Contester's Rate Sheet for February 26, 2003
*********************** Contester's Rate Sheet 26 February 2003 *********************** Edited by Ward Silver, N0AX SUMMARY o ARRL DX Phone this weekend, Elecraft QSO Party the next o Great contest activity maps by WM5R o JIDX, Ohio QSO Party, and OK-OM Contest results are ready for you o For the climber and the ground crew o "Why Do You Contest?" BULLETINS o No bulletin-level items this issue BUSTED QSOS o Regarding the Web sites for supplemental information about ARRL DX participation - the Canadian sections were inadvertently left out of the list of QTHs. Ouch, eh? This has now been repaired and all Canadians are encouraged to visit http://www.hornucopia.com/surveys/arrldxcw.php or http://www.hornucopia.com/surveys/arrldxssb.php If you haven't visited yet, we'd love to have you contribute to the growing pool of interesting information -- it only takes a minute or two. ANNOUNCEMENT & NOTICES FOR 26 FEBRUARY TO 11 MARCH 2003 Logs are due for the following contests: o February 28 - East Asia 160/80 DX Contest, email to: ja1ely@bb.mbn.or.jp, paper logs to: Five Nine Magazine, P.O. Box 59, Kamata, Tokyo 144-8691, Japan o February 28 - Hunting Lions in the Air, email to: rad.handfield-jones@pixie.co.za, paper logs to: The HLITA Contest Committee, Lions Club of Midrand, PO Box 1548, Halfway House 1685, South Africa o February 28 - Midwinter Contest, CW/SSB, email to: jckoekkoek@home.nl, paper logs to: PA3GQG, Contest Manager Midwinter Contest, Keulenheide 1, 6373 AP Landgraaf, The Netherlands o February 28 - CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW, email to: cq160@kkn.net, paper logs to: CQ 160-Meter Contest, 25 Newbridge Road, Hicksville, NY 11801, USA o March 1 - BARTG RTTY Sprint, email to: ska@bartg.demon.co.uk, paper logs to: John Barber, GW4SKA, PO Box 611, Cardiff, CF24 4UN, Wales o March 1 - Vermont QSO Party, email to: (none), paper logs to: Chris Knox, N1GBB, Vermont QSO Party Coordinator, Central Vermont Amateur Radio Club, 1339 Aseltine Road, Northfield, VT 05663, USA o March 2 - Mexico RTTY International Contest, email to: xe1j@ucol.mx, paper logs to: Jose Levy, Direccion de Concursos FMRE, Clavel 333, Colima, Col 28030, Mexico o March 4 - North American Sprint, Phone, email to: ssbsprint@ncjweb.com, paper logs to: Jim Stevens, K4MA, 6609 Vardon Ct., Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526, USA o March 9 - Delaware QSO Party, email to: QSOparty@fsarc.org, paper logs to: Contest Chairman - FSARC, Inc., PO Box 1050, Newark, DE 19715, USA o March 10 - FISTS Winter Sprint, email to: W8PIG@yahoo.com, paper logs to: Dan Shepherd, N8IE, 1900 Pittsfield St., Kettering, OH 45420, USA o March 11 - YL-OM Contest, CW, email to: wa6uvf@pe.net, paper logs to: Jeanie Parker, WA6UVF, 28400 Vista del Valle, Hemet, CA 92544, USA o March 11 - North American Sprint, CW, email to: cwsprint@ncjweb.com, paper logs to: Boring Amateur Radio Club, 15125 Bartell Road, Boring, OR 97009, USA o March 11 - QRP ARCI Winter Fireside SSB Sprint, email to: rfoltz@turbonet.com, paper logs to: Randy Foltz, K7TQ, Attn: Fireside SSB, 809 Leith St., Moscow, ID 83843, 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 ARRL International DX Contest - Phone - from 0000Z Mar 1 - 2400Z Mar 2. Frequencies: 160 -- 10 meters, LSB operation above 1.843 MHz would be appreciated. Categories: SOSB, SOAB (HP >150W, LP, QRP <5W), MS, M2, MM. Exchange: RST + State or Province or Power (KH6 and KL7 count as DX). QSO Points: 3 pts/QSO. Score: QSO points x DXCC entities (DX counts states + provinces). For more information -- http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2003/intldx.html. Logs due 1 Apr to dxphone@arrl.org (Cabrillo format only) or DX CW, ARRL, 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111. DARC 10-Meter Digital "Corona" - RTTY/AMTOR/PACTOR/PSK31/Clover, sponsored by Deutscher Amateur Radio Club from 1100Z -- 1700Z Mar 2. Frequencies (MHz): 28.050-28.150, work stations once per mode. Categories: SO, SWL. Exchange: RST + serial number. QSO Points: 1pt/QSO. Score: QSO points x