[SFDXA] The ARRL Contest Update for November 19, 2014

Wed Nov 19 09:31:34 EST 2014

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The ARRL Contest Update

November 19, 2014
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

  * A Key Holiday Contest - CQ WW CW <#Contests>
  * New Categories - ARRL 10 and 160 Meter Contests <#News>
  * Hams Handle Hackaday Prizes <#Newsweek>
  * The Far Side Returns <#Sights>
  * ARRL June VHF and August UHF Results <#Results>
  * Leave Room for the Pull <#Tech>
  * Bell Labs Roaring Back <#Techweek>
  * Thoughts on Spots <#Conversation>

NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO

If you'd like some serious code practice, the Thanksgiving Day weekend 
is just what you need: the CQ World Wide CW Contest will bring out 
thousands and thousands of stations. They'll be sending a signal report 
and CQ Zone 
<http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/cq_awards/cq_waz_awards/cq_waz_list.html> 
- be prepared to respond in kind! Once your code speed is up, how about 
going for a Code Proficiency Certificate on one of the ARRL's Code 
Qualifying Runs <http://www.arrl.org/qualifying-run-schedule>?

BULLETINS

Logs for Sweepstakes CW were due on Tuesday, Nov 18th - there might be 
time to yet send in your log, if you hurry!

BUSTED QSOS

No one seemed to have noticed anything amiss last time.

CONTEST SUMMARY

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

*November 22-23*

  * NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint--CW (Nov 20)
  * LZ DX Contest
  * SKCC Straight Key Sprint (Nov 26)
  * Top Band Sprint (Nov 27)

*November 29-30*

  * CQ World Wide CW Contest
  * Full Day of Hell--Digital

NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST

This December's ARRL 160 Meter and 10 Meter Contests complete the 
addition of new Single-Op Unlimited categories. All three power 
sub-categories: High Power, Low Power, and QRP are available. This means 
stations using spotting information will no longer be assigned to the 
Multioperator category. It also means there are quite a number of new 
records that will be set in December! Will your score be one of them?

Here's the happy W5RU squad hoping their Multiop High Power score will 
land them in the top spot. (L) to (R) - Ted KN5O, Steve KG5VK, Mark 
K5ER, Scott W5WZ, Dallas K1DW and our mascot, BIC (Butt In Chair). 
(Photo from KG5VK)

It was pleasant to note all of the recent "checks" (year of first 
license) being exchanged during the Phone Sweepstakes this past weekend. 
Ralph N5RZ notes a very professional exchange on 10 meters with 
8-year-old Samuel KG5AYI <http://www.qrz.com/db/KG5AYI> who called in 
from Louisiana. It would be great to see these folks on the air during 
the 10 Meter Contest in a few weeks - let's see if Ol' Sol cooperates 
with more solar flux and a quiet geomagnetic field!

Having overcome some challenges, SuperBertha <http://superbertha.com> is 
stepping things up. Scott K3TX, the business' owner, is adding an 
administrator and fabricator while he focuses on running the company and 
providing customer service. SuperBertha, which manufactures rotating 
tower systems and antennas, also announces a new POW (Pattern-optimized 
Wideband) tribander designed by WA3FET and unified base systems for the 
rotating tower products.

Phil K3TUF announced the East Coast VHF+ Super Conference 
<http://vhfsuperconference.com/> which will be held in northern Virginia 
on April 15-17. Lots more information will be published on the 
conference website - keep checking!

Who has the highest one-hour rate? The R5GA website 
<http://rate.r5ga.com/records.php> has the results derived from public 
logs made available over the past few years. Those numbers represent 60 
minutes of hard contest labor, not the entire contest! Click "DXCC" then 
select "K United States" to find the U.S. records.

