[SFDXA] The ARRL Contest Update for September 24, 2014

Wed Sep 24 09:07:48 EDT 2014

Preview

If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at:
http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/?issue=2014-09-24

The ARRL Contest Update

September 24, 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/>
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=cu&i=2014-09-24&t=t>
IN THIS ISSUE

  * Hit the Road with Baudot - CQ WW RTTY <#Contests>
  * The Large and Small - CA and TX, ME and NJ QSO Parties <#Contests>
  * Calling All California Counties <#News>
  * Radio Does the Twist <#Newsweek>
  * Master WRTC2014 Photo Albums <#Sights>
  * ARRL Contest Results - Up to Date <#Results>
  * Two-Band Tuning Tip <#Tech>
  * Feynman Online? Surely You Jest! <#Techweek>
  * Watching A Submarine Race <#Conversation>

NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO

State your preference! Two of the "bigs" in the State QSO Party lineup - 
California and Texas - are coming up. And so are Maine and New Jersey, 
for that matter. State contests are especially good for starting 
contesters and those with modest stations and antenna farms. Digital 
mode fans will want to join the excitement in the CQ WW RTTY contest, too!

BULLETINS

There are no bulletins in this issue.

BUSTED QSOS

CQ WW RTTY Director, Ed WØYK clarifies a report in the previous issue 
about certificates: "The new Cabrillo tag is only about /mailed paper 
certificates/. Anybody can download their certificate at any time from 
the CQ WW websites (both CW/SSB and RTTY)." Ed also notes that 
certificates for past contests are readily available at all times for 
them to access.

CONTEST SUMMARY

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

*September 27-28*

  * SKCC Straight Key Sprint (Sep 24)
  * CQ WW RTTY Contest
  * Maine QSO Party--Phone,CW
  * Texas QSO Party
  * Peanut Power Sprint
  * 222 MHz Fall VHF Sprint (Sep 30)

*October 4-5*

  * CWOps Weekly Mini-CWT Tests (Oct 1)
  * NS Weekly Sprint--CW (Oct 3)
  * DX/NA YLRL Anniversary Party (Oct 3)
  * TARA PSK Rumble
  * Oceania DX Phone Contest--Phone
  * Russian WW Digital Contest
  * Worked All Britain HF Contest--Phone
  * New Jersey QSO Party
  * California QSO Party
  * RSGB 21/28 MHz Contest
  * EU Autumn Phone Sprint (Oct 6)
  * OK1WC Memorial Contest (Oct 6)
  * ARS Spartan Sprint--CW (Oct 7)

NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST

 From counties with millions in population to the deserted desert 
desserts, the California QSO Party <http://cqp.org/cqp2014.html> has 
managed to wrangle activations of all 58 counties again this year! No 
mean feat, there will be mobiles and portable stations galore to track 
down in search of that elusive bottle of wine or other awards 
<http://www.cqp.org/Awards.html>. The complete list is available under 
the "County Operating Plan <http://cqp.org/Counties-Plan-2014.html>". 
(Thanks, CQP Manager, Chris N6WM)

This would be a great medal to have in your shack, wouldn't it? This 
gold medal is from the recent ARDF World Championships in Burabay, 
Kazahkstan. The U.S. team placed second and took the silver.

The U.S. team brought home a silver medal 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/ardf-team-usa-takes-home-a-silver-medal-from-world-championships> 
at the recent Amateur Radio Direction Finding World Championships 
<http://ardf.darc.de/contest/14090812/14090812.htm> - all the way from 
first-time host country, Kazakhstan! The competition attracted 277 
competitors from 25 countries around the world. The events included 
sprints (with actual sprinting!) and a hybrid event called foxoring 
<http://www.homingin.com/sprints.html#foxoring> that combines 
traditional orienteering and foxhunting.