DXCC entities + WAE countries + JA/VE/W call districts (all counted only once). For more information - http://www.darc.de/referate/dx/cqdlcont/corona02.htm. Logs due 4 weeks after the contest to df5bx@darc.de or Werner Ludwig, DF5BX, PO Box 1270, D-49110 Georgsmarienhuette, Germany. Spartan Sprint - CW - sponsored by the Adventure Radio Society from 0200Z -- 0400Z Mar 4 (Monday evening in the U.S.). Held on the first Monday of every month. Frequencies (MHz): 3.560, 7.040, 14.060, 21.060, 28.060 (QRP calling frequencies). Categories: SO. Exchange: RST, SPC, and power output. Score: "Skinny" division - total QSOs / total station weight, "Tubby" division - total QSOs. For more information - http://www.natworld.com/ars/pages/spartan_sprints/ss_rules.html -- recent changes in rules about total station weight may be of interest. Logs due on Wednesday after the contest via the ARS Web site or to hjohnc@core.com. RSGB Commonwealth Contest - CW - sponsored by the RSGB from 1000Z Mar 8-1000Z Mar 9. Open to British Commonwealth stations only, work stations once per band outside your own call area. HQ stations may be worked by everyone and count as a separate call area. Frequencies: lower 30 kHz of 80-10 meters. Categories: SO - open (full-time), - restricted (12 hrs max), Headquarters -- MO and SO, no spotting assistance. Scoring: 5 pts/QSO, 1st 3 QSOs with a call area count 25 pts. For more information - http://www.rsgbhfcc.org/. Logs due April 7 to commonwealth.contest.logs@rsgbhfcc.org or G3UFY, 77 Bensham Manor Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey CR7 7AF, England. UBA Spring Contest - CW - sponsored by the Royal Union of Belgian Amateur Radio from 0700Z-1100Z Mar 9. Frequencies: 80 - 10-meters, according to the IARU band plan. Categories: SOAB, SOAB-QRP, SOSB, MS, packet is allowed for all classes. Exchange: RST and serial number, ON stations add their province abbr. QSO Points: QSOs with ON stations - 10 pts, with other EU - 3 pts, outside EU - 1 pt. Score: QSO points X ON provinces + ON prefixes + DXCC entities counted once per band. For more information - http://www.uba.be. Logs due 30 days after the contest to berger@cyc.ucl.ac.be or Michel Le Bon, ON4GO, UBA HF Contest Manager, Chée de Wavre 1349, B-1160 Bruxelles, Belgium. Wisconsin QSO Party - Phone/CW - sponsored by the West Allis RAC from 1800Z Mar 9-0100Z Mar 10. Frequencies (MHz): CW -- 3.550, 3.705, 7.050, 14.050 and 15-2 meters, Phone -- 3.890, 7.230, 14.290, 21.350, 28.400 and 6/2 meters, no repeater QSOs. Categories: SO, MS, MM, and Mobile. Mobile operators may not sit on a county line to operate. Exchange: SPC or WI county. QSO Points: Phone - 1 pt, CW - 2 pts. Score: Pwr mult x QSO pts x WI counties (max 72), WI stations - QSO pts x WI counties + SPC. WI mobiles/portables add 500 bonus points for each county with 12 or more QSOs. Power multiplier: x2 (<5W), x1.5 (<150W), x1(>150W). For more information - http://www.warac.org. Logs due April 10 to Wisconsin QSO Party, West Allis Radio Amateur Club, PO Box 1072, Milwaukee, WI 53201. North American RTTY Sprint, sponsored by NCJ from 0000Z-0400Z Mar 9. Frequencies 80 -- 20 meters. North American stations work everyone; others work NA stations only. Exchange both callsigns, serial number, name, and SPC. The same station can be worked multiple times provided 3 contacts separate the contact in both logs, regardless of band. QSY rule: Stations calling CQ, QRZ, etc, may only work one station in response to that call; they must then move at least 1 kHz before working another station or 5 kHz before soliciting another call. Once you are required to QSY, you may not make a new QSO on the previous frequency until you have made a contact at least 1 or 5 kHz (as required) away. For more information - http://www.ncjweb.com. Logs due 30 days after the contest to rttysprint@ncjweb.com or Douglas McDuff W4OX, 10380 SW 112th Street, Miami, FL 33176. (Doug is the new contest manager.) Elecraft QSO Party - CW/SSB - sponsored by Elecraft (makers of the K1/K2 kits) is sponsoring a QSO party from 1500Z Mar 8 -- 1500Z Mar 9th. You don't have