[SFDXA] The ARRL Contest Update for October 7, 2015

Wed Oct 7 09:35:39 EDT 2015

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The ARRL Contest Update

October 7, 2015
Editor: Brian Moran, N9ADG <mailto:contest-update 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

· All your QSO Party Are Belong to Us <#Contests>

· Work your Alma Mater <#Contests>

· It Calms You Down, and Picks You Up <#News>

· From Kluges, Humor <#Newsweek>

· Sights from Heights <#Sights>

· Preliminaries <#Results>

· RTTY GRITTY <#Tech>

· State of Flux <#Techweek>

· At What Cost? <#Conversation>

NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO

Register for a free CW Academy Class 
<http://www.cwops.org/cwacademy.html> starting in January 2016. 
Sponsored by the CW Operator's Club <http://www.cwops.org>, each class 
takes place over a two-month period, and involves training and mentoring 
to instill or *improve* CW skills. There's a great article in the 
September-October issue of NCJ <http://www.cwops.org/cwacademy.html> 
about it.

The one-hour CW Operator's Club CWT tests each Wednesday evening in the 
US are a good way to improve your CW contesting skills. ANYONE can 
participate. As it occurs every week, it's something you can do 
consistently enough to become better over time.

BULLETINS

Send your contest-related stories, pictures, tidbits, ephemera, etc. to 
contest-update at arrl.org <mailto:contest-update at arrl.org>.

BUSTED QSOS

Doug, K1DG and Larry, K1UO noticed that I typo'd K1FZ's callsign in the 
last issue -- though I did somehow get the URL right! Here's what I 
should have said:

Topband season is here in the northern hemisphere! K1FZ has some 
practical beverage antenna advice: 
http://www.qsl.net/k1fz/beverage_antenna.html (K1FZ via Topband)

Logs for the California QSO Party (which occurred last weekend) are due 
Monday, October 12, 2015. (thanks K6MM)

CONTEST SUMMARY

Complete information for all contests follows the Conversation section

*October 8*

  * CWops Mini-CWT Test <http://www.cwops.org/cwt.html>

*October 9*

  * NCCC RTTY Sprint Ladder <http://www.ncccsprint.com/rules.html>
  * NCCC Sprint <http://www.ncccsprint.com/rules.html>

*October 10*

  * Makrothen RTTY Contest
    <http://home.arcor.de/waldemar.kebsch/The_Makrothen_Contest/TMC_Rules.html>
  * 10-10 Int. 10-10 Day Sprint
    <http://www.ten-ten.org/index.php/activity/2013-07-22-20-26-48/qso-party-rules>
  * Microwave Fall Sprint <http://svhfs.org/2015FallSprintRulesRev1.pdf>
  * Oceania DX Contest, CW <http://www.oceaniadxcontest.com/rules.pdf>
  * SKCC Weekend Sprintathon
    <http://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/>
  * QRP ARCI Fall QSO Party
    <http://www.qrparci.org/contests/qrp-arci-contests/137-fall-qso-party>
  * Scandinavian Activity Contest, SSB <http://www.sactest.net/blog/rules/>
  * Arizona QSO Party <http://www.azqsoparty.org/rules.html>
  * Pennsylvania QSO Party
    <http://www.nittany-arc.net/pqppdf/paqsorules-14.pdf>
  * FISTS Fall Unlimited Sprint
    <http://www.fistsna.org/operating.html#sprints>
  * PODXS 070 Club 160m Great Pumpkin Sprint
    <http://www.podxs070.com/o7o-club-sponsored-contests/160m-great-pumpkin-sprint>

*October 11*

  * Makrothen RTTY Contest
    <http://home.arcor.de/waldemar.kebsch/The_Makrothen_Contest/TMC_Rules.html>
  * Arizona QSO Party <http://www.azqsoparty.org/rules.html>
  * Pennsylvania QSO Party
    <http://www.nittany-arc.net/pqppdf/paqsorules-14.pdf>
  * UBA ON Contest, CW <http://www.uba.be/en/hf/contest-rules/on-contest>

