[SFDXA] The ARRL Contest Update for March 14, 2012

Wed Mar 14 19:12:15 EDT 2012

If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at:
http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/?issue=2012-03-14

The ARRL Contest Update

March 14, 2012
Editor: Ward Silver, NØAX <mailto:rate-sheet at arrl.org>
/Contest Update/ Archive <http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/>
Contest Calendar <http://www.arrl.org/contests/calendar.html>
ARRL Home Page <http://www.arrl.org/>
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IN THIS ISSUE

  * March Radio Mania - Russian DX Contest <#Contests>
  * Everywhere Rare - CQ WPX SSB Contest <#Contests>
  * Three-Way Contests Around the World <#News>
  * ZL1AMO and W1BIH/PJ9JT - Silent Keys <#Silentkey>
  * Our Numbered Day <#Newsweek>
  * Using HFTA At Your Location <#Sights>
  * Locusts and Ohio <#Results>
  * Note Names of Noise <#Tech>
  * Scheme-It Online Schematic Capture <#Techweek>
  * Two Score and More <#Conversation>

NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO

The Russian DX Contest is rapidly becoming a popular spring-time DX 
contest and counts for WRTC scoring points, too. Then on the month's 
last weekend, put your call on the air as a sought-after prefix in the 
CQ WPX SSB contest! You can also work on your WAS by chasing the OK, VA, 
and ND QSO Parties.

BULLETINS

There are no bulletins in this issue.

BUSTED QSOS

No discombobulations were reported in the previous issue.

CONTEST SUMMARY

Complete information <#Contests> for all contests follows the 
Conversation <#Conversation> section

*March 17-18*

  * CWops Monthly Mini-CWT Test (Mar 14)
  * Feld-Hell St Patrick's Day Sprint
  * 10-10 Mobile QSO Party
  * BARTG HF RTTY Contest
  * CQIR - Ireland Calling
  * Russian DX Contest
  * Oklahoma QSO Party
  * Virginia QSO Party
  * North Dakota QSO Party
  * Run For the Bacon--CW

*March 24-25*

  * CLARA and Family HF Contest (Mar 20)
  * NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint--CW (Mar 22)
  * CQ WPX SSB Contest

NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST

The threes are cleaning up in operating events lately and I don't mean 
Maryland-DC, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The ARRL Triple Play award 
<http://www.arrl.org/triple-play> and other multi-mode contests have now 
been followed by the World Wide Iron Ham Contest 
<http://www.araucariadx.com/ih/> from Brazil and the Greek Triathlon DX 
Contest <http://triathlon-dx-contest.blogspot.com/>. Limber up the 
fingers to type, squeeze, and send in all three modes! (Thanks, Kostas 
SV1DPI and Oms PY5EG)

The 16th Annual SVHFS Conference <http://www.svhfs.org/conference.html> 
will be held on April 20-21 in Charlotte, NC. There will be an antenna 
gain "shootout" and a noise figure test on Friday. ARRL President, Kay 
Craigie N3KN will be the featured speaker on Friday. There are plenty of 
technical and operating presentations, commercial vendors, plus a flea 
market on Friday evening. The Saturday banquet keynote speaker will be 
Nobel laureate Joe Taylor K1JT. (Thanks, Jim W4KXY)

A flip of the Contest Update fedora to these ARRL-VEC staffers who 
process your paperwork! Front row (L-R) - Ann Brinius (ret), ARRL-VEC 
Manager Maria Somma AB1FM, and Lisa Riendeau. Back row (L-R) - Pete 
Warner K1HJW, China Chaney, Amanda Grimaldi KB1VUV, and Perry Green 
WY1O. (not pictured - Sabrina Hughes)

Many clubs are looking for ways to help their newly-licensed members 
become active and learn HF operating skills. The upcoming ARRL Rookie 
Roundup <http://arrl.org/rookie-roundup> (April 15th) has added the 
Multioperator category along with Team competition to help clubs do just 
that. Set up an all-day operating event, activate the club station, 
arrange for an open house - whatever is best for your club. Challenge 
another local club for bragging rights - competition is fun! As an extra 
bonus, you'll be training and recruiting a crop of brand-new Field Day 
operators, too!