The CQ World Wide Committee announced <http://cqww.com/blog/?p=357> that 
translations for the CQ WW DX Contest rules 
<http://www.cqww.com/rules.htm> are now available in 14 languages. 
(Thanks, CQ WW Director, Randy K5ZD)

There is a very nice survey of available SDR equipment in the September 
issue of the Dutch Kingdom Amateur Radio Society's DKARS Magazine 
<http://downloads.dkars.nl/DKARS%20magazine%20201409.pdf>. This 
architecture is spreading quite rapidly across ham radio - you'll have 
to watch carefully so as not to miss something!

That big radio you have your eye on, is it too big for the shack? Or at 
least too big to sneak into the shack? How about this ant-sized radio 
<http://www.gizmag.com/radio-on-a-chip-transceiver-iot/33797/?utm_source=Gizmag+Subscribers&utm_campaign=ee93bd6c9a-UA-2235360-4&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-ee93bd6c9a-91581189> 
designed for the IoT (Internet of Things - not IOTA)? You'll have no 
problem finding a spot for it. Finding it in the first place, though, 
might be a problem. (Thanks, Dennis N6KI)

A recent online discussion about Sweepstakes wondered about the history 
of power categories in this oldest of the domestic contests. Mike K1MK 
did a great job to put together this concise timeline:

1930 - In the beginning there were no power classes.

1934 - For the fifth running of Sweepstakes, power multipliers for 
scoring are introduced with three classes: <= 25 watts input x 3; > 20 
watts input; <= 75 watts input x 2; and 75 watts input x1.

1935 - Power mults simplified to <= 100w input x 1.5.

1938 - The "power factor" (multiplier) is reduced to x 1.25 and the 
dividing line remains 100 watts input.

1952 - The multiplier is increased to x 1.5 for Phone, CW is still x 
1.25, and 100 watts is the limit for both modes.

1956 - The low power limit is increased to 150 watts input for both modes.

1968 - Precedence of A or B is introduced based upon the 150 watt input 
limit for the low power class (A).

1969 - The power multiplier for scoring is eliminated.

1972 - The low power class is increased to 200 watts input.

1974 - Separate awards issued to the highest scoring category "A" and 
"B" entrants in each section. Prior to this, it was one award per 
section to the highest score regardless of class.

1983 - Definition of low power category changed to 150 watts output.

Well, your editor finally made the cover of the September/October /NCJ 
/and, yes, I bought five copies for my mother, Mary Ellen. Hi Mom! 
(Photo by NØAX)

On Sept. 12th, student scientists in California launched a weather 
balloon to the stratosphere during the most intense solar storm of the 
year. They expected to measure an increase in energetic radiation. 
Instead they measured a sharp drop. Their counterintuitive data and the 
interesting explanation for it are featured on the Spaceweather 
<http://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=17&month=09&year=2014> 
website.

JK Antennas' high performance antennas are now available exclusively 
from DX Engineering 
<http://www.dxengineering.com/search/brand/jk-antennas>. JK Antennas' 
flagship product is the JK404 Grande, a 40 meter Yagi antenna that 
offers up to 6.16 dBd (8.31 dBi) gain with a 1.5:1 SWR (or better) 
across the entire 40 meter band. The antenna uses four full-size 
elements (73 foot maximum element length), mounted on a 45.5 foot boom. 
It weighs 325 pounds with a maximum turning radius of 43 feet. Despite 
the JK404 Grande's large size, it only has an 18.7 square foot wind 
area. The JK65 is a similarly high-achieving antenna for the 6 meter 
band with only 1.37 square feet of wind load and a weight of 14 pounds.

How did that Pirate QSO Party turn out? Captain San W6RRR reports, "The 
Pirate QSO Party went very well! It was great to see how creative people 
got with their exchanges, although I think the "Walk the Plank" command 
was under-utilized. More than 120 participants were logged, representing 
9 DXCC entities (United States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, 
Japan, Brazil, Trinidad, and the Dominican Republic). The Java-based 
logging program was pretty experimental but generally well-received, and 
15 logs have been submitted so far. Also, two hours was just long enough 
for all of us to find our sea legs -- prepare for a somewhat longer 
contest in 2015!"

