[CVCC] CVCC Upcoming Events de W4PM

[H. M. Motley, Jr,]

This is what I wanted to send the first time!

The next meeting is November 5th (election day).  There will be a November News Letter a few days before the meeting.  If you have anything for the News Letter send it to me. I'm especially looking for your contesting  results.  There were a few in October!  For DX accomplishments sent your information to Ronnie.  You may want to wait until Monday to add all the new DX you are working this weekend in the CQWW SSB DX contest.  You SSB guys are doing that this weekend aren't you?


ARRL 160-Meter Contest 2200Z, Dec 6 to 1600Z, Dec 8 (CW ONLY)
We have won a number of gavels in this contest and hope to do it again this year.  We will have a multi-operation from Jonathan's QTH manned by Jonathan, Milt and me.  Any other CW ops are welcome to come.  We can use the help.  In addition, Sejo will activate W4DR for the contest and give us another big score.   Also we hope more of the CVCC members will get on from home and support the club in this effort. We need more logs - up to 10 - to win this contest.  Please let me know if you can help the CVCC with your participation by sending me a return e-mail.
Puck  

ARRL 10-Meter Contest 0000Z, Dec 14 to 2400Z, Dec 15  (SSB and CW) 
At the October CVCC meeting  it was agreed upon that we, as a contest club, would enter the subject contest. We will have a club contest station, which will be operated by club members. At this time the station is most likely to be Jonathan station off Rte. 6 just west of Rte. 288. We will need operators for this station. Ten meters has been open this past week and if this opening continues we will need operators Saturday and Sunday, December 14th and 15th,  from 7 am to 7 pm. The contest is limited to 36 hours total time but we don't anticipate the band being open that length of time. If necessary, Jonathan and myself and any other volunteers will open or close the band prior to the normal scheduled operators if necessary.
You can also operate from home as well as provide operating time at the club sponsored station. Please sign up for the contest station's operating hours at the November meeting or contact me via e-mail, or telephone to sign up with the time you prefer. My cell number is 804-363-0894. Leave a message if I don't answer and I will return the call.
This is a mixed mode contest. Each CW contact is worth 4 pts. while SSB mode will gather 2 pts. per contact. In addition to the contest station your logs will also count for the overall CVCC score. Let's put on a great showing. Let's be IN IT TO WIN IT!!
C U @ the November meeting
Dave Beck

In addition November is Sweepstakes time:
ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, CW	2100Z, Nov 2 to 0300Z, Nov 4
ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, SSB	2100Z, Nov 16 to 0300Z, Nov 18

While we do not enter this contest as CVCC we do support PVRC in their effort to win the Unlimited Club category.  There is quite a competition between PVRC and the group out west and we can help PVRC win.  The club with the most BIC's normally wins! Get in the contest on SSB, CW or both and send in your log or logs for PVRC.  This assumes you are currently a PVRC member. If not, go to the PVRC website and join now. Your CVCC membership entitles you to membership in PVRC but you must make the effort to officially join!

Kyle is doing SS CW from Duke's QTH and requested help.  If you do CW and would like to join the fun from a great station with two great guys go help them out.

Following is a list of tips by PVRC members received a few years back!

SWEEPSTAKES TIPS DE PVRC
W4MYA: (As heard by WX3B): One word: 3.803!

KE3Q: Have someone like WM3O as a friend, because he will keep pestering you to get on, and won't let you forget it all year long if he gets a higher score -- which encourages you to do better next time.

W4NF: : Accuracy is critical. If you think you miscopied any part of the exchange ask for a repeat. It is better to slow down and get it right than bust the call or exchange. I think if you bust the exchange you just lose the contact but if you bust the call you get a penalty also. So make sure that everything is correct.

WM3O: don't forget to have fun. Thank obvious newcomers - a check of 08 or 09 with a 2x3 call should get a "thanks for the contact, enjoy the contest, have fun" type of thanks. The new guys are important!

KE3Q: For the rusty on CW, try one of the pileup simulator programs available free on line. Do 10 minutes of practice from time to time leading up to SS. Morse Runner is available at:
http://www.dxatlas.com/MorseRunner/

K2AV: The club with the most butts in the chair wins (paraphrased from the reflector)

KA3ITJ: If you have been out of the game for awhile and you are a little rusty help out at a multi or multi/multi that needs odd hour op fill-ins.  It also gives you a chance to see other operating styles and techniques.