This month marks the one-year anniversary of a hard-fought naval battle 
near the North Atlantic in which the USS Connecticut prevailed over the 
USS Maine during the CQ World Wide CW Contest 
<http://cqww.com/results.htm>, setting an all-time record in the 
process! Hint - the resumes of both SOAB-HP top operators include a 
variety of experiences in the U.S. Navy.

*Web Site of the Week* - Combining networking and radio savvy is leading 
to the creation of all sorts of interesting collective efforts. Most 
Contest Update readers are familiar with the Reverse Beacon Network 
<http://reversebeacon.net> and the NCDXF Beacon network 
<http://ncdxf.org>. Well, winner of the 2014 Hackaday Prize, the SatNOGs 
<http://hackaday.com/2014/11/13/satnogs-wins-the-2014-hackaday-prize/> 
team (Satellite Network Of Ground Stations) has built a worldwide system 
of open-source amateur satellite ground stations - I want one! Amateurs 
took home an additional prize, as well, with the PortableSDR project 
placing third. Well done! (Thanks, Bryce KB1LQC)

WORD TO THE WISE

*/Buckshot/* - spurious emissions from phone signals. If you were on 
during Phone Sweepstakes, you heard a lot of it, including a few big 
stations with pretty wide signals. Clean it up! While I'm on the 
subject, there were a number of stations with fairly crufty audio that 
made copy difficult. Check it out and tone it up - you'll get through 
quicker with fewer repeats!

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SIGHTS AND SOUNDS

What's headed our way for the CQ World Wide's CW weekend? Those little 
red circles on this GONG <http://farside.nso.edu/>project graphic point 
to sunspots "headed round the mountain" in a few days to a week or so! 
(Photo courtesy of NASA)

The far side is more than an out-of-print cartoon, it's a view of the 
Sun that lets us know what's "coming round the bend". Take a look at the 
GONG project's farside images <http://farside.nso.edu/>, including a 
month-long movie <http://farside.nso.edu/standard_movie.html>. It's hard 
to say what's going to be looking Earthward during CQ WW CW but there 
are some tantalizing hints!

Dennis N6KI takes us on a video tour 
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhmyyfGYii8> of the NX6T CW Sweepstakes 
multioperator station. Why, even Mr Bill is on the operator list! And 
the view is /marvelous/!

RESULTS AND RECORDS

Lots of new VHF+ contest results can be found on the ARRL website 
<http://www.arrl.org/contest-results-articles>. For the June VHF 
Contest, look for the /QST/ article's PDF along with Line Scores in the 
new K9JK extended format. The Searchable Database is also available. For 
the August UHF Contest, full results by K9JK are online along with Line 
Scores, Log Checking Reports, and the Searchable Database.

You can't see the beads of sweat but Kirby KDØYJN is having a great time 
doing his first solo CQ in the Phone Sweepstakes at NØAX last weekend. 
He did great - now he's ready for the 10 Meter Contest! (Photo by NØAX)

Claimed scores for the October 2014 School Club Roundup 
<http://www.b4h.net/arrlscr/scr_scores201410.php> are now available 
online. It was a photo finish between K5LBJ in the Senior High School 
category and College/University entry W4DFU for the top score!

Results for last week's Frequency Measuring Test 
<http://www.b4h.net/fmt/fmtresults201411.php> have been published by 
Bruce WA7BNM. Conducted on 160, 80, and 40 meters, the "green box" shows 
who made the accuracy grade on all three bands. SV8QG even submitted 
excellent measurements on 80 and 40 meters - from Greece!