Part 7 <http://ncjweb.com/bonus-content/Ant_Interact_Part_7.pdf> and 
Part 8 <http://ncjweb.com/bonus-content/Ant_Interact_Part_8.pdf> of the 
NCJ antenna interaction articles by K3NA are now available at the NCJ 
web site in the Bonus Content area. (Thanks, NCJ Editor Emeritus, Kirk 
K4RO)

Here is Contest Cllub Ontario (CCO) President, John VE3EJ (L) presenting 
Bob VE3KZ with an endorsement for his sCCOre Award at the recent CCO 
picnic. (Photo by VE3GFN)

*Web Site of the Week* - Some news stories have reported on a new 
technique of "twisting 
<http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/scientists-twist-radio-beams-to-send-data-at-32-gigabits-per-second-30-times-faster-than-4g-lte-1465957>" 
radio beams to increase wireless data rates. 32 gigabits per second is 
pretty fast! The Slashdot 
<http://tech.slashdot.org/story/14/09/17/211201/scientists-twist-radio-beams-to-send-data-at-32-gigabits-per-second> 
website's discussion sheds some light on the subject, with various 
comments explaining why this is different than the circular polarization 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circular_polarization> familiar to many 
hams using VHF+ bands. By creating beams with different and varying 
angular phases, several beams with the same frequency can share the same 
path, yet still be distinguished at the receiver as if they came from 
different directions. We should give that a try during Phone Sweepstakes!

WORD TO THE WISE

A fall is a common reason for a trip to the Emergency Room for older 
adults, usually male, when they look up, feel faint, then pass out when 
working on a ladder or on a tower. The usual cause is restricting blood 
flow in the arteries at the base of the brain when tipping one's head 
back. It seems to be a condition that becomes more pronounced with age. 
You can test this fairly easily: stand straight and tall - then tip your 
head back as far as it will go without bending your back. A few seconds 
of readjustment before you get your equilibrium back is more or less 
normal. If dizziness persists or gets worse, you have a problem to have 
checked out by your doctor. It is better to find this out at ground 
level than aloft, don't you think?

Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=cu&t=i&i=2014-09-24&p=0>
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS

A master photo gallery has been created on the WRTC2014 website 
<http://www.wrtc2014.org/photo-gallery/>. There is an album for each of 
the 59 operating sites/teams. More photos are always welcome, 
particularly of the W1I team (W2RE and WW2DX). Contact Randy K5ZD 
<mailto:k5zd at charter.net> for information. Thanks to N6TV and EY8MM for 
providing many of the photos. Albums of the opening and closing 
ceremonies will soon be available as well.

What did we miss at the Maker Faire? This EDN blog 
<http://edn.com/electronics-blogs/serious-fun/4434984/7/World-Maker-Faire--engineering--creativity--and-inspiration> 
talks about the creative and imaginative engineering fostered by the Faires.

RESULTS AND RECORDS

ARRL Contest Branch Manager, Matt W1MSW continues to post new and 
updated content to the ARRL's Contest Results 
<http://www.arrl.org/contest-results-articles> web page. Downloadable 
CSV files are now all up to date and all Log Checking Reports (LCRs) are 
now posted, as well. There are a few nits yet to fix in past writeups 
and the log handling machinery needs constant attention but the backlog 
in the results is now a thing of the past.

If you participated in the ARRL's September VHF+ Contest, be sure to 
check the Logs Received <http://www.arrl.org/logs-received> page and 
verify your entry is noted with the right category, location, and call sign.

OPERATING TIP

Speaking of LCRs, also known as UBN (Unique-Busted-NIL) reports, now is 
a great time to start looking over your errors from last year. Think of 
it as watching game video from the previous game - it will alert you to 
your weaknesses and help you focus on improving what needs to be improved!

Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=cu&t=i&i=2014-09-24&p=1>
TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION

Tuning an impedance matching network like an L network to match a feed 
point impedance is fairly straightforward. But what about for an antenna 
that you use on /two/ bands? You could switch between different 
component values, such as by using a different tap on an inductor or 
adding a capacitor. Switching in coaxial stubs also works, but Doug W7KF 
found an alternative solution 
<http://www.w7kf.com/Articles/Rigs/SkyHook2.html> that he put to work on 
his Inverted L for 160 and 80 meters. The original idea came from an 
1970s /QST/ article by Wes Hayward W7ZOI ("Hints and Kinks" in the June 
1977 issue) that lets the network switch itself in and out by using 
resonance. As Wes observes, while having the antenna be resonant on the 
lower band simplifies adjustment considerably, in the general case, the 
antenna doesn't need to be resonant on either band.

Here's an animated, excited crowd watching the 2013 KCDXC's CW Pileup 
Contest take place in a nearby room via NO5W's /PileUpNet/ software. 
Radiosport is a lot of fun to watch as it turns out! (Photo by NØAX)

Pasternak has a new online package of RF calculator and conversion tools 
<http://www.pasternack.com/t-rf-microwave-calculators-and-conversions.aspx> 
developed by its engineering staff. Here are a few of the many 
interesting tools of interest to hams: balanced attenuator calculator, 
cascaded noise figure calculator, coaxial cable impedance calculator, RF 
power conversion calculator, RF power ratio conversion calculator, 
VSWR/return loss calculator and more. Broadcast engineers will find some 
just for them, as well! Each calculator includes diagrams and 
illustrations along with the formula in use. (Thanks, Eric W3DQ)

We have the CW Skimmer <http://www.dxatlas.com/cwskimmer/> keeping an 
ear on the bands for us, do you think you can do better? If so, the 
Morse Learning Machine Challenge 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/morse-learning-machine-challenge-catching-on-with-hams> 
is for you! No word has been received as to whether the final evaluation 
will be done during CW Sweepstakes.

There are quite a few low-cost online PC board fabricators that will 
deliver several boards in a batch but this can be expensive if you only 
need a couple of boards made. There's another approach called a PC-board 
aggregator. These services combine your small order with the small 
orders of others and makes a composite board that is then sliced up and 
sent to the customers. You must submit a board design prepared with a 
layout package that generates Gerber files and pay a certain amount per 
square inch of board area. One such aggregator is OSH Park 
<https://oshpark.com/> which charges $5.00 per square inch for 
double-sided boards with a silkscreen. (Thanks, Brad AA1IP)

There is a good collection 
<http://www.smithspower.com/brands/polyphaser/services/media-library/white-papers?page=2> 
of downloadable white papers on grounding and lightning protection from 
the Polyphaser company at the Smiths Power website. The list includes a 
paper specifically on grounding amateur stations. (Thanks, Bill KC4PE)

If you use rope running through a pulley to hold up a wire antennas, 
it's important to move or shift the rope from time-to-time. Leaving the 
pull rope "setting" in one spot for extended periods of time causes 
excess wear, as the outer fibers are elongated/stretched more than the 
inner ones. Just a little movement 2-3 times per year will go a long way 
toward keeping that rope flexible and doing its job. (Thanks, Don K4ZA)

While we may consider stainless steel to be the best of the best 
materials, it can corrode when deprived of oxygen and needs to be 
inspected like everything else. Sailors know corrosion as well as anyone 
and this /Cruising World article 
<http://www.cruisingworld.com/how/beware-stainless-steel-corrosion>/ 
describes the problem and how to check for corrosion. (Thanks, Kirby AF6OP)

Several useful gadgets and projects showed up recently on the 
Instructables website. The creator of this Instructable on straightening 
and stripping wire 
<http://www.instructables.com/id/Using-A-Bench-Vise-To-Straighten-and-Strip-Wire/> 
mentions the possible uses as "Antenna Construction". Too bad he didn't 
build a pipe and tower stretcher says Frank KR1ZAN! This razor blade 
cutter <http://www.instructables.com/id/Razor-Blade-Cutter/> functions 
as a nifty mini-shear for wire and plastic - watch your fingers! And 
another builder made use of a switchmode dc-to-dc converter module to 
create a bench-style power supply 
<http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Small-Bench-Power-Supply/?ALLSTEPS>. It 
runs with 7-35 volts input power and outputs 1.25-30 volts at up to 3 
amps depending on the heat sink. The project also demonstrates how to 
create an etched front panel.