N3AM: remember one of the PVRC meetings in my early days of membership when Vic Clark, W4KFC, said he had made the following sign, prominently displayed above his operating position, specifically for the Sweepstakes doldrums of Sunday afternoon: "THIS IS FUN!"

KA1ARB: When rates slow down, I call CQ with a big smile, vary my CQs, and give them a live human being (no voice keyer). I¹ll usually give a warm “thank you for calling” as a signal to the casual folks that “hey, you can call me too.” I get all kinds of non-contesters calling in, saying I’ve been listening to you and just wanted to give you a call.

On CW, as a slow CW op, I tune around for somebody slow enough for me to copy, so remember to vary your CW CQ’s as well!

NI1N: if you know someone who is iffy about getting on, see what you can do about that.
As I was typing my last email I got a text message on my cell phone from WX3B that said "NI1N IN SS!!!!!"
Of course you don't want to be obnoxious, but this text actually made me laugh.

NI1N: If I call you, don't tell me I'm "in your log". If I am calling you then you are not in mine.
Perhaps I busted your call -- no penalty for you. Just work me again. I would have had a penalty either way; I might as well get a point from you also. Perhaps I was calling someone else when you thought I was calling you. No penalty for me (although I miss some possible points), but a penalty for you. Just work me again. Of course, I don't just mean "me". Don't do this to anyone! Just work them again. I'm always surprised how many times I hear this going on.

NI1N: it's nice to try to work each and every station calling you, but there will be stations you just won't be able to pull out of the noise. Don't waste too much time on one station. With the long exchange, odds are you'll get a part of it wrong and won't get the point anyway. Even worse... if you are trying to hold a good frequency, you are opening up the door for a frequency battle by not making noise for a while. Keeping that frequency is more important to the bottom line than a few missed QSOs.

NI1N: Get to 75m SSB early and camp out on 3.803. …(WX3B Comment: that only works if NI1N isn’t there first)

N4ZR: OK - Don't hesitate to vary your CQing speed substantially when things get slow. I have often called CQ at 13-15 WPM in the Extra segments when things got slow, and was amazed at the number of people who came out of the woodwork with a low QSO serial number.

NN3W: Got only a few hours to operate? Try Sunday afternoon for some surprise popularity, especially on CW! You will get spotted, and swarmed! This works even if you are a little pistol…

N4ZR: Make a habit of copying serial number and precedence together, without a space - like 79B, 123U, etc. The ambiguity is only a problem with low serial numbers, but you'll get a lot of those late in the contest. Note that this tip about copying the serial number
and precedence together is for users of N1MM Logger and maybe TRLog -
programs that parse the SS exchange, regardless of the order in which it is entered.

N4ZR: Consider going unlimited and using CW Skimmer!

N4ZR: A very low 40M dipole (<30 ft.) can be dynamite on Sunday afternoon

K2AV: Rule #1: Butt in Chair. Rule #2, any questions - please refer to rule #1

N8II: Consider running LOWER in the band on 75m (if necessary below 3750). I had a “mega” run at 3787 late at night last year.

KA3JLW: For pistols (low power/wires/no beams): Think of SS as a fishing in a river. It may be bad this moment, but the water is continually flowing by, bringing fresh opportunities

KA3JLW: For new operators: This is one contest where you can have fun and accomplish something…..as long as you stay in the chair!

KA3JLW: Pistols: In PVRC land, don't be afraid of being on bands at the 'wrong times'... (Some of my best runs were midday on 80 where mid Atlantic folks would do a quick stroll through, hear my CQ and pick me up. corollary: don't be afraid to venture from KW alley for the same reasons. Found my PR last year that way)

W9GE: Keep your butt in the chair.

KE3Q: Try to get extra sleep Friday and a nap on Saturday. Sleep in the bank contributes to good mental attitude, and attitude is a key factor to staying on

N3CW: Test your ENTIRE station out, long BEFORE the contest. This includes your radios, amplifiers, computers, interfaces, antennas, and even your logging software. Make sure all systems are go! Do this several weeks in advance!

K4ZW: Don’t let a single (even major) glitch get you down. Two years ago I arrived home with 2 hours left in SS, and discovered the computer was “unavailable”. I broke out the pencil and paper and made QSOs!

WX3B: Only 2 weeks to turn your log in this year! Verify that it was correctly received – and save the receipt in a safe place.

WX3B: 40 meters – could be more interesting this year without the short wave broadcast stations.

K3MM: When in doubt, call CQ! (WX3B put those words in Ty’s mouth)