[NLRS] 10 GHz Cumulative and web page

[John P. Toscano]

I put a new section on the NLRS home page (pretty small so far) on
10 GHz topics.  One of its links is to the table of locations I
mentioned earlier (which has been updated with much of Donn's data).
I will keep working on it as time permits.

Gary: Thanks for the offer of more data, I will happily add it when
it arrives.

For computing bearing and distance, there are three tools that I've made
available before that can be of some assistance to you.  None of them
is in a form that I would consider "ideal" for the purpose, but any one
of them easily beats pencil/paper/ruler/calculator.

The Contest Station Locator spreadsheet could be used if you simply
add the 10 GHz sites in as if they were new operators.  Put the name
of the location in place of the "operator's callsign" and fill in
the rest normally.  It requires Microsoft Excel.  :(
  http://www.tcrc.org/contests/StationLocator.html

The GridLoc program for the Palm Pilot and compatibles can also be
used.  Unfortunately, the current version lacks the ability to
store a database of locations/operators, which I hope to add "some
day".  But in the meantime, it will compute the bearing and distance
between any two points whose coordinates are known (in most formats,
i.e. DD:MM:SS, DD:MM.MMM, DD.DDDDD, or 4-digit or 6-digit grid).
  http://www.tcrc.org/contests/Palm_GridLocator/index.html

There is also an Excel spreadsheet that could help you record your
logging data for the 10 GHz and Up contest.  One "page" or "tab"
requires you to enter your data by latitude and longitude in
degrees and fractions thereof (no DD:MM:SS or DD:MM.MMMM formats),
which is pretty unfriendly, but the second "page" or "tab" allows
you to log by 6-digit gridsquare (the most popular way to do it).
In either case, it does the calculations needed to figure the
bearing, distance, and score.  Unfortunately, it is pretty
primitive, won't catch dupes, and doesn't even have a column to
record the band (for those of you with 24 GHz and up).  But it
may be better than nothing, if you want to drag a laptop around
with you.  Of course, pencil and paper work fine for logging
this contest, but the math is a bit ugly to do by hand.  :(
  http://www.tcrc.org/contests/10GHz_Logger.xls

As I said earlier, I am available both days, but have no gear except
for a reasonably sturdy camera tripod (enough for a WBFM horn unit,
not for a unit with a dish), so I would need to borrow a unit if you
want my unique call bonus and my measly distance points.

Mike: The telephone liason won't be legal.  Though it's not mentioned
in the specific rules for the 10 GHz and Up Cumulative Contest, you
ALSO have to look at the "Rules for Contests Above 50 MHz" and the
"Rules for All Contests", and in there it clearly mentions no liason
on non-amateur gear, and no liason on repeaters for contests.  (Links
to all the rules on the NLRS home page.)

73 de KB0ZEV