to have an Elecraft rig to enter. Frequencies: CW 1.805-1.815, 3.530-3.540, 7.030-7.040, 14.050-14.060, 21.050-21.060, 28.050-28.060; SSB 1.905-1.915, 3.850-3.900, 7.250-7.300 (EU 7.050-7.100), 14.250-14.300, 21.300-21.350,28.300-28.350. Categories: Elecraft and Non-Elecraft. Exchange: RST, Elecraft model and serial number (if available), and SPC. QSO Points: <5 W - 3 pts, <15 W - 2 pts, 1 pt otherwise. Bonus Points: 5 points for each Elecraft Field Tester worked (Field Testers send /FT after rig model), 25 points if any QSOs are made with battery power. For more information - http://www.elecraft.com. Logs due 30 days after the contest to K2@linuxcolumbus.com in ASCII format. NEWS & PRESS RELEASES If you made a few QSOs in any of the recent NA Sprints and don't really feel like doing the regular log submission, but would like to get your log to the contest manager, the new Sprint log entry form is on-line and ready for you to enter your log. This tool, created by WA7BNM, can be used for any of the NCJ Sprint contests. You can find it at http://www.ncjweb.com/manualsprintlog.php. (Thanks, Tree N6TR and Bruce WA7BNM) Dennis, K0CKD is trying to update the Top Band Frequency allocations listing at http://www.machlink.com/~k0ckdennis/topbandfrequencyallocations.txt. If you have information concerning any countries frequency allocation on 160 meters, please let him know so that he can make the necessary changes and updates. Dennis can be reached at dennis.peterson@machlink.com. Ken WM5R has made some really great maps of contest activity available at his Web site, http://www.wm5r.org/maps/. This is a great example of the type of useful data that exists in the ARRL's on-line results (http://www.arrl.org/contests). Ken's maps include the following contests: - ARRL International DX Contest, CW - ARRL International DX Contest, Phone - IARU HF World Championship - ARRL November Sweepstakes, CW - ARRL November Sweepstakes, Phone - ARRL 160 Meter Contest - ARRL Ten Meter Contest Ken's site is a great example of the kinds of useful, interesting analysis that can be performed on the data now available on the ARRL on-line contest results. If you have an idea -- give it a try! RESULTS AND RECORDS Results for the 2002 JIDX HFCW contest are now available at the following URL: http://je1cka.jzap.com/jidx/index.html. (Thanks, Tack JE1CKA) The final results of the 2002 WAG Contest have been published at http://www.darcdxhf.de. (Thanks, Klaus DL1DTL) 2002 Ohio QSO Party results are available at http://www.mrrc.net/story/2003/2/12/9163/45045. Congratulations to Single-Op category winners WX3M (HP), K9NW (LP), and K8GU (QRP). Other category winners are listed on the Web site. (Thanks, Pat N8VW) Claimed scores for the 2002 OK-OM DX Contest are available at http://okomdx.radioamater.cz/uvnitr_en.htm. (Thanks, Martin OK1FUA) All certificates and plaques for the 2002 EU Sprint Contests have now been mailed. The EU Sprint Web page http://www.qsl.net/eusprint contains results, software, and other items of interest. (Thanks, Paolo I2UIY) TECHNICAL & TECHNIQUE This issue's T&T section is packed full of good information and ideas from the denizens of the TowerTalk reflector (available via http://www.contesting.com). For the climbers... o Two tool pouches (bolt bags) on your belt - one for tools and the other for parts and hardware o Use two lanyards on your climbing belt so that one can always be attached to the tower. o Always take along a roll of electrical tape...even if the job doesn't require it, there is always at least one thing on the way down that can always use a quick wrap or two. o Have an HT, cell phone, or FRS radio for communications to the ground crew or to call for help o Carabiners and slings are good for lifting just about anything and are also useful for temporary holds o Always bring up extra fasteners for the job o Hold a safety meeting before work commences o Go to the bathroom before you go up the tower. o You were born tied off, stay tied off. For the ground crew... o Have the ground crew wear hard hats -- always. o Learn how to tie a bowline o When using