mean-it-don't-make-me-come-in-there project is targeted for implementation on April 1st according to Cassini Division representative Tweena Rings, WØGAP. Radio pirates of all stripes (Arrrr!) will enjoy a new book, "Rebels On the Air". It mostly talks about broadcast pirate radio, but there are several well-known call signs featured in the text. (Thanks, Sean KX9X - I heard it from the X!) Jim AD1C has released a new program called ClubScore. It takes a 3830 Score Summary and filters out the scores for your particular contest club as shown in this example. This is version "one-point-uh-oh" and Jim requests any feedback be sent to him as directed on the Web site. ClubScore is a good tool to help promote activity and enthusiasm among your club members. The KL7 gang in the Anchorage area is experiencing volcanism "up close and personal" due to the eruption of Mt Redoubt to their southwest generating substantial amounts of ash. For regular updates, the Anchorage Daily News Web site is good and sports a photo gallery, as well. You can also monitor the Alaska Volcano Observatory for more information. (Thanks, Ken KØPP and Jim KL7CC) Speaking of stuff falling from the sky, there's a great story in the 26 March issue of Nature about the discovery and tracking of the asteroid that smacked into Sudan last October. It covers the initial detection through the tracking of the fireball and collection of pieces from the African desert floor. (Thanks, Al K7NHV) A fresh issue of PileUP!, the quarterly Web journal of Contest Club Finland, is now available. As a bonus to our readers, this issue has a board game, the Ultimate DX-game, on page 23. (Thanks, Ilkka OH1WZ) Amateur Radio Exchange is a new amateur radio auction site, similar to eBay.com in style and operation. There will be a forum for discussion and to use the site, registration will be required. The site complements popular swap sites on QRZ.com and eham.net. As always, caveat emptor. Solar cycle 24 is still snoozing and may take even longer to by roused if this article about cosmic ray and neutron flux is correct. I've never tried to solder a cosmic ray or a neutron, but what the heck... (Thanks, Steve N2IC)
Web Site of the Week - Announcing the 55th Annual Poisson d'Avril Contest, promoting international goodwill - at least until the results are posted. From 0000 to 1954 UTC, 1 April 2009 - operate any single 60-minute period, but in keeping with the theme of "Earth Hour", all station lighting must be off, including radio indicators and computer monitors. Exchange a signal report and serial number using cut numbers for all digits on all modes on all frequencies on all bands - there's nowhere to hide!!! Keeping score - don't bother; it would just damage your self-esteem because K1DG will win again. Certificates are available at all supermarkets and convenience stores printed on rolls of a squeezably soft (but sturdy!) two-ply paper. Send logs in Cabrillo 4.1 format to [email protected]. Results will be posted to www.poissondavril.net (not really, but it looks like a good restaurant to try next time you are in VE2...). (Thanks, Doug K1DG) WORD TO THE WISE Gruntier - (grunty-er), an adjective applied to amplifiers, power supplies, antennas, towers, any sort of Serious Hardware, and meaning, well, gruntier! As in, "Hey Joe, does that new stack work better? Yep, definitely gruntier!" SIGHTS AND SOUNDS What is that on the side of N5OT's tower in this IEEE article photo? Perhaps it's Cycle 24 just stuck at a minimum. (Thanks, Geo K5TR)
I found another ham radio cartoon book, "NØUJR And His Friends", at the Nebraska State Convention in Lincoln, NE. Greg has put together a humorous little package of cartoons in the Far Side vein. Hams don't seem to have to go very far to get to the far side! Watch Stefan DL7AOS build a two-element Moxon beam for the recent WPX contest in this online video. If you think you know the contest meaning of "hired gun", think again as you watch Kevin K7ZS visit Dave K7JI's QTH to operate his antenna launcher in this video. If you missed this in the March 20th ARRL Propagation Bulletin, spend some time spying on your competition's antennas. Editor, Tad K7RA notes that using the Maps Live Web site, he can sometimes view high-resolution aerial photos, as opposed to satellite images. If you have a street address, enter it with the ZIP code. If an aerial photo is available, the "Bird's eye" option is available. You can zoom in and even see different photos taken from different perspectives on different dates. For example, enter 225 Main St, 06111 for a view of W1AW. Stefano IK2QEI has uploaded a number of great photos from the Italian Contest University featured in this newsletter's previous edition. He is also adding captions to them as time permits. (Thanks, Doug K1DG) RESULTS AND RECORDS 2008 CQ WPX CW Contest results are now available online, including a PDF version of the magazine writeup and score listings, complete soapbox listings, photos, and a searchable results database. A complete breakdown of club scores is also being made available. All 2,442 certificates (1260 on SSB and 1182 on CW) are in the mail. The plaques are in the final production process due to the assistance of W5GN and K1DG. (Thanks, CQ WPX Director, Randy K5ZD) The results for the 2008 ARRL International EME Competition are now online. Watch for the 2008 CW Sweepstakes online writeup to follow in a few days. (Thanks, ARRL Contest Branch Manager, Sean KX9X) Results for the March RTTY Sprint are now on the NCJ Web site. Thanks to all who helped make this a record-setting RTTY Sprint with 