Final results for the following /National Contest Journal/ contests are 
now available on the NCJ website <http://ncjweb.com/>:

  * March 2014 Sprint SSB
  * July 2014 NAQP RTTY
  * August 2014 NAQP CW
  * August 2014 NAQP SSB

Final results for the fall Sprints will appear in the Jan/Feb 2015 NCJ. 
(Thanks, NCJ Editor Emeritus, Kirk K4RO)

CQ World Wide Director, Randy K5ZD notes "The raw scores 
<http://www.cqww.com/raw.htm?mode=ph> for the 2014 CQ WW DX Contest SSB 
are now available. These are the scores as calculated by our log 
checking software /BEFORE /any checking or score reductions have been 
done. These scores provide quick feedback on who might be the winners, 
but there is a lot of log checking still to go. It is not unusual for 
scores to drop 3-8% (or more) so we will have to wait until the checking 
is completed to know who the winners will be." In addition, the score 
listings have been re-arranged to make it easier to compare scores 
between Single-Op and Single-Op Assisted categories.

Raw scores for the 2014 Worked All Germany 
<http://www.darc.de/referate/dx/contest/wag/2014/> contest are online. 
As for the CQ WW scores, raw scores are unchecked scores only. Late log 
submissions are still possible due to problems with the log upload 
shortly after the contest, in case you don't find your call in the list. 
(Thanks, WAG Contest Manager Chris DL8MBS)

WRTC-2014 <http://www.wrtc2014.org/competitor-qso-rate-reports/> rate 
and breakdown reports for all team logs have been posted to the web 
site. Files were prepared from the raw logs as submitted. Thanks to Bob 
N6TV for providing the report files. (Thanks, Randy K5ZD)

OPERATING TIP

Please copy? Please don't! Imagine this pre-Sweepstakes conversation as 
Elmer prepares to hand off the controls to his protégée:
/"OK, when the clock rolls over to 2100 UTC..."
"I know - call CQ, right?"
"No, I want you to say "please copy" 500 times in a row."
"What???!!!"
"You might as well get it out of your system. Follow it with another 500 
of "You are" and 110 leading zeroes. Then you can call CQ."
"But that will take a half hour!"
"Sure will...but you were going to say it anyway!"/
Unnecessary verbiage slows everything down, whether it's a contest or an 
emergency communication net. Try to eliminate it from your on the air 
transmissions. Write down a script to help you say only what you need to 
say. The editor fesses up to having a weakness for adding in an extra 
"Thanks" at the beginning of a QSO when one at the end is plenty.

Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=cu&t=i&i=2014-11-19&p=1>
TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION

Leave some extra room! Power system designer Gene AD3F suggests that 
when running cables, use conduit large enough so that the ultimate fill 
occupies only 40% of the area of the conduit. Two-inch conduit might 
seem to be large enough but even that first pull will be tough! Go all 
the way to four-inch as the cost is only slightly higher and you won't 
have the problem of an over-stuffed conduit. Gene reminds us to use 
"sweeps" with large radius curves and not sharp 90-degree elbows.

This online article 
<http://www.edn.com/design/wireless-networking/4437010/S-parameters-basics> 
from /EDN/ magazine gives a nice explanation of what s-parameters are 
and what they represent.

Since antennas, like aircraft, are made from aluminum and stainless 
steel hardware, this Savvy Aviator article "Thwarting Corrosion 
<http://www.avweb.com/news/savvyaviator/189857-1.html?redirected=1>" 
will be of interest. (Thanks, Mickey N4MB)

Arggh - you opened the lid on that bottle of liquid electrical tape and 
it was solid because the solvent had slowly evaporated through the lid! 
Roger K8RI suggests putting the can inside a sealing food jar to slow 
down that solvent. It works for PVC pipe glue, too!

This is what a collection of digital modes look like on a waterfall 
display. Frank K2NCC has posted a number of YouTube videos 
<http://www.youtube.com/user/k2nccvids/videos> about the digital modes, 
amateur and otherwise. Good for learning about digital operation!