As the fall semester kicks into gear, you may have a STEM-oriented 
student in the family or know of one. This /EE Times/ slide show 
features 10 technological elements 
<http://edn.com/electronics-blogs/engineering-the-next-generation/4434252/Back-to-school-essentials-for-learning-tech>, 
one of which is sure to hold the interest of your student. Some are 
intended for the school environment and some for individuals at home 
learning on their own.

*Technical Web Site of the Week* - Physics fans will be thrilled to 
learn that the famed Feynman Lectures 
<http://science.slashdot.org/story/14/08/31/1234251/feynman-lectures-released-free-online> 
have all been released free online. Covering a wide variety of topics, 
you can learn from a master physicist whose work garnered a Nobel Prize 
and inspired generations of students.

CONVERSATION

Watching a Submarine Race

I've written at times about visualization being an important component 
that is currently missing from much of radiosport. We like numbers - 
particularly final scores - and don't seem too concerned about the 
process by which those numbers were obtained. And why should we be? No 
one watches us as we sit in front of the radios and computers in our 
basement or bedroom redoubts. The door is shut and the household tiptoes 
around for the weekend whispering, "There's a contest on!"

Finally, we emerge: a little bleary, somewhat the worse for wear and 
tear, with our far-away eyes still somewhere out there in the 
ionosphere. After we get a little sleep and shape-shift back into human 
form, friends and family will inquire, "How was it? Did you win?" And so 
we recount the battles won and lost, the highs and lows, and whether we 
beat the cross-town rivals or came up short.

Don't you think those folks might want to watch a /little bit?/ Maybe 
just to check the scores from time to time even if the exact operating 
technique is a bit opaque? Certainly other hams would be interested, but 
except for contests that include QSO serial number as part of the 
exchange, it's all invisible.

Watching a typical radiosport contest is like watching a submarine race. 
You know they're out there...somewhere...and you know they're focused 
and intense and working hard...somehow...but you can't see a thing. Nor 
will you learn anything about the race until the "fish" surface, one by 
one, to tell their tales.

You can see the details of the WRTC score collection system on the 
WRTC2014 <http://www.wrtc2014.org>website. Is this the look of the 
future? I hope so! (Graphic courtesy of WRTC2014)

That might be about to change, at least for radiosport. We've had a 
real-time scoreboard or two for a while now. More stations are uploading 
scores and even breakdowns, so it is starting to happen. During the 
WRTC2014 a new gadget came into play - a network "sniffer" that watched 
for QSOs being "broadcast" in a digital stream, grabbed the information, 
and submitted it to the central scoreboard server. Inexpensive and based 
on a Raspberry Pi computer, the sniffer (aka - the Score Collection 
Computer <http://sb.wrtc2014.org/about.php>) required no modification to 
the host software, just access to the stream of contact data as each QSO 
was logged by the competitors.

This is not very far from live QSO validation and scoring, although that 
would require considerably more computing resources, such as are 
available in the "cloud". In the meantime, couldn't we be seeing a lot 
more information and visuals of the competition? For an idea of what is 
possible even at this early stage, Bob N6TV has created some "after the 
fact" horse-race-style graphics 
<http://www.wrtc2014.org/graphical-view-of-hour-by-hour-raw-scores/> in 
the style of Chuck NO5W's /PileUpNet 
<http://www.no5w.com/PileUpNet.php>/ software so popular at the Dayton 
CW Pileup Contest sponsored by the Kansas City DX Club.

You can watch the whole of WRTC2014 play back via these GIF-based 
animations created by Bob N6TV. The animation is available on the 
WRTC2014 website 
<http://www.wrtc2014.org/graphical-view-of-hour-by-hour-raw-scores/>.

Until we finally get real-time radiosport, I am hoping that some of the 
creative programmers out there are thinking about what they could do 
with access to a stream of QSO data from hundreds or thousands of 
competitors all logging contacts as fast as they can. What sort of 
combinations of views makes sense? Will it be something like ESPN's 
/GameCast <http://espn.go.com/mlb/gamecast>/ system - a collection of 
maps and charts and statistics that capture the competitive state of the 
game?

