[nrv-hams] DX this weekend

[Kay Craigie]

This coming weekend is the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) World HF
Championship contest. It's on 10, 15, 20, 40, 80, and 160 meters, both voice
and CW. The contest begins at 1200 UTC July 12 and ends at 1200 UTC July 13.
It's a big everybody works everybody thing, and you can log lots of good DX
plus stations in the USA.

We can work stations once per band per mode. For example, I can work XE1KK
on 20 meters phone and on 20 meters CW. 

The exchange (what we send and receive) is a signal report (always 59 or
599) and our International Telecommunication Union (ITU) zone. For us that
is Zone 8. But wait, there's more! IARU is composed of the world's amateur
radio national societies, such as the ARRL in the USA. To make things more
fun, many of the IARU national societies will have stations on the air.
Instead of sending their ITU zone along with their signal report, these
stations will send the abbreviation of their national society:  RSGB for the
Radio Society of Great Britain, RAC for the Radio Amateurs of/du Canada, and
so on. In addition, IARU elected officials will send the abbreviation for
their positions. So members of the IARU Administrative Council and the three
IARU regional Executive committees send "AC," "R1,""R2," and "R3" as
appropriate.  

Confused yet? Hang on a minute, and it will get worse. Taking place within
the contest this year is the World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC)
competition, a contest within a contest. Two-person teams of the whole
world's top contesters will compete head to head using the same kind of
antenna on the same kind of terrain at the same power level. This year they
will be operating from New England, using 1 x 1 callsigns handed out at the
last minute by the contest officials. Each team is observed in person by a
referee during the whole contest. By the way, these 1 x 1 WRTC callsigns are
worth 5 points each in the ARRL Centennial QSO Party. To find out more about
this battle of the contest titans, go to http://www.wrtc2014.org/.

There is no W1AW portable operation during the WRTC and the ARRL National
Convention that follows immediately afterwards. The hunt for W1AW resumes on
the evening of July 15, at our local 8 PM, with South Carolina back in play.

If you don't want to take part in this event, note that there is no contest
activity on the 12, 17, 30, and 60 meter bands, and the contest does not
include digital modes. Also, 6 meters has been, as my Daddy used to say, as
hot as a sheriff's pistol lately, so check that out.

73 and have fun on the air! - Kay N3KN