An alternative to installing special waterproof connectors on rotator 
cables is a waterproof outdoor utility box. The box keeps a terminal 
strip dry and "it is not difficult to disconnect the wires for 
occasional servicing. You can also install MOVs on this strip to protect 
your motor and indicator from lightning damage which may eliminate some 
rotator failures. A terminal strip...is easier than sealing and 
unsealing a "quick disconnect" and there is little risk of water ingress 
or corrosion. Disconnecting screw terminal wires is the easiest part of 
removing, repairing and replacing an antenna rotator." (Thanks, John KK9A)

To minimize the torque on your rotator from the wind blowing on your 
antennas, install the antennas on opposite sides of the mast. This old 
trick results in a lot of torque canceling in the mast. (Thanks, Steve 
K7LXC)

Magnetic loop antennas are popular for portable and stealthy operation. 
The loss mechanisms for these small antennas can rapidly eat up a 
signal, so it's important that losses be minimized. They are nicely 
characterized in the article "Loss Mechanisms in the Electrically Small 
Loop Antenna" in /IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine, /Vol 56, No 4, 
Aug 2014 by Austin (GØGSF), Boswell (G3NOQ), and Perks (ZS6BIM).

*Technical Web Site of the Week* - Bell Labs, home of many great 
inventions and discoveries, is on its way back according to this /EE 
Times article 
<http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1322428%20and%20Bell%20Labs%20Prize%20www.bell-labs.com/prize/>/. 
Read up on the new Bell Labs Prize, as well!

CONVERSATION

Thoughts on Spots

Big excitement in the VHF+ contest community has erupted over the past 
few days due to a proposal 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-seeks-input-on-initial-vhf-uhf-microwave-contest-rule-changes> 
made by the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on VHF and Above Revitalization. The 
full proposal is worth reading before offering your thoughtful input 
<mailto:vhf-input at arrl.org> to the committee, but the two contentious 
pieces are:

1) Removal of the current prohibition on the use of Amateur and 
non-Amateur forms of assistance for all operator categories, with such 
use having no impact on entry category; and

2) Removal of the current prohibition on self-spotting for all operator 
categories

This is where all those K3LR CW Skimmer spots come from - a rack of six 
Perseus receivers! The system was designed and built by Dave Broere (L) 
and Dave W9PA. (Photo from K3LR)

Basically, these boil down to eliminating the category distinction based 
on whether information about the operation of other participations 
crosses your station boundary 
<http://www.arrl.org/contest-update-issues?issue=2014-02-12> and allow 
you to generate that information yourself (i.e. - "self-spot"). Not only 
that, you can do so online, a major shift in ARRL VHF contest policy. A 
third, less controversial item proposes to allow single-ops simultaneous 
transmissions on different bands. (Note - this is /not/ a change being 
proposed for HF contests.)

Why was this proposal made? It's no secret that ARRL VHF+ contest 
participation is down across the board, except for the June VHF Contest. 
June has largely become a 6 meter and 2 meter QSO party with the other 
bands far less popular. The CQ WW VHF Contest in July doesn't include 
the higher bands at all. Aside from those two contests, there are fewer 
and fewer operators outside of the major populated regions of the 
Northeast and Southwest willing to take on the challenges of VHF+ 
operating. With the amazing technology out there up into the GHz, it's a 
little bit crazy not to see that translating into more activity - at 
least on CW and SSB.

Why is that? A number of correspondents with extensive VHF+ contest 
experience who are supportive of the proposals in various forums have 
mentioned frustration: Frustration at not being able to be heard or make 
contacts because of the nature of VHF+ antennas and propagation. This is 
particularly true for rover stations traveling through sparsely 
populated areas to activate grids. Story after story relates calling CQ 
after CQ with no takers because no one knows they are there!

Frustration is a fancy way of saying "It's not fun." With data flowing 
in from every corner of the map, depriving one's self of it seems a bit 
strange. I know this is shocking, but the casual entrants (who we're 
counting on to become contest regulars) expect to turn on the radio and 
- brace yourself - make contacts! In more populous areas around North 
America and Europe, this is not a big problem. In the January and June 
contests, top stations in the Northeast and any station able to take 
advantage of sporadic E on 6 meters make around 1000 QSOs. Elsewhere, 
however, QSO totals fall off dramatically and so does the number of logs 
submitted. Thus the need to make some changes.