290 participants in the 113 logs submitted. Full details will be in the upcoming May-June issue of NCJ. LCRs (Log Check Reports) are available upon request to [email protected]. (Thanks, RTTY Sprint Manager, Ed WØYK) The 2008 WAE DX Contest RTTY results have now been published on the sponsor's Web site. (Thanks, Joerg, DL8WPX) The results for the 2008 edition of the Pennsylvania QSO Party have been posted. All the prizes and certificates are in the process of being mailed. (Thanks, Mike N3LI) And the 2008 Florida QSO Party results have also been composed and published. (Thanks, Ron WD4AHZ) The 2008 Manchester Mineria All America Contest results are available, with the Single-Op All-Band winners for South American (CX6VM) and North America (N4BP). Even with relatively poor conditions, participation was the best yet, with more than 800 entries from 28 DXCC entities. (Thanks, Luc PY8AZT) Results for the 2008 Croatian CW Contest are now available. (Thanks, Zlatko 9A2EU) This just in - the Poisson D'Avril Contest is already over and the winner is reported to be K1DG again this year, keeping alive an unparalleled streak of victories begun in 1954. OPERATING TIP How do you call CQ for a state QSO party? It is common custom that if you're inside the state, call "CQ [state code] QP" - such as "CQ WI QP" or "CQ WQP" for the Wisconsin QSO Party. If you're outside the state, call "CQ [state code]", such as "CQ WI". Seems reasonable! (Thanks, Dean W9WGV) TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION Tim K3HX has discovered that solid fiberglass rods are being sold at farm supply stores very inexpensively. The fencing section of his local Tractor Supply Company stocks 4' x 3/8" rods with one end pointed - possibly for electric fencing. These might come in handy for antenna building, so keep your eyes open for another source of Good Stuff! What's in those things, anyway? Bird wattmeter elements, I mean. Ken KØPP sent this video photo tour of the common-but-inscrutable cylinders. I was disappointed to find out that, no, they do not contain the same stuff that's at the center of a golf ball. Splitters are commonly used to share receive antennas between different radios. No need to make the job more complicated than necessary, Jim K9YC recommends the Mini-Circuits Labs products as very good passive splitters at very reasonable prices. The ZFSC-2-1W is a two-way splitter that is specified for a minimum of 20dB isolation (30 dB typical) from 1 MHz to 750 MHz. The ZFSC-2-4 is a four-way splitter that covers 0.2-1,000 MHz with about 10dB less isolation. If you didn't look before you sat and now your brand-new boom-set's flat...John K1AR sends word of repair information for Heil products. Oopsie. And for related contretemps, the weekly Instructable email provides instructions for creating new parts for the ones you broke - by molding JB Weld epoxy or by forming an aggregate material out of ground-up plastic bags. Grunty!
Jim WB6BLD has released a new version of his free panel layout software - Meter Basic. This is a very useful program for making professional-quality meter faces for all sorts of electronics. Why not put all that loose RF floating around your antenna farm to good use? The Möbius Line provides a simple, thaumaturgical way to harness those spare cycles. Obtain a length of parallel-conductor feed line any integer multiple of one-half wavelength at the frequency of the RF you wish to harvest. Configure the two ends of the line in propinquity and cross-connect the conductors so that the loop contains a single half-twist, but not necessarily in pike position. Be careful when making the connections as energy will immediately begin to flow around the loop, crossing over at the twist and reinforcing with the previous half-cycle on each circumnavigation. Chill the loop to -273° C, but do not shake or stir. It will immediately undergo Guthian Inflation and begin to rotate in the direction determined by the vector Molarry-Curl of the RF field's zero-point energy, osculating at the reciprocal of the phase velocity and forming a retro-encabulator. Useful power may be extracted by placing a baseball card immediately adjacent to the loop and gluing an Illudium Q-38 modulator over the player's stats so that the insulators make that wonderful "blap-blap-blap-blap-blap" sound until the cranky neighbor down the street yells at you to cut it out and go home. Rudy N6LF has published a description of his clamp-on RF current transformer on his excellent Web site. While you're there, browse around for some seriously good reading about radials and other antenna-related subjects. Is it a battery or is it an ultra-capacitor? It's starting to get hard to tell and that's a Good Thing as this IEEE Spectrum article on new Lithium-ion batteries explains. One of the drawbacks of using batteries for energy storage has been the time-to-charge, but this improvement takes a big step forward. Another recent story on liquid batteries illuminates another area of research as energy storage technology charges forward. Fiberglass structural tubing will do nicely as a base insulator for towers as reported by Jim W6RMK. McMaster Carr sells it in shippable lengths if it's not available conveniently in your location. Cut three pieces 6" or a foot long, bolt it up, and you're done. A standard carbide blade for wood will cut the stuff, but the blade will dull pretty fast (glass is really hard, so it wears the cutting edges), so get a cheap one and just throw it away. Good ventilation, dust mask, and gloves are important while cutting to avoid the fiberglass dust.