The tongue-in-cheek suggestion by Guy N7ZG of using the Q signal QTK to 
tell a pileup of spot-clickers to spread out got a lot of interest. I 
found, however, that QTK is actually a real Q-signal and means "What is 
the speed of your aircraft in relation to the surface of the Earth?" 
(Upon which I naturally wondered, "Laden or unladen?" but I digress...) 
Doing a little research on Q codes 
<http://www.kloth.net/radio/qcodes.php>, I found the far better amateur 
net operations Q signal, QNY, which means "Shift to another frequency". 
Seriously - why /not /use QNY to mean "spread out"? Even if no one knows 
exactly what it means, it will confuse enough of the stations to let you 
work a few of the remaining callers.

K5RQ eloquently compared ham radio to Facebook as the "original social 
network" in this Sarasota SRQ article 
<http://www.srqmagazine.com/JMailer/SRQDailyV2LeftContent.cfm?conID=4554&masID=2748>. 
Come to think of it, QSLing is a lot like collecting friends! (Thanks, 
Dan K1TO)

Richard Krajewski WB2CRD authors a regular blog for EE Times called "The 
Noble Profession 
<http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-blogs/4211400/The-Noble-Profession>". Recently, 
he penned the article "Who Needs Career Fairs When We Have Best Buy? 
<http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-blogs/pop-blog/4237093/Who-needs-career-fairs-when-we-have-Best-Buy->" 
that takes a look at how kids get interested in technology. His key 
point is that you give them access and let them play with it!

I wonder if this speech-squashing gun 
<http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-03-speechjammer-gun-quash-human-utterances.html> 
would work on an out-of-control pileup? (Thanks, Tom K1KI)

Contest logging for the blind is a lot easier if they can use software 
that is friendly to screen reader programs such as JAWS 
<http://www.freedomscientific.com/products/fs/jaws-product-page.asp>. 
One such program is White Stick Log 
<http://www.easilog.co.uk/whitestick.htm> from the UK. (Thanks, Mike NF4L)

This nice note was received by Tim K3LR after the ARRL DX Phone contest, 
"hi my name is jake or m6jbr i made contact with you today at 6:55 GMT 
and i thought that i would give you a bit more info i am 14 i have been 
licenced since september 2011 you are the 3rd hf contact and i was using 
a ts 440s from the south west of england a place called bristol nice 
talking to you 73s" Welcome to the world of HF radiosport, Jake! It's 
good to see enthusiastic operating from our newest hams.

Guess which of the Reverse Beacon Network maps was captured during the 
March 8th solar flare!

Pete N4ZR writes in to let us know of an updated article on the Reverse 
Beacon Network (RBN) website called "What Does a Flare Look Like? 
<http://reversebeacon.blogspot.com/2012/03/what-does-fglare-look-like.html>". 
While you're there, you might also be interested in the article on the 
listings of RBN stations and use the Options menu to display a real-time 
map of stations the RBN is hearing. It's so fascinating that you need to 
remember to get on the air, too!

NOAA has released a test version of Ovation 
<http://helios.swpc.noaa.gov/ovation/> - a new space weather product 
that provides a real-time estimate of the auroral intensity, including 
that of the aurora australis at the South Pole. The program also shows 
where the aurora is expected to be visible. This was an interesting site 
over the past week as major flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) 
were occurring. (Thanks, John N2NC)

NASA invites you watch the 2012 Exploring Space Lectures held at the 
National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. live on the web:

  * Big Bang for the Buck: Cosmology from WMAP
    <http://www.nasm.si.edu/events/eventDetail.cfm?eventID=3725> (March 22)
  * The Little Satellite That Could
    <http://www.nasm.si.edu/events/eventDetail.cfm?eventID=3726> (April 11)
  * Gamma Ray Bursts and the Birth of Black Holes
    <http://www.nasm.si.edu/events/eventDetail.cfm?eventID=3727> (May 16)
  * Seeking Planets Like Earth
    <http://www.nasm.si.edu/events/eventDetail.cfm?eventID=3728> (June 5)

(From the AMSAT <http://www.amsat.org/> ANS-071 bulletin)

VHF+ DXers may be interested in this article on the new Sub-millimeter 
Array <http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/sma/> of radio telescopes atop Mauna 
Kea in Hawaii. The array is the most accurately guided RF antenna in the 
world and receives 180 through 700 GHz with a beam width of less than 
one arc-second. No gain figures are reported but I imagine there are a 
lot of zeroes involved. (Thanks, Jeremy W7EME)

Here are Gary K4MQG and Bill K4CIA checking through DXCC and VUCC 
submissions at last weekend's Charlotte, NC Hamfest - thanks for your 
services, guys! (Photo by NØAX)

Can the astronauts on the ISS see you shining a light at them? The AMSAT 
ANS-071 bulletin reports that "On March 4, about 65 amateur astronomers 
were in position at the Lazano Observatory in Springbranch Texas (near 
San Antonio). They turned on searchlights and waited as the ISS was set 
to make an appearance in the sky. Astronaut Don Pettit, KD5MDT had no 
trouble seeing the flashes." Watch the video 
<http://tinyurl.com/ISS-Flash> and take a look at this light-frequency QSO.

Legendary DXpeditioner and keen CW operator Ron Wright ZL1AMO died last 
week at the age of 75. Ron put many Pacific multipliers in many logs - 
in and out of contests. A cab driver who enjoyed sharing his holidays 
with all of us, Ron's last expedition was to Fiji in 2002. (Thanks, Jess 
W6LEN)

Another giant was added to the list of Silent Keys, as well, as John 
Thompson W1BIH died in the month of his 97^th birthday. John took to the 
air from Curacao as PJ9JT in the 1970s and was the first to construct a 
large contest station on the Dutch islands off the northern coast of 
South America. His signals were legendary and so were the scores from 
the station you now know as PJ2T. (Thanks, Jack W1WEF)

*Web Site of the Week* - Happy Pi Day <http://www.piday.org/>! (3.14) 
Have an irrationally transcendent day!

WORD TO THE WISE

*/Checklog/* - if you realize you've operated in some way that makes you 
ineligible to participate in the contest, submit your log as a checklog. 
That's an option in the Cabrillo format - place the line 
CATEGORY-OPERATOR: CHECKLOG in the log file's header section. That way, 
your contacts can still be used for log checking and the sponsors 
appreciate that.

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SIGHTS AND SOUNDS

The Northern California Contest Club (NCCC) has published a video 
<http://nccc.cc/misc/HFTA.wmv> of program author Dean N6BV giving tips 
on using his HFTA terrain analysis program. (Thanks, Jim K9YC)

Take a look at a great YouTube video on the RZ9OZO family club station 
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qubu0t-J7F4&feature=results_video&lr=1&ob=0> 
and some amazing 4 and 6-year-old operators. You want young operators? 
Here they are! (Thanks, Yuri VE3DZ)

Who was that YL operator at KL2R during the ARRL DX Photo contest? Why, 
that was Ms. Dale Slater - being assisted here by Carl WL7BDO but by all 
accounts she will be running a pileup herself before we know it! 
(Thanks, Larry KL7/N1TX)

While you're enthusing about the new operators appearing on the air, 
Mauro PP5MCB just posted this video of 13-year-old Vitor, PU5DCB 
<http://www.youtube.com/user/pp5mcbpp5mcb/videos> operating in the ARRL 
DX Phone contest. Vitor was operating in the Single-band, 15 meter category.