Stan, VE3TW, who works a contest almost every weekend, is expecting a 
LOT of QSL cards. It looks like there's one box for every bureau! (Photo 
by Mike VE3GFN)

Was this an issue before? Propagation is about the same as it always was 
and the equipment is quite a bit better. In past years, though, there 
were no real-time tools available to help stations find each other. 
Today, knowing the data is out there and not being able to use it makes 
listening to receiver hiss and wearing out a rotator much less 
palatable. This drives participation down and as participation falls, so 
does the number of contacts in a mutually-reinforcing spiral.

If these proposals are adopted, what would happen to tuning and 
listening skills? Realistically, getting contest "metadata" online means 
that you don't have to spend years learning the techniques of acquiring 
it on the air. While I am not a frequent VHF+ contester, I have spent 
time working with master HF contesters whose radio know-how is awesome. 
They've developed a sixth-sense for when bands open, to where, who's 
likely to be on the band, and so forth. A lot of that knowledge was the 
result of sheer stamina and perseverance - guts - to stay in the chair 
for contest after contest and learn. That's good and valuable, 
furthering the service's reasons for existence. However, we need to be 
honest with ourselves and recognize that fewer operators are willing to 
make the same effort to learn those skills on the VHF+ bands.

Nevertheless, there is reason to give the proposal a try and evaluate 
the results over a few years. If more are encouraged to get on the air 
and make QSOs, there will be more stations to work for everybody. More 
contacts means more fun for stations using the data as well as stations 
who decide not to use the data. As more stations become active, there is 
an opportunity to promote connection-free operating practices. After 
all, the station and operator still have to be good enough to actually 
make the QSO from point to point.

One way of promoting connection-less operating is to recognize it in an 
"extended line score," first proposed by N5KO a few years ago. Instead 
of maintaining separate single-op categories with separate listings, for 
example, combine the listings and let each station identify the way they 
chose to operate; with or without external data, one radio or multiple 
radios, and so on. Perhaps all we really need is three listing groups: 
Single-Op, Rovers, Multiop. Add the various attributes and let the data 
speak for itself, especially since it is downloadable and can be sorted 
however the reader wants. Another option is to reserve or create one 
contest or contest periods for completely connection-less operating. 
This gives all stations - the analog and the assisted - a home where 
they can compete with their peers on a basis they choose.

Yes, this takes the hybridization of ham radio and the Internet another 
step farther. No two ways about it. However, in case you hadn't noticed, 
everything is hybridized with the Internet. That means we'll have to 
work harder to insure radio know-how remains the dominant path to 
success on the air. Awards and challenges can be sponsored for operating 
without external data, for example. The goal must be that more operators 
learn how to communicate effectively on VHF+ and see that as a valuable 
thing. The first step is to get them on the air.

73, Ward NØAX

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CONTESTS

*19 November through 2 December*

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*

NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint--CW, from Nov 20, 0130Z to Nov 20, 0330Z. 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/sprint201411.html>

LZ DX Contest--Phone,CW, from Nov 22, 1200Z to Nov 23, 1200Z. Bands 
(MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST and ITU Zone or LZ district. Logs due: 30 
days. Rules <http://lzdx.bfra.bg/>

SKCC Straight Key Sprint--CW, from Nov 26, 0000Z to Nov 26, 0200Z. Bands 
(MHz): 1.8-28, 50, Monthly on the fourth Wednesday UTC. Exchange: RST, 
S/P/C, name, SKCC nr or power. Logs due: 5 days. Rules 
<http://www.skccgroup.com/>

Top Band Sprint--Phone,CW, from Nov 27, 0000Z to Nov 27, 0600Z. Bands 
(MHz): 1.8. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, ARCI number or Power. Logs due: 14 
days. Rules <http://www.qrparci.org/contests>