Technical Web Site of the Week - Whatever happened to the once-ubiquitous TWX/Telex machines? The ever-curious Bob N7RDP found that the Wikipedia entry on telegraphy contains the answer. Bob says the story also reveals Telex as a primitive Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) mechanism, exchanging purchase orders and reports and such in pre-agreed formats computer-to-computer over the Telex network, with paper tape as the interchange medium at each end. CONVERSATION "And now for something you'll really like..." "One Call Wizard" Ever since I was a Novice He sits like a statue He's a one call wizard How do you think he knows them? He ain't got no distractions I thought I was At my favorite station CONTESTS 1 April to 14 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. Montana QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 4 0000Z to Apr 6 0000Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50-432, CW-1.81, 3.54, 7.035, 14,04, 21.05, 28.05 SSB - 1.845, 3.810, 7.244, 14.262, 21.365, 28.325. Exchange: RS(T), S/P/C or MT county. Logs due: May 31. Rules LZ Open 40 Meter Contest--CW, from Apr 4 0000Z to Apr 4 0359Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5, 7. Exchange: 6-digit serial and serial from previous QSO. Logs due: 30 days. Rules QRP ARCI Spring QSO Party--CW, from Apr 4 1200Z to Apr 5 2400Z . Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. QRP calling frequencies. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, power or QRP ARCI number. Logs due: 30 days. Rules SP DX Contest--Phone,CW, from Apr 4 1500Z to Apr 5 1500Z . Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS(T), serial or SP province. Logs due: Apr 30. Rules EA RTTY Contest--Digital, from Apr 4 1600Z to Apr 5 1600Z . Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST, serial or EA province. Logs due: Apr 25. Rules MO QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Apr 4 1800Z to Apr 5 0500Z and Apr 5 1800Z to Apr 5 2400Z . Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. CW 40 kHz from band edge; Phone--1.880, 3.980, 7.180, 14.280, 21.380, 28.310. Exchange: RS(T), serial, MO county or S/P/C. Logs due: Jun 1. Rules QCWA Spring QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 4 1800Z to Apr 5 1800Z . Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50+. Exchange: Call,year lic'd,name,QCWA chap or S/P/C. Logs due: 30 days. Rules Lighthouse Spring Lites QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 9 0001Z to Apr 19 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 160-10. Exchange: ARLHS number or serial, name, S/P/C. Logs due: 12 days. Rules EU Spring Sprints--CW, from Apr 11 1600Z to Apr 11 1959Z . Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. 3.550,7.025,14.040. Exchange: Both callsigns, serial, name. Logs due: 15 days. Rules URE 60th Anniversary Contest--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 11 0000Z to Apr 12 2359Z . Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS(T) and EA province or serial. Logs due: Apr 30. Rules Japan International DX Contest --CW, from Apr 11 0700Z to Apr 12 1300Z . Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST, JA prefecture or CQ Zone. Logs due: May 31. Rules PSK31 Flavors Contest--Digital, from Apr 11 12 Noon to Apr 11 6 PM. Bands (MHz): 14. 14.070-14.080. Exchange: S/P/C and name or 070 number. Logs due: May 11. Rules GA QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Apr 11 1800Z to Apr 12 0359Z and Apr 12 1400Z to Apr 12 2359Z . 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. Exchange: RS(T), S/P/C or GA county. Logs due: May 15. Rules Yuri Gagarin DX Contest--CW, from Apr 11 2100Z to Apr 12 2100Z . Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST, ITU Zone. Logs due: May 7. Rules Low Power Spring Sprint--CW, from Apr 13 1400Z to Apr 13 2000Z . Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST, grid square, category. Logs due: 30 days. Rules VHF+ CONTESTS Montana QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 4 0000Z to Apr 6 0000Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50-432, CW-1.81, 3.54, 7.035, 14,04, 21.05, 28.05 SSB - 1.845, 3.810, 7.244, 14.262, 21.365, 28.325. Exchange: RS(T), S/P/C or MT county. Logs due: May 31. Rules EU EME Contest--Phone,CW, from Apr 4 0000Z to Apr 5 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 432, 5.7G. Exchange: TMO/RS(T) and "R". Logs due: May 31. Rules QCWA Spring QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Apr 4 1800Z to Apr 5 1800Z . Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50+. Exchange: Call,year lic'd,name,QCWA chap or S/P/C. Logs due: 30 days. Rules VHF Spring Sprints--Phone,CW, from Apr 6 7 PM to Apr 6 11 PM. Bands (MHz): 144. Exchange: Grid Square (6-character preferred). Logs due: 14 days. Rules GA QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Apr 11 1800Z to Apr 12 0359Z and Apr 12 1400Z to Apr 12 2359Z . 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. Exchange: RS(T), S/P/C or GA county. Logs due: May 15. Rules VHF Spring Sprints--Phone,CW, from Apr 14 7 PM to Apr 14 11 PM. Bands (MHz): 222. Exchange: Grid Square (6-character preferred). Logs due: 14 days. Rules LOG DUE DATES 1 April to 14 April April 1 - North Carolina QSO Party, email logs to: ncqp[at]windstream[dot]net, paper logs and diskettes to: NC QSO PARTY, c/o Henry Heidtmann W2DZO, 8812 Merry Hill Court, Lewisville, NC 27023, USA. Rules April 1 - Feld Hell Sprint, email logs to: (none), post log summary at: http://www.bambinomusical.com/autolog.html, paper logs and diskettes to: (none). Rules April 4 - 10-10 Int. Mobile Contest, email logs to: [email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: Dan Morris, KZ3T, 131 Valencia Lane, Statesville, NC 28625, USA. Rules April 5 - High Speed Club CW Contest, email logs to: [email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: Jo Mertens, DJ4EY, HSC Contest Manager, Am Muhlebruch 32, 59581 Warstein, Germany. Rules April 5 - UBA Spring Contest, 6m, email logs to: [email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: Michel Gertis, ON4CAQ, Mommestraat 69, B-3550 Heusden Zolder, Belgium. Rules April 6 - AGCW VHF/UHF Contest, email logs to: [email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: Manfred Busch, DK7ZH, Ebachstr. 13, D-35716 Dietzhoelztal-Mandeln, Germany. Rules April 6 - ARCI HF Grid Square Sprint, email logs to: [email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: ARCI Spring QSO Party, c/o Jeff Hetherington, VA3JFF, 139 Elizabeth St. W., Welland, Ontario L3C 4M3, Canada. Rules April 6 - ARRL Inter. DX Contest, SSB, email logs to: [email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: ARRL Intl DX Contest, Phone, ARRL, 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111, USA. Rules April 6 - SARL VHF/UHF Contest, email logs to: [email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: The Contest Committee, PO Box 11198, Queenswood, 0121 Pretoria, South Africa. Rules April 7 - DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest, email logs to: [email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: Werner Ludwig, DF5BX, P.O. Box 1270, 49110 Georgsmarienhuette, Germany. Rules April 8 - Open Ukraine RTTY Championship, email logs to: [email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: George Ignatov (UT1HT), P.O. Box 87, Kremenchug-21 39621, UKRAINE. Rules April 8 - NSARA Contest, email logs to: [email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: Peter J. Surette, VE1JPS, 55 Edgewood Drive, Turo, Nova Scotia B2N 1P1, Canada. Rules April 10 - Elecraft QSO Party, email logs to: [email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: (none). Rules April 12 - UBA Spring Contest, 2m, email logs to: [email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: Michel Gertis, ON4CAQ, Mommestraat 69, B-3550 Heusden Zolder, Belgium. Rules April 13 - SOC Marathon Sprint, email logs to: [email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: Bob Patten, N4BP, 2841 N.W. 112 Terrace, Plantation, FL 33323, USA. Rules April 14 - Idaho QSO Party, email logs to: [email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: Edward Campbell, NX7TT, 157 N 3300 E, Rigby, ID 83442, USA. Rules April 14 - CLARA HF Contest, email logs to: [email protected], paper logs and diskettes to: Leona, VE7ONY, PO Box 266, 2475 Dobbin Road #22, Westbank, BC V4T2E9, Canada. Rules ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ARRL Contest Update wishes to acknowledge information from WA7BNM's Contest Calendar and SM3CER's Contest Calendar. | |||||
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