The N1MM Logger Overview Webinar has been posted on the Potomac Valley 
Radio Club <http://www.pvrc.org/> (PVRC) website under the "Recorded 
Webinars" link. As a reminder, Part 2, Multi-Op & Digital Contesting is 
also available. PVRC President, Ken K4ZW also wishes to thank Pete N4ZR, 
Rich VE3KI, Steve N2IC, and Larry K8UT for putting together this series 
of presentations.

How tall is your tower? Not as tall as the Tokyo Sky Tree 
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57388126-1/japan-builds-tokyo-sky-tree-worlds-tallest-tower/> 
- the world's tallest free-standing broadcast tower!

Here's what a solar flare sounds like - the M8-class flare that hit 
Earth on March 10^th was captured in this audio recording of the blast 
<http://spaceweather.com/images2012/10mar12/m8.mp3?PHPSESSID=fgqd0hlg48je589pr3bptsvcr5> 
by an amateur astronomer in New Mexico.

RESULTS AND RECORDS

The results of the 2011 Ohio QSO Party are now available at the Ohio QSO 
Party web site <http://www.ohqp.org/>. (Thanks, Jim K8MR, OhQP Chairman )

Sponsor, Rick K6VVA reports that the 2012 Locust QSO Party (LQP) final 
results <http://www.k6vva.com/lqp> have been posted and include a 
first-ever surprise 3-way tie in one category, a special poem offering 
by N6ZFO, and a few other unusual Soapbox Comments this year.

OPERATING TIP

A reminder - asking to be spotted is considered "self-spotting" and is 
specifically not allowed in nearly all contests.

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TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION

Pink or White? No, we're not talking about your dinner wine selection, 
we're talking about noise. What do all those different names for noise 
mean? Find out in this Electronic Design article 
<http://electronicdesign.com/article/analog-and-mixed-signal/understanding-noise-terms-in-electronic-circuits> 
that summarizes the terminology - pass the popcorn noise, please!

The documentation on K2AV's Folded Counterpoise Antenna (FCA) 
<http://www.w0uce.net/K2AVantennas.html> contain a lot of good 
information. Take a look around the WØUCE web site for more!

Pres N6SS reports how he discourages nibbling of his "Beverage On Ground 
(BOG)" wires by the local rodentia: "BOGs here are made from #14 
stranded insulated house wire...before rolling (them) out at the start 
of each low band season the reel is submerged for a week in a tub of 
diesel fuel mixed with a bag of chili powder. This procedure renders the 
wire far less tasty to Arizona critters. In 15 years not a single 'chew 
thru' has occured."

Jim W6RMK reports that the IEEE/ANSI RF safety standard, C95.1-2005 
<http://standards.ieee.org/findstds/standard/C95.1-2005.html>, can now 
be downloaded for free now. OET Bulletin 65 is the usual amateur 
reference and a good summary but you can also download the actual 
standard now.

If you would like to see what a real college Electrical Engineering 
course is like these days and have the necessary math background, MIT is 
making their course 6.002x (Circuits and Electronics) 
<https://6002x.mitx.mit.edu/> available. Circuits and Electronics is a 
first course and is in the core of department subjects required for all 
undergraduates in EECS (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science). 
(Thanks, Steve N2IC)

Everybody has encountered the dreaded Philips-head slots worn down to 
the point where a screwdriver can't grip enough to turn the screw. This 
Apartment Therapy article 
<http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-remove-a-stripped-screw-1-107582> has 
a good idea - use a rubber band!

If you deal with electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing or 
certification, you'll encounter tests that require a Line Impedance 
Stabilization Network (LISN) 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_Impedance_Stabilization_Network>. 
This fixture enables a device to operate from ac power while test 
equipment measures emissions from the device conducted on the power 
conductors. (Thanks, Kurt KD7JYK)

Contest operator Steve AA4V stepped up to say hello during his rounds in 
the Charlotte (NC) Hamfest flea market! (Photo by NØAX)

Scope probes are explored in the article "Probing Pointers 
<http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cmp/esd0312/#/36>" by Jack Ganssle 
N3ALO in the March 2012 issue of Embedded System Design.