tape to hold stuff together to go "up the tower", fold the end of the tape over in a "flag" so that the tower workers can just grab and pull the tape off. o Mate the tower sections on the ground (rotating for best/easiest fit) before they go up in the air and mark the legs so that the rope/cable is attached to the correct leg. CONVERSATION "Why Do You Contest?" This is a fun question. I'm not talking about, "What is it with contesters?", often asked in frustration by someone feeling a bit crowded. But rather, about what draws you to the radio- weekend after weekend - to holler into the microphone or pound on the keyboard in pursuit of...what? Let's see -- there are the competitors that fight for a spot at the lofty top. They want The Plaque that says "Ultimate Champion". At the very least they want to be in The Box -- one of the Top Ten. They plan, they prepare, they strategize, they fret, they fly great distances, they push the envelope. And by golly, they DO appear in the boxes time after time after time with excellent scores that just seem to get higher every year. These folks are after RATE and MULTS and SCORE and lots of it. Their first question on Monday morning is, "When's the next contest?" There are the "DX-ers" that use contests as a vehicle to make QSOs that count for any number of awards -- DXCC, WAZ, WAS, IOTA, you name it. They don't mind sitting in a screaming packet pileup for fifteen minutes, because the station in the Italian Virgin Islands is a New One! Many QRP operators LOVE contests for this reason -- the Big Guns are out in force looking for Every Single QSO, including that puny weak cross-continental contact on 80-meters the QRP-er needs for 5B-WAS. The band-mode collector, the Medium Pistol, the wallpaper chaser -- all keep the bands busy. Casual operators abound. A few hours here, an hour there, they like finding the bands packed and enjoy an afternoon of radio slam dancing. When the dinner bell rings, they're probably through, but in the meantime a hundred or more QSOs went in the logs of other competitors. It's an operating breath of fresh air that fits in nicely with the local club repeater, the weekly emergency services net, and the schedule with Fred in Arizona on Thursday afternoons. Newly licensed operators are continually discovering the sport and working up the nerve to push the mike button and call Mr. Big Gun 40-over-9 200-per-hour. Yikes! He answered! It's like getting a handshake from Tiger Woods. Send a QSL? You bet! He's where? I talked to what? There may be only ten QSOs in that contest log, but you can bet that each one was an accomplishment. The strange thing about radio contesting is...those operators are all in there TOGETHER. No other sport puts all levels of competitors in the same arena at the same time and requires them to cooperate. In fact, in no other sport are the competitors measured by their ability to cooperate. To be sure, there is competitive pressure -- just try to get a frequency within 20 kHz of the band edge -- but the competition is to see who can cooperate the best, the fastest, the most-est. Weird, huh? No matter why you do it -- as a Major Dude or on the What-Do-I-Say-Now level -- your presence is required and accepted. I have been all of the above kinds of contester (although my plaques are few) and have never been made to feel anything but welcome on the air. I admit, some of the welcoming takes place in about 10 microseconds, but by golly, my QSOs add to a score just as much as from somebody in the Hall of Fame and we all put our antennas together one element at a time. When I was helping to host the first WRTC back in 1990 and all these famous callsigns were showing up at the various functions, my wife asked me how long I'd known these guys. My instant answer was, "Years!" Even though, on reflection, our cumulative interaction probably totaled no more than five minutes and our scores couldn't have been farther apart, I felt like each one was a trusted friend. Hey, they're contesters, right? I guess that's why I contest. 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/