*October 14*

  * NAQCC CW Sprint <http://naqcc.info/sprint201512.html>
  * Phone Fray <http://www.perluma.com/Phone_Fray_Contest_Rules.pdf>
  * CWops Mini-CWT Test <http://www.cwops.org/cwt.html>
  * RSGB 80m Club Sprint, CW
    <http://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2015/rsprint.shtml>

*October 15*

  * CWops Mini-CWT Test <http://www.cwops.org/cwt.html>

*October 16*

  * NCCC RTTY Sprint <http://www.ncccsprint.com/rttyns.html>
  * NCCC Sprint <http://www.ncccsprint.com/rules.html>

*October 17*

  * JARTS WW RTTY Contest <http://jarts.jp/rules2015.html>
  * 10-10 Int. Fall Contest, CW
    <http://www.ten-ten.org/index.php/activity/2013-07-22-20-26-48/qso-party-rules>
  * Iowa QSO Party <http://www.wa0dx.org/IAQSO/>
  * New York QSO Party
    <http://nyqp.org/wordpress/nyqp/2014/NY_QSO_Party_Rules_2014.pdf>
  * Worked All Germany Contest
    <http://www.darc.de/referate/dx/contest/wag/en/rules/>
  * Stew Perry Topband Challenge <http://www.kkn.net/stew/>
  * Telephone Pioneers QSO Party
    <http://www.tpqso.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Announ2015-v15.pdf>
  * South Dakota QSO Party <http://www.kb0wsw.com/SDQP/page_home.html>
  * Feld Hell Sprint
    <https://sites.google.com/site/feldhellclub/Home/contests/sprints/Happy-Birthday-Rudolph-Sprint>

*October 18*

  * Telephone Pioneers QSO Party
    <http://www.tpqso.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Announ2015-v15.pdf>
  * Asia-Pacific Fall Sprint, CW <http://jsfc.org/apsprint/aprule.txt>
  * UBA ON Contest, 2m <http://www.uba.be/en/hf/contest-rules/on-contest>
  * Illinois QSO Party <http://www.w9awe.org/ILQP%202014%20Rules.pdf>

*October 19*

  * Run for the Bacon QRP Contest <http://fpqrp.org/pigrun/>
  * *ARRL School Club Roundup <http://www.arrl.org/school-club-roundup>*

*October 21*

  * Phone Fray <http://www.perluma.com/Phone_Fray_Contest_Rules.pdf>
  * CWops Mini-CWT Test <http://www.cwops.org/cwt.html>

NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST

Vibroplex has announced the acquisition of Inrad, of Aptos, CA. 
According to the post on Vibroplex's Facebook Page 
<https://www.facebook.com/Vibroplex-238189856213276/timeline/>, the sale 
was finalized on September 23, 2015, and Inrad's operations have already 
been moved to the Tennessee offices of Vibroplex. The combined operation 
is already fulfilling previously placed Inrad orders.

A recent article in /Science News Magazine/ details the health benefits 
of coffee 
<https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coffee-reveals-itself-unlikely-elixir>, 
including improving liver function. Contesters have always viewed it as 
a health drink <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR3zpPZnCbE>...

The 1880s were a time of radical innovations 
<http://spectrum.ieee.org/geek-life/history/the-miraculous-1880s>... and 
that was BEFORE radio. (Ward, N0AX)

The RF group at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory wrote a paper 
about the radio systems used on New Horizons spacecraft 
<http://www.boulder.swri.edu/%7Etcase/NH%20RF%20Telecom%20Sys%20ID1369%20FINAL_Deboy.pdf> 
(PDF). (Anthony, WR3T)

A model of visible light being reflected from a 3D object covered by a 
cloak surfaced with gold nano-antennas. The net effect is as if light is 
reflecting from a flat mirror, rendering the object invisible. (Photo 
courtesy LBNL)

Harry Potter and Star Trek fans take note: Berkeley Lab Researchers have 
developed an ultra-thin material capable of rendering 3D objects 
invisible in visible light 
<http://newscenter.lbl.gov/2015/09/17/making-3d-objects-disappear/>. 
Though demonstrated now on microscopic objects, researchers say it can 
be scaled up. (Dennis, N6KI)

We can't use any type of cryptography on the air, but the NSA is 
preparing for a time when quantum computing will make currently-employed 
cryptographic algorithms too weak to use 
<https://www.nsa.gov/ia/programs/suiteb_cryptography/>.