Here's a great antenna and tower tip from a veteran of many skyhook 
projects - "Always drill U-bolt holes two drill sizes (that's two-64ths) 
bigger than the actual size of the U-bolt. Got a 3/8"-stock U-bolt? Make 
the holes 13/32-inch. Be happy up there." (Thanks, Glenn K6NA)

Mitch DJØQN discovered this handy db-and-watts calculator 
<http://www.rohde-schwarz.de/de/service_support/downloads/application_notes?discontinued=all&type=20&downid=5499> 
on-line from Rohde & Schwarz. It also handles voltage conversions and 
VSWR-return loss, among other things. No need now to convert units back 
and forth when making a combined calculation.

*Technical Web Site of the Week* - Al AB2ZY reports success in using 
Scheme-It, a new web-based schematic capture tool 
<http://electronicdesign.com/article/eda/Still-Drawing-Circuits-On-A-Napkin-Consider-Using-Scheme-it-A-Web-Based-Schematic-Capture-Tool-Instead.aspx?cid=ed_newsletter&NL=1&[email protected]> 
hosted by Digi-Key. The tool also compiles a Bill of Materials (BOM) and 
the results are shareable across the web. As the article points out, 
this will probably save a few napkins and tablecloths - since the 
service can be accessed by a web browser wherever you are, including a 
restaurant or coffeehouse!

CONVERSATION

Two Score and More

After I got home from operating at K3LR in the ARRL CW contest I 
remembered that February of 1972 was the month I received my FCC license 
after having passed the Novice test in late December - it took a long 
time to get the paperwork through back then.

My first glimpse of a call sign (WNØGQP) came, interestingly, on the 
mailing label of an envelope from The Little Print Shop - the dominant 
QSL printer in those days. They had access to the FCC database and were 
no doubt contacting every new Novice as soon as the call was assigned. I 
remember looking at the envelope thinking, "Who is WNØGQP?" before 
realizing that was MY CALL! Then I had to wait a few more days for the 
actual license to arrive - a very long wait, I remember.

The happy guy on the left is Jim AD1C receiving a plaque of appreciation 
from the Bavarian Contest Club (BCC) represented by Chris DK9TN. 
Recognition of Jim's long service to ham radio and contesting is 
well-deserved - thanks, Jim! (Photo from K3LR)

So when I got back home after the contest, I decided to take a look and 
see just when I finally did get on the air four decades ago - I still 
have the QSL from my first contact with WB5FXC so I sent him a QSL 
yesterday, commemorating that first contact. The QSO took place on the 
16th of February - just one day before my annual flight to Pittsburgh 
this year. It is truly great to have spent my 40th anniversary of ham 
radio manning the 15 meter position with K1DG and sharing the weekend 
with the team. I couldn't have written a better script!

In relating this to the K3LR team, we happily discovered there were 
/five /of us celebrating our 40^th ham radio anniversaries: host Tim 
K3LR, 20 meter operator John VE3EJ, and the 80 meter team of Phil K3UA 
and Dave K5GN. It must have been something in the 1971 air!

As I considered those 40 years, I started thinking about the events and 
equipment and other memories along the way. Although some of them had 
been captured in my station log on paper - these days I log on computer 
and rarely add the kind of notes so common when entries were in pencil 
or pen. John K1AR gave me a good idea - to start an open file to capture 
some of these moments before I forget them.

Sure enough, once I began typing in milestones, memories started popping 
out of the dusty trunks in my mental attic and I could barely type fast 
enough. Now each time I open the file, more appear as if they had been 
waiting for me to call them up. My rate has been terrific!