CQ World Wide CW Contest--CW, from Nov 29, 0000Z to Nov 30, 2359Z. Bands 
(MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST and CQ zone. Logs due: 5 days. Rules 
<http://www.cqww.com/>

Full Day of Hell--Digital, from Nov 29, 0000Z to Nov 29, 2359Z. Bands 
(MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, Feld-Hell mbr nr, 4-char grid 
square. Logs due: 7 days. Rules <http://www.feldhellclub.org/>

*VHF+ CONTESTS*

SKCC Straight Key Sprint--CW, from Nov 26, 0000Z to Nov 26, 0200Z. Bands 
(MHz): 1.8-28, 50, Monthly on the fourth Wednesday UTC. Exchange: RST, 
S/P/C, name, SKCC nr or power. Logs due: 5 days. Rules 
<http://www.skccgroup.com/>

LOG DUE DATES

*19 November through 2 December*

  * November 19 - RSGB 80m Club Sprint, SSB
    <http://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2014/rsprint.shtml>
  * November 19 - Illinois QSO Party
    <http://www.w9awe.org/ILQP%202014%20Rules.pdf>
  * November 20 - NRAU 10m Activity Contest
    <http://www.nrau.net/activity-contests/below-30mhz.html>
  * November 20 - QRP Fox Hunt <http://www.qrpfoxhunt.org/winter_rules.htm>
  * November 22 - Feld Hell Sprint
    <https://sites.google.com/site/feldhellclub/Home/contests/sprints/turkey-hunt-sprint>
  * November 22 - QRP Fox Hunt <http://www.qrpfoxhunt.org/winter_rules.htm>
  * November 22 - CWops Mini-CWT Test <http://www.cwops.org/cwt.html>
  * November 23 - High Speed Club CW Contest <http://www.highspeedclub.org/>
  * November 23 - Run for the Bacon QRP Contest <http://fpqrp.org/pigrun/>
  * November 23 - NCCC RTTY Sprint <http://www.ncccsprint.com/rttyns.html>
  * November 23 - EANET Sprint <http://www.fediea.org/news/?news=20141109>
  * November 23 - OK/OM DX Contest, CW
    <http://okomdx.crk.cz/index.php?page=english>
  * November 23 - NCCC Sprint <http://www.ncccsprint.com/rules.html>
  * November 23 - NAQCC CW Sprint <http://naqcc.info/sprint201411.html>
  * November 24 - SARL Field Day Contest
    <http://www.sarl.org.za/Document_Store/CONT_20140101_SARL_Contest_Manual_2014.pdf>
  * November 24 - WAE DX Contest, RTTY
    <http://www.darc.de/referate/dx/contest/waedc/en/rules/>
  * November 24 - 10-10 Int. Fall Contest, Digital
    <http://www.ten-ten.org/index.php/activity/2013-07-22-20-26-48/qso-party-rules>
  * November 30 - W/VE Islands QSO Party
    <http://www.usislands.org/contest_rules.html>
  * November 30 - Himalayan Contest
    <http://arsi.info/contests/himalayan/rules>
  * November 30 - Russian WW MultiMode Contest
    <http://www.rdrclub.ru/news-radio/russian-ww-mm-contest/159-rus-ww-multimode-contest>
  * December 1 - CQ-WE Contest <http://cqwe.cboh.org/rules.html>
  * December 1 - RSGB 2nd 1.8 MHz Contest, CW
    <http://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2014/r2nd-160m-2014.shtml>
  * December 2 - Ukrainian DX Contest <http://urdxc.org/rules.php?english>
  * December 2 - ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, SSB
    <http://www.arrl.org/sweepstakes>
  * December 2 - NA Collegiate ARC Championship, SSB
    <http://www.collegiatechampionship.org/rules/>

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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 
Contest Calendar <http://www.sk3bg.se/contest>.

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