The US Government recently introduced web design standards 
<https://18f.gsa.gov/2015/09/28/web-design-standards/>, to be applicable 
across the varied US Government web properties. This effort is intended 
to provide a more uniform user interfaces and better web site experiences.

The FCC ULS web site <http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/index.htm?job=home> 
was recently down for some improvements - and now it seems that the web 
site, overall, is much faster than it was previously.

I've been trying to read more about Quantum Computing lately - here's a 
2008 article from /Scientific American/ about what types of problems are 
appropriate for it 
<https://www.cs.virginia.edu/%7Erobins/The_Limits_of_Quantum_Computers.pdf> 
(PDF).

A team from Australia claims to have realized two-qubit logic gates in 
silicon 
<http://www.engineering.unsw.edu.au/news/quantum-computing-first-two-qubit-logic-gate-in-silicon>. 
While access to the article is behind a paywall, from the summary of the 
research it sounds intriguing. There are hints that the physical 
environment required to sustain the quantum computing operations may be 
less specialized than previous efforts, and that some qubit scaling and 
inter-bit connectivity problems have been solved.

4O3A, Ranko, has released three new products <4O3A.com>, all of which 
have Ethernet capability built in - a multifunction radio interface 
(with SO2R capabilities), a rotator controller, and an 8x2 antenna 
switch. These should be of interesting to anyone thinking about remote 
capability for his/her station. In the US, the productions are available 
from Force 12 <http://www.force12inc.com/>.

In the last issue, I mentioned the Carl and Jerry stories from Popular 
Electronics of old. Jeff, VE3CV, writes: "The article about Carl and 
Jerry stories in Popular Electronics was new to me as I didn't start my 
subscription until 1967 when I discovered SWL and then the ham bands! 
Sent in many a log as VE3PE3NL. The following link Popular Electronics 
Guide - 1954-2003 
<http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Popular-Electronics-Guide.htm>) was 
posted in the last newsletter from CVRA (Canadian Vintage Radio 
Association) and caused me to spend many an hour re-living my teen 
years. This may be old news to your readers, or not, but use it if you 
want... Lots of hams out there got their start with PE. " Thanks Jeff!

Though they've been available for a long time on the grey/black markets, 
the TSA Master Luggage Keys became much more "known" after pictures of 
some masters were printed in the /Washington Post/ 
<http://www.wired.com/2015/09/lockpickers-3-d-print-tsa-luggage-keys-leaked-photos/>/. 
/Careful measurement of enlargements of the pictures allowed the 
reproduction of the masters. The "key" takeaway is to never allow a 
picture to be taken of any physical security device if you'd like it to 
remain relatively secure. This type of threat has been commonly known 
since 2011 
<http://singularityhub.com/2011/06/29/your-keys-can-be-copied-from-a-picture-taken-200-feet-away/> 
(or before), but with hi-resolution cameras in everyone's pocket, access 
to CAD and 3D-printing, duplicating objects has become trivial. (Dennis, 
N6KI)

*Web Site of the Week* - Electronics Fail Blog - ThereIFixedIt 
<http://failblog.cheezburger.com/thereifixedit/tag/electronics>

Do Not Do This. An example of something that seemed like a good idea at 
the time, until, suddenly, it wasn't. (courtesy K3HX)

We've all made ugly, rude, temporary, but ultimately funny fixes to 
things. Here are some that have been captured in photos. Perhaps you 
have some of your own to share?

WORD TO THE WISE

LCR - Log Checking Report

This is the report generated when your log is scored by the contest 
sponsor. It can contain information on errors that you made in your log, 
and can reveal how others made mistakes copying your information. It can 
help you identify areas where you can improve your score, as well as 
indicate ways to improve how to communicate your exchange to others.

Bonus phrase: Bit Rot

Originally denoting the degradation of data on storage media over time, 
it can also be applied to programs or source code that sorely need to be 
updated. "Hamzapper 2002 seems to be suffering from bit rot, as it 
hasn't added any new features since it was first released the same time 
as Windows XP."

Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=cu&t=i&i=2015-10-07&p=0>
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS

L to R: WA1Z and W6SX after a Yosemite North Dome Hike, Half Dome in the 
background. A nice warm-up to the California QSO Party, where W6SX had 
1650 Qs SOAB, WA1Z 1500 Qs on 20m and 80m as part of the K6Z Multi. 
Photo by Amy Raymond, WA1Z XYL.

RTTY can lend itself to SOxR operation if your station is set up for it. 
AA5AU tried SO3R a few years ago in the ARRL RTTY Roundup 
<http://www.rttycontesting.com/lagniappe/contest-notes/2012-arrl-rtty-roundup/>. 
Those wild and crazy guys N6RO and K3EST combined SO2R and SO3R to enter 
the recent CQ WW RTTY contest as an unplanned multi-multi operation 
<http://3830scores.com/showrumor.php?arg=0EaezKfvqifsx>.

As of October 2, at least 2700 RTTY logs were submitted to the CW WW 
RTTY contest sponsor.

RESULTS AND RECORDS

The Preliminary CW NA Sprint Results 
<http://ncjweb.com/sprint-scores/preliminary/sprintcwsep2015prelim.txt> 
are available on the NCJ web site; contact N6TR for an LCR.

Preliminary results of the August NAQP CW <http://ncjweb.com> are now 
available. Let Chris, KL9A know if you have problems.

Bob, W0BH, the KSQP Coordinator writes: "The 2015 Kansas QSO Party 
preliminary results are out one day after logs were due. This year we 
had 316 logs (52,588 QSOs), which beat our 2014 record of 275 logs. Once 
again, John/n6mu completed the Kansas Sweep of 105 counties, and he got 
104 of them already on Saturday! We had 44 1x1 calls on the air 
including 16 mobiles. Final results will be out in about two weeks. Look 
for 2015 Results on the KSQP web site: http://www.ksqsoparty.org/.

OPERATING TIP

On weekend where there are multiple compatible contests running at once, 
here's a nice way to be able participate in a bunch of them, courtesy of 
the PVRC Newsletter:

N1MM Logger+ Hint for Multi-Contest Weekends

On many weekends there are more than one contest I might dink around in, 
like simultaneous QSO parties and the SAC or JA events. In N1MM you have 
always been able to start up multiple contest logs and go through the 
"Open Log in Database" menu entry to switch between them. But in version 
1.0.5176 or later, N1MM+ now has a nice short cut: · With your cursor in 
the Entry window, hit ALT+F - that brings up "active" contest log list · 
Select the number in the list of the contest you want to switch to, type 
in that number and hit Enter · Voila - you are logging in the other 
contest. -- John K3TN

Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=cu&t=i&i=2015-10-07&p=1>
TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION

GRITTY <http://www.dxatlas.com/Gritty/>is a RTTY-signal receiving 
application (in Beta) that will take a single RTTY signal, and using 
Bayesian techniques will use predictive analysis to assist in the 
decoding under marginal conditions. The author, Alex, VE3NEA, is well 
known for some of his previous works: CW Skimmer, DX Atlas, and Morse 
Runner.

A $9 Linux capable computer/chip is now shipping. 
<http://makezine.com/2015/09/24/the-9-computer-is-shipping-today/> This 
could be another great building block for your electronics project.

Here's a way to visualize how the Fast Fourier Transform works 
<http://blog.revolutionanalytics.com/2015/09/because-its-friday-visualizing-ffts.html>.

Designing an attractive, intuitive user interface for an SDR is the goal 
of new project built on GNU Radio -- Shiny SDR 
<https://github.com/kpreid/shinysdr>. It's also compatible with RTL-SDR 
hardware.

In reading about one of the Flexradio <flexradio.com> models, the 
standard VITA-49 was mentioned. This is an industry/military initiative 
to have standardized network packet formats for control, data, and 
status for SDR equipment, so that different components from different 
suppliers can work together.