In the meantime this fall, as 0000 UTC approaches, be sure to dog your 
hatches, lower the periscope, sound the klaxon and Dive! Dive! The 
submarine race is about to begin!

73, Ward NØAX

Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=cu&t=i&i=2014-09-24&p=2>
CONTESTS

*24 September through 7 October*

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*

SKCC Straight Key Sprint--CW, from Sep 24, 0000Z to Sep 24, 0200Z. Bands 
(MHz): 1.8-28, 50, Monthly on the 4th Wednesday UTC. Exchange: RST, QTH, 
name, SKCC nr or power. Logs due: 5 days. Rules 
<http://www.skccgroup.com/sprint/sks/>

CQ WW RTTY Contest--Digital, from Sep 27, 0000Z to Sep 28, 2359Z. Bands 
(MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST, CQ zone and State/VE area (US/VE). Logs 
due: 5 days. Rules <http://www.cqwwrtty.com/>

Maine QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Sep 27, 1200Z to Sep 28, 1200Z. Bands 
(MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS(T), county or "DX". Logs due: Oct 15. Rules 
<http://www.maineqsoparty.com/>

Texas QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 27, 1400Z - See website. 
Multiple time periods. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, CW--20 to 50 kHz 
above band edge; Phone--25 kHz above edge of General segment. Exchange: 
RS(T), county or S/P/C. Logs due: Oct 31. Rules <http://www.txqp.net/>

Peanut Power Sprint--Phone,CW, from Sep 28, 2000Z to Sep 28, 2200Z. 
Bands (MHz): 7-21. CW--7.061, 14.061, 21.061; SSB--7.285, 14.285, 
21.285. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and Peanut nr or power. Logs due: Oct 15. 
Rules <http://www.nogaqrp.org/>

222 MHz Fall VHF Sprint--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 30, 7 PM to Sep 30, 
11 PM. Bands (MHz): 222. Exchange: 4-char grid square. Logs due: 2 
weeks. Rules <http://www.svhfs.org/>

CWOps Weekly Mini-CWT Tests--CW, from Oct 1, 1300Z - See website. 
Multiple time periods. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Weekly on Wednesday, 28 to 
38 kHz above band edge. Exchange: Name and member number or S/P/C. Logs 
due: 2 days. Rules <http://www.cwops.org/cwt.html>

NS Weekly Sprint--CW, from Oct 3, 0230Z to Oct 3, 0300Z. Bands (MHz): 
1.8-14. Weekly on Thursday evenings local time. Exchange: Serial, name, 
and S/P/C. Logs due: 2 days. Rules <http://www.ncccsprint.com/rules.html>

DX/NA YLRL Anniversary Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Oct 3, 1400Z to Oct 
5, 0200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: Serial, RS(T), and S/P/C. Logs 
due: 30 days. Rules <http://www.ylrl.org/>

TARA PSK Rumble--Digital, from Oct 4, 0000Z to Oct 4, 2400Z. Bands 
(MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: Name and call area (see website). Logs due: 
Oct 31. Rules <http://www.n2ty.org/>

Oceania DX Phone Contest--Phone, from Oct 4, 0800Z to Oct 5, 0800Z. 
Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS and serial. Logs due: Oct 31. Rules 
<http://www.oceaniadxcontest.com/>

Russian WW Digital Contest--Digital, from Oct 4, 1200Z to Oct 5, 1159Z. 
Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST and 2-char oblast code or serial. 
Logs due: 5 days. Rules <http://www.rdrclub.ru/>

Worked All Britain HF Contest--Phone, from Oct 4, 1200Z to Oct 5, 1200Z. 
Bands (MHz): 14-28. Exchange: RS, serial, DXCC entity or WAB area. Logs 
due: Oct 28. Rules <http://wab.intermip.net/>

