[SFDXA] The IARU HF Championship and WRTC-2014!

[Bill]

    A Contesting Confluence this Weekend: The IARU HF Championship and
    WRTC-2014!

*TAGS:* annual event 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:annual%20event>, ARRL 
Headquarters station 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:ARRL%20Headquarters%20station>, IARU 
Administrative Council 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:IARU%20Administrative%20Council>, 
IARU event <http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:IARU%20event>, IARU 
HF Championship 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:IARU%20HF%20Championship>, 
IARU International Secretariat 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:IARU%20International%20Secretariat>, 
IARU regional executive 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:IARU%20regional%20executive>, 
IARU website <http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:IARU%20website>, 
itu zone <http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:itu%20zone>, member 
societies <http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:member%20societies>, 
multi-channel decoders 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:multi-channel%20decoders>, new 
england <http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:new%20england>, 
Radiosport Team Championship 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:Radiosport%20Team%20Championship>, 
signal report 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:signal%20report>, WRTC teams 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:WRTC%20teams>, WRTC-2014 
stations <http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:WRTC-2014%20stations>
07/08/2014

This weekend, July 12-13, will present the sort of operating opportunity 
that comes along only about as often as leap year --- the *IARU HF 
Championship* <http://www.arrl.org/iaru-hf-championship> and World 
Radiosport Team Championship 2014 (*WRTC-2014* 
<http://www.wrtc2014.org/>). It's essentially two sides of the same 
coin, though, since these events occur concurrently. While the IARU HF 
Championship is an annual event, WRTCs typically take place every 4 
years and use the IARU event as a framework for their international team 
competition.

Everyone works everyone in these events, which run 24 hours (1200 UTC on 
Saturday until 1200 UTC on Sunday). In the IARU, both single and 
multioperator stations are welcome, but single operators may not take 
advantage of any spotting nets, packet, or multi-channel decoders (such 
as /CW Skimmer/). Stations may elect to operate CW only, SSB only, or 
both modes.In general stations exchange signal report and *ITU zone* 
<http://www.iaru.org/regions.html>.

For WRTC-2014, 59 international two-operator teams will gather in New 
England to determine the world's top contesters. Competing teams will 
deploy to essentially equivalent stations that run 100 W to a wire 
antenna for the low bands and a Yagi for the high bands. Stations taking 
part in the IARU event can win WRTC-2014 *awards* 
<http://www.wrtc2014.org/competition/participation-awards/>, such as for 
working all 59 teams, which will be sporting 1 ×1 US first district call 
signs.

Operators in both events will be seeking out "HQ stations" representing 
various IARU member societies; these count as multipliers. Many will 
include the letters "HQ" in their call sign suffix, and some will 
include the organization's abbreviation, and it might be helpful to 
review these beforehand. Member societies are listed by region on the 
*IARU website* <http://www.iaru.org/>. IARU International Secretariat 
club station NU1AW will be on the air from New England and counts as a 
HQ station.

Member-society HQ stations will send signal report and their 
organization's initials, eg, 599 IARU, for working NU1AW. W100AW, 
operating from Newington, will be the ARRL headquarters station (W1AW 
will not be active). Members of the IARU Administrative Council and the 
three IARU regional Executive committees send "AC," "R1," "R2," and "R3" 
as appropriate, following the signal report.

There are some differences in the rules between the IARU HF Championship 
and the WRTC-2014 events. For instance, WRTC-2014 stations will not use 
160 meters, and all WRTC teams will use both CW and SSB. While WRTC-2014 
competitors are restricted to 100 W, IARU HF Championship participants 
may opt to run high power, low power or QRP; there are entry categories 
for each.

The IARU HF Championship and WRTC-2014 offer a lot of operating 
enjoyment and a chance to check out your station and antennas well in 
advance of the 2014 "contest season" this fall and winter.

http://www.arrl.org/news/a-contesting-confluence-this-weekend-the-iaru-hf-championship-and-wrtc-2014