Start noting what makes ham radio exciting and enjoyable today - even if 
you just got your ticket last week. All you have to do is open a simple 
text file or a notebook and start recording. Don't wait two score and more!

73, Ward NØAX

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CONTESTS

*14 March through 27 March 2012*

An expanded, downloadable version of QST's Contest Corral in PDF format 
<http://www.arrl.org/contest-calendar> is available. Check the sponsor's 
Web site for information on operating time restrictions and other 
instructions.

*HF CONTESTS*

CWops Monthly Mini-CWT Test--CW, from Mar 14, 1100Z. Multiple operating 
periods, twice monthly on 2nd and 4th Wed. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. 
Frequencies: 18 to 28 kHz above band edge. Exchange: Name and member 
number or S/P/C. Logs due: 2 days. Rules <http://www.cwops.org/onair.html>

Feld-Hell St Patrick's Day Sprint--Digital, from Mar 17, 12 PM (local) 
to Mar 17, 2 PM. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Monthly on 3rd Saturday. Exchange: 
RST, S/P/C, Feld-Hell member nr. Logs due: 7 days. Rules 
<http://www.feldhellclub.org/>

10-10 Mobile QSO Party--Phone, CW, Digital, from Mar 17, 0001Z to Mar 
17, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 28. Exchange: Call, name, county & S/P/C, 10-10 
number. Logs due: Mar 31. Rules <http://www.ten-ten.org/>

BARTG HF RTTY Contest--Digital, from Mar 17, 0200Z to Mar 19, 0200Z. 
Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: 3-digit serial and 4-digit time. Logs 
due: May 1. Rules <http://www.bartg.org.uk/>

CQIR - Ireland Calling--Phone, CW, from Mar 17, 1200Z to Mar 18, 1159Z. 
Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: Serial and county code. Logs due: Apr 15. 
Rules <http://www.irts.ie/>

Russian DX Contest--Phone, CW, from Mar 17, 1200Z to Mar 18, 1200Z. 
Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS(T), serial or oblast abbr. Logs due: 
See web. Rules <http://www.rdxc.org/>

Oklahoma QSO Party--Phone, CW, Digital, from Mar 17, 1300Z. Multiple 
operating periods. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28, 50, Frequencies: CW 35 kHz above 
band edge; Phone 3.860, 7.195, 14260, 21.335, 28.470, 50.130 MHz. 
Exchange: RS(T) and OK county or S/P/"DX". Logs due: Apr 30. Rules 
<http://www.k5cm.com/okqp.htm>

Virginia QSO Party--Phone, CW, Digital, from Mar 17, 1400Z to Mar 18, 
0200Z and Mar 18, 1200Z to Mar 18, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50-440. 
Frequencies: CW 1.805, 50 kHz+ band edge; Phone 
1.845,3.86,7.26,14.27,21.37,28.37; 50.130, calling frequencies on 
144/220/440. Exchange: Serial and VA county/city or S/P/C. Logs due: Apr 
15. Rules <http://www.qsl.net/sterling>

North Dakota QSO Party--Phone, CW, from Mar 17, 1800Z to Mar 18, 1800Z. 
Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144. Exchange: RST and ND county or S/P/C. Logs 
due: May 15. Rules <http://www.w0nd.com/>

Run For the Bacon--CW, from Mar 18, 0200Z to Mar 18, 0400Z. Monthly on 
3rd Sunday night (local). Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, 
Flying Pig nr or power. Rules <http://www.fpqrp.org/>

CLARA and Family HF Contest--Phone, CW, from Mar 20, 1700Z, Multiple 
operating periods. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Frequencies: CW 3.688, 7.033, 
14.033, 21.033; Phone 3.750, 3.900, 7.033, 7.200, 14.120-130, 14.288, 
21.288, 28.488 MHz . Exchange: RS(T), name, QTH, and CLARA. Logs due: 
Apr 15. Rules <http://www.claranet.ca/>

NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint--CW, from Mar 22, 0030Z to Mar 22, 0230Z. Bands 
(MHz): 3.5-14. Monthly on 2nd Tuesday or 3rd Wednesday local time 
(alternating). Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and NAQCC mbr nr or power. Logs 
due: 4 days. Rules <http://naqcc.info/>

CQ WPX SSB Contest--Phone, from Mar 24, 0000Z to Mar 25, 2400Z. Bands 
(MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS and serial. Logs due: Apr 18. Rules 
<http://www.cqwpx.com/logcheck>

*VHF+ CONTESTS*

Oklahoma QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Mar 17, 1300Z. Multiple 
operating periods. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28, 50, Frequencies: CW 35 kHz above 
band edge; Phone 3.860, 7.195, 14260, 21.335, 28.470, 50.130 MHz. 
Exchange: RS(T) and OK county or S/P/"DX". Logs due: Apr 30. Rules 
<http://www.k5cm.com/okqp.htm>

Virginia QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Mar 17, 1400Z to Mar 18, 
0200Z and Mar 18, 1200Z to Mar 18, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50-440. 
Frequencies: CW 1.805, 50 kHz+ band edge; Phone 
1.845,3.86,7.26,14.27,21.37,28.37; 50.130, calling frequencies on 
144/220/440. Exchange: Serial and VA county/city or S/P/C. Logs due: Apr 
15. Rules <http://www.qsl.net/sterling>

North Dakota QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Mar 17, 1800Z to Mar 18, 1800Z. 
Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144. Exchange: RST and ND county or S/P/C. Logs 
due: May 15. Rules <http://www.w0nd.com/>

LOG DUE DATES

*14 March through 27 March 2012*

  * March 14, 2012 UBA DX Contest, CW
    <http://www.uba.be/en/hf/contest-rules/uba-dx-contest-rules>
  * March 15, 2012 Louisiana QSO Party
    <http://www.qsl.net/kd5wdy/LAQSO_/laqso_.html>
  * March 15, 2012 Minnesota QSO Party
    <http://www.w0aa.org/media/documents/mnqp/MNQP%20Contest%20Rules.pdf>
  * March 15, 2012 AGCW Semi-Automatic Key Evening
    <http://www.agcw.org/en/?Contests:Semi_Automatic_Key_evening>
  * March 15, 2012 NAQCC-EU Monthly Sprint
    <http://naqcc-eu.org/SprintHelp/SprintRules.pdf>
  * March 17, 2012 North American Sprint, RTTY
    <http://www.ncjweb.com/sprintrules.php>
  * March 18, 2012 SKCC Weekend Sprintathon
    <http://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/>
  * March 18, 2012 YL-ISSB QSO Party
    <http://www.ylsystem.org/qsoparty/qsodates.htm>
  * March 18, 2012 High Speed Club CW Contest
    <http://www.highspeedclub.org/>
  * March 19, 2012 AWA Amplitude Modulation QSO Party
    <http://www.antiquewireless.org/hamevents2010.htm>
  * March 19, 2012 ARRL School Club Roundup
    <http://www.arrl.org/school-club-roundup>
  * March 19, 2012 DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest
    <http://www.darc.de/referate/ukw-funksport/bild-und-schrift-wettbewerbe/corona-maerz/teilnahmebedingungen/>
  * March 20, 2012 ARRL International DX Contest, CW
    <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-dx>
  * March 24, 2012 QRP ARCI HF Grid Square Sprint
    <http://www.qrparci.org/content/view/8392/118/>
  * March 25, 2012 UBA Spring Contest, CW
    <http://www.uba.be/hf/contest-rules/spring-contest>
  * March 27, 2012 REF Contest, SSB
    <http://concours.ref-union.org/reglements/actuels/reg_cdfhf_fr.pdf>

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ARRL Contest Update wishes to acknowledge information from WA7BNM's 
Contest Calendar <http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal> and SM3CER's 
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