New Jersey QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Oct 4, 1600Z - See website. 
Multiple time periods. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28, 144. Exchange: RS(T) and NJ 
county or S/P or "DX". Logs due: Oct 25. Rules <http://www.k2td-bcrc.org/>

California QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Oct 4, 1600Z to Oct 5, 2200Z. Bands 
(MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144. Exchange: Serial and state/prov/"DX" or CA 
county. Logs due: Oct 31. Rules <http://www.cqp.org/>

RSGB 21/28 MHz Contest--Phone,CW, from Oct 5, 0700Z to Oct 5, 1900Z. 
Bands (MHz): 21,28. Exchange: Serial and UK district. Logs due: 16 days. 
Rules <http://www.rsgbcc.org/>

EU Autumn Phone Sprint--Phone, from Oct 6, 1600Z to Oct 6, 1959Z. Bands 
(MHz): 3.5-14. Exchange: Both call signs, serial, name. Logs due: 15 
days. Rules <http://www.eu-sprint.com/>

OK1WC Memorial Contest--Phone,CW, from Oct 6, 1630Z to Oct 6, 1730Z. 
Bands (MHz): 3.5, 7. Weekly on Monday, see website for bands. Exchange: 
RS(T) and serial. Logs due: 5 days. Rules <http://www.memorial-ok1wc.cz/>

ARS Spartan Sprint--CW, from Oct 7, 0200Z to Oct 7, 0400Z. Bands (MHz): 
3.5-28. Monthly on the first Monday evening local time. Exchange: RST, 
S/P/C, and power. Logs due: 2 days. Rules <http://www.arsqrp.blogspot.com/>

*VHF+ CONTESTS*

SKCC Straight Key Sprint--CW, from Sep 24, 0000Z to Sep 24, 0200Z. Bands 
(MHz): 1.8-28, 50, Monthly on the 4th Wednesday UTC. Exchange: RST, QTH, 
name, SKCC nr or power. Logs due: 5 days. Rules 
<http://www.skccgroup.com/sprint/sks/>

Texas QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 27, 1400Z - See website. 
Multiple time periods. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, CW--20 to 50 kHz 
above band edge; Phone--25 kHz above edge of General segment. Exchange: 
RS(T), county or S/P/C. Logs due: Oct 31. Rules <http://www.txqp.net/>

222 MHz Fall VHF Sprint--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 30, 7 PM to Sep 30, 
11 PM. Bands (MHz): 222. Exchange: 4-char grid square. Logs due: 2 
weeks. Rules <http://www.svhfs.org/>

TARA PSK Rumble--Digital, from Oct 4, 0000Z to Oct 4, 2400Z. Bands 
(MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: Name and call area (see website). Logs due: 
Oct 31. Rules <http://www.n2ty.org/>

New Jersey QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Oct 4, 1600Z - See website. 
Multiple time periods. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28, 144. Exchange: RS(T) and NJ 
county or S/P or "DX". Logs due: Oct 25. Rules <http://www.k2td-bcrc.org/>

California QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Oct 4, 1600Z to Oct 5, 2200Z. Bands 
(MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144. Exchange: Serial and state/prov/"DX" or CA 
county. Logs due: Oct 31. Rules <http://www.cqp.org/>