I'm not sure how to classify this project... but I'll try. It's a very, 
very smart LED badge that evolves in its behavior over time after 
encountering other peer badges 
<http://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=4484>. It uses RF @ 900 MHz to 
find other badges in close proximity. It seems like overkill for the 
concept of badge, and the story behind it is interesting.

The first optical memory chip has been constructed by researchers 
<http://news.sciencemag.org/physics/2015/09/light-based-memory-chip-first-permanently-store-data>. 
Constructed using germanium, antimony, and tellurium, a high power laser 
can write information to the device, and a lower-power laser can read 
the information out.

EE Times had an article on USB oscilloscopes 
<http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1326699&page_number=1>, 
broken down by price ranges and capabilities.

Here's what could be a nice touch display for your next raspberry PI 
project 
<http://www.newark.com/raspberry-pi/raspberrypi-display/raspberry-pi-7inch-touchscreen/dp/49Y1712?ost=49Y1712&et_cid=26286272&et_rid=3674762&CMP=EMC-26286272&v=1> 
- it's capacitive technology, and it supports multiple touches at the 
same time for gestures.

Transistors made with tubes! Carbon nanotubes, that is, and they may 
make it possible to manufacture transistors at a smaller size that ever 
before 
<http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/02/science/ibm-scientists-find-new-way-to-shrink-transistors.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=1>.

Graphene in a layer one-atom-thick, separated by one nanometer, can 
yield a capacitance 10,000 times higher than a typical electrolytic. 
<http://spectrum.ieee.org/semiconductors/materials/how-a-microscopic-supercapacitor-will-supercharge-mobile-electronics> 
The fabrication method is unique and interesting, using an off-the-shelf 
DVD burner with graphite oxide.

"Free Power!" Those Rambling Wrecks from Georgia Tech are using carbon 
nanotubes to make a rectenna 
<http://www.gizmag.com/carbon-nanotube-rectenna-light-electricity-georgia-tech/39631> 
- an antenna that converts RF into DC current. The "RF" in this case 
happens to be at visible frequencies. The IEEE mentioned it too, but in 
the context of potentially doubling solar cell efficiency 
<http://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/semiconductors/materials/optical-rectenna-could-doube-solar-cell-efficiency>. 
(Dennis, N6KI)

Plain-Ole' RF is the source of energy for Freevolt 
<http://arstechnica.co.uk/gadgets/2015/09/freevolt-perpetual-free-rf-energy-harvesting-to-power-the-internet-of-things/> 
- an antenna, rectifier, and power management module combination.

This gentleman has developed Extreme LED Room Lighting 
<http://dmitry.gr/index.php?r=05.Projects&proj=19.%20Room%20Lights>, 
using 2772 RGB LEDs. Best line: "Nothing in the rooms casts a shadow."

Portabello Mushrooms have what it takes to make anodes for Lithium Ion 
Cells. After heating it to over 500 degrees C.... (Dennis, N6KI)

It's almost too easy to add a microcontroller or embedded CPU to a 
radio-related project. If you're programming in C, here's a nice article 
on one approach to doing test driven development of code that will be 
running on your embedded device 
<http://dmitryfrank.com/articles/unit_testing_embedded_c_applications>.

*Technical Web Site of the Week* - Soldering

Over the past couple of weeks I've had the opportunity to repair some 
gear, which brought to mind some of the perennial questions I've 
personally had about fluxes, soldering alloy compositions, and the like. 
Recently, there was a nice article on through-hole soldering in the 
DKARS magazine 
<http://downloads.dkars.nl/DKARS%20Magazine%20201503.pdf>. Even though 
this particular article is in Dutch, there are plenty of pictures and 
captions in English. Regarding particular questions about what flux to 
use when (and why it may not be appropriate to just use any-old-solder 
you have on hand), page four of Metcal's Hand Soldering Basics 
<http://ecee.colorado.edu/%7Emcclurel/Metcal_Hand_Soldering_Basics.pdf> 
document discusses some of the issues. Elecraft <http://elecraft.com> 
also has a soldering how-to 
<http://www.elecraft.com/TechNotes/N0SS_SolderNotes/N0SS_SolderNotesV6.pdf> 
written by N0SS, which contains a list of acceptable solders for their 
kits. By using an alloy containing metals with a lower melting 
temperature, it may be easier to *un*-solder certain SMD parts. I 
recently ordered ChipQuik <http://www.chipquik.com/>, which has such an 
alloy, but have yet to use it.

CONVERSATION

At What Cost?

Over the past two weeks we've seen some of the costs involved when a 
corporation does not follow the rules, and gets caught. Apologies, 
acceptance of responsibility, resignations of executives, the loss of 
billions of dollars of market value, fines in the future, product 
recall. How quickly can a corporation's reputation be repaired after a 
situation like this?

There likely will be scrutiny of other manufacturer's vehicles, now that 
it's known how to test for 'emissions defeat devices.'

Products that we as a hobby have a vested interest in meeting RFI 
emission rules and standards include all manner of electronic devices, 
which must meet FCC standards to gain approval to be sold, and must 
continue to meet standards through the production run.

ARRL Labs have tested and continue to test devices to ascertain 
compliance, and they work in conjunction with the League's General 
Counsel to lodge complaints with the FCC to urge enforcement of the 
FCC's own rules. This process is going to get more emphasis by the 
League. As noted in the October 2015 QST, at the recent ARRL Board 
Meeting, the CEO, staff, and General Counsel were directed to "develop 
and ... execute a plan to improve timely and visible enforcement in the 
areas of RF interference from power lines and Part 15 and Part 18 
lighting devices..." The board further resolved that "substantial, 
timely improvement in enforcement is an issue of the highest urgency" 
after noting that "effective and prompt FCC enforcement has been lacking 
in recent years."

However the plans are executed, your continued help will be needed to 
identify particular devices that cause interference, and be diligent in 
reporting non-cooperation in power line noise cases.

A particular offending device or utility may be generally known in our 
radio circles as a non-complying RFI emitter, but unless it is reported 
and followed up on, it may not get remedied. Doing bad business from an 
RFI perspective must be made more "costly". Let us all hope and ensure 
that exhaustion of the reporting party, and lack of reliable regulatory 
enforcement will not be dependable business planning bullet points going 
into the future.

73, Brian N9ADG

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CONTESTS

*8 Oct - 21 Oct 2015*

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 Mini-CWT Test <http://www.cwops.org/cwt.html>, Oct 7, 1300z to Oct 
7, 1400z, Oct 7, 1900z to Oct 7, 2000z, Oct 8, 0300z to Oct 8, 0400z; 
CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; Member: Name + Member No., 
non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: October 10.

NCCC RTTY Sprint Ladder <http://www.ncccsprint.com/rules.html>, Oct 9, 
0145z to Oct 9, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15m; Serial No. + 
Name + QTH; Logs due: October 11.

NCCC Sprint <http://www.ncccsprint.com/rules.html>, Oct 9, 0230z to Oct 
9, 0300z; (see rules); Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs 
due: October 11.

Makrothen RTTY Contest 
<http://home.arcor.de/waldemar.kebsch/The_Makrothen_Contest/TMC_Rules.html>, 
Oct 10, 0000z to Oct 10, 0759z, Oct 10, 1600z to Oct 10, 2359z, Oct 11, 
0800z to Oct 11, 1559z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; 4-character 
grid square; Logs due: November 15.

10-10 Int. 10-10 Day Sprint 
<http://www.ten-ten.org/index.php/activity/2013-07-22-20-26-48/qso-party-rules>, 
Oct 10, 0001z to Oct 10, 2359z; All; Bands: 10m Only; 10-10 Member: Name 
+ 10-10 number + (state/province/country), Non-Member: Name + 0 + 
(state/province/country); Logs due: October 25.

Oceania DX Contest, CW <http://www.oceaniadxcontest.com/rules.pdf>, Oct 
10, 0800z to Oct 11, 0800z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RST + 
Serial No.; Logs due: October 31.

SKCC Weekend Sprintathon 
<http://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/>, 
Oct 10, 1200z to Oct 12, 0000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 
*6m*; RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (SKCC No./"NONE"); Logs 
due: October 17.