LOG DUE DATES

*24 September through 7 October*

  * September 26 - SKCC Sprint <http://www.skccgroup.com/sprint/sks/>
  * September 27 - FOC QSO Party
    <http://g4foc.org/Default.aspx?pageId=1440151>
  * September 27 - Arkansas QSO Party
    <http://www.arkqsoparty.com/#%21rules/c205y>
  * September 27 - Colorado QSO Party
    <http://ppraa.org/downloads/coqp/2014%20COQP%20Rules%2014-2.pdf>
  * September 27 - Feld Hell Sprint
    <https://sites.google.com/site/feldhellclub/Home/contests/sprints/hell-on-wheels-sprint>
  * September 27 - CWops Mini-CWT Test <http://www.cwops.org/cwt.html>
  * September 28 - NCCC RTTY Sprint Ladder
    <http://www.ncccsprint.com/rules.html>
  * September 28 - Run for the Bacon QRP Contest <http://fpqrp.org/pigrun/>
  * September 28 - Kulikovo Polye Contest
    <http://www.kpctest.ru/?pg=content/ruleen>
  * September 28 - Scandinavian Activity Contest, CW
    <http://www.sactest.net/blog/rules/>
  * September 28 - NCCC Sprint <http://www.ncccsprint.com/rules.html>
  * September 29 - WAE DX Contest, SSB
    <http://www.darc.de/referate/dx/contest/waedc/en/rules/>
  * September 30 - Hawaii QSO Party
    <http://www.hiqsoparty.org/Rules/HQP/HQPRules.html>
  * September 30 - AGCW Straight Key Party
    <http://www.agcw.org/index.php/en/contests-and-cw-activities/straight-key-party-htp>
  * September 30 - YO DX HF Contest <http://www.yodx.ro/en/english>
  * September 30 - IARU Region 1 Field Day, SSB
  * September 30 - ALARA Contest <http://www.alara.org.au/contests/>
  * September 30 - Pirate QSO Party
    <http://pirateqsoparty.weebly.com/rules.html>
  * October 1 - Kansas QSO Party
    <http://www.ksqsoparty.org/rules/KSQPRules2014.pdf>
  * October 2 - RSGB 80m Club Sprint, CW
    <http://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2014/rsprint.shtml>
  * October 3 - CQ Worldwide DX Contest, RTTY
    <http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/cq_contests/cq_ww_rtty_dx_contest/cq_ww_rtty_dx_contest_rules/2014_cq_ww_rtty_dx_contest_rules.pdf>
  * October 5 - WAB 144 MHz QRO Phone
    <http://wab.intermip.net/Contest%20Rules.php#OtherRules>
  * October 5 - Washington State Salmon Run
    <http://www.wwdxc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/2014-Salmon-Run-Rules.pdf>
  * October 6 - 144 MHz Fall Sprint
    <http://svhfs.org/2014_Fall_Sprint_Rules_Rev01.pdf>
  * October 7 - G3ZQS Memorial Straight Key Contest
    <http://www.fistsna.org/operating.html>

ARRL Information

Click here <mailto:ads at arrl.org> to advertise in this newsletter, space 
subject to availability.

Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information

*Join or Renew Today!* <http://www.arrl.org/join>**

ARRL membership includes /QST/ <http://www.arrl.org/qst>, Amateur 
Radio's most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox 
each month.

Subscribe to /NCJ/ - the National Contest Journal 
<http://www.arrl.org/ncj>. Published bimonthly, features articles by top 
contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties.

Subscribe to /QEX/ - A Forum for Communications Experimenters 
<http://www.arrl.org/qex>. Published bimonthly, features technical 
articles, construction projects, columns and other items of interest to 
radio amateurs and communications professionals.

/Free of charge to ARRL members:/ Subscribe 
<http://www.arrl.org/myarrl-account-management#%21/edit-info-email_subscriptions> 
to The ARRL Letter (weekly digest of news and information), the ARES 
E-Letter (monthly public service and emergency communications news), 
Division and Section news -- and much more!

/ARRL offers a wide array of //products/ 
<http://www.arrl.org/arrl-store>//to enhance your enjoyment of Amateur 
Radio. Visit the site often for new publications, specials and sales.

Donate <https://www.arrl.org/arrl-donation-form> to the fund of your 
choice -- /support programs not funded by member dues!/

Reprint permission can be obtained by sending email to 
permission at arrl.org <mailto:permission at arrl.org> with a description of 
the material and the reprint publication.

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>.

	Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=cu&i=2014-09-24&t=r&p=0>
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=cu&i=2014-09-24&t=r&p=1>
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=cu&i=2014-09-24&t=r&p=2>
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=cu&i=2014-09-24&t=r&p=3>
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=cu&i=2014-09-24&t=r&p=4>
------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ARRL Contest Update is published every other Wednesday (26 times 
each year). ARRL members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by 
editing their Member Data Page as described at 
http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/.

www.arrl.org <http://www.arrl.org/>