QRP ARCI Fall QSO Party 
<http://www.qrparci.org/contests/qrp-arci-contests/137-fall-qso-party>, 
Oct 10, 1200z to Oct 11, 2359z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; 
ARCI: RST + (state/province/country) + ARCI No., non-ARCI: RST + 
(state/province/country) + power out; Logs due: October 25.

Scandinavian Activity Contest, SSB <http://www.sactest.net/blog/rules/>, 
Oct 10, 1200z to Oct 11, 1200z; SSB; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RST + 
Serial No.; Logs due: October 18.

Arizona QSO Party <http://www.azqsoparty.org/rules.html>, Oct 10, 1600z 
to Oct 11, 0600z, Oct 11, 1400z to Oct 11, 2359z; CW, Phone, Digital; 
Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, *6, 2m*; AZ: Serial No. + state + 
county, non-AZ: Serial No. + (state/province/country); Logs due: October 31.

Pennsylvania QSO Party 
<http://www.nittany-arc.net/pqppdf/paqsorules-14.pdf>, Oct 10, 1600z to 
Oct 11, 0500z, Oct 11, 1300z to Oct 11, 2200z; CW, Phone, PSK, RTTY; 
Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, *6, 2m*; PA: Serial No. + County, 
non-PA: Serial No. + ARRL/RAC Section; Logs due: November 15.

FISTS Fall Unlimited Sprint 
<http://www.fistsna.org/operating.html#sprints>, Oct 10, 1700z to Oct 
10, 2100z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; FISTS: RST + 
(state/province/country) + first name + FISTS No., non-FISTS: RST + 
(state/province/country) + first name + power; Logs due: November 9.

PODXS 070 Club 160m Great Pumpkin Sprint 
<http://www.podxs070.com/o7o-club-sponsored-contests/160m-great-pumpkin-sprint>, 
Oct 10, 2000 (local) to Oct 11, 0200 (local); PSK31; Bands: 160m Only; 
RST + (state/province/country); Logs due: October 24.

UBA ON Contest, CW <http://www.uba.be/en/hf/contest-rules/on-contest>, 
Oct 11, 0600z to Oct 11, 0900z; CW; Bands: 80m Only; ON: RST + Serial 
No. + ON Section, non-ON: RST + Serial No.; Logs due: November 1.

NAQCC CW Sprint <http://naqcc.info/sprint201512.html>, Oct 14, 0030z to 
Oct 14, 0230z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20m; RST + (state/province/country) + 
(NAQCC No./power); Logs due: October 18.

Phone Fray <http://www.perluma.com/Phone_Fray_Contest_Rules.pdf>, Oct 
14, 0230z to Oct 14, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15m; NA: Name + 
(state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: October 9.

CWops Mini-CWT Test <http://www.cwops.org/cwt.html>, Oct 14, 1300z to 
Oct 14, 1400z, Oct 14, 1900z to Oct 14, 2000z, Oct 15, 0300z to Oct 15, 
0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; Member: Name + Member No., 
non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: October 10.

RSGB 80m Club Sprint, CW 
<http://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2015/rsprint.shtml>, Oct 14, 1900z to 
Oct 14, 2000z; CW; Bands: 80m Only; [other station's call] + [your call] 
+ [serial no.] + [your name]; Logs due: October 21.

NCCC RTTY Sprint <http://www.ncccsprint.com/rttyns.html>, Oct 16, 0145z 
to Oct 16, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; 
Logs due: October 18.

NCCC Sprint <http://www.ncccsprint.com/rules.html>, Oct 16, 0230z to Oct 
16, 0300z; (see rules); Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; 
Logs due: October 11.

JARTS WW RTTY Contest <http://jarts.jp/rules2015.html>, Oct 17, 0000z to 
Oct 19, 0000z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RST + age of operator; 
Logs due: October 31.

10-10 Int. Fall Contest, CW 
<http://www.ten-ten.org/index.php/activity/2013-07-22-20-26-48/qso-party-rules>, 
Oct 17, 0001z to Oct 18, 2359z; CW; Bands: 10m Only; 10-10 Member: Name 
+ 10-10 number + (state/province/country), Non-Member: Name + 0 + 
(state/province/country); Logs due: November 2.

Iowa QSO Party <http://www.wa0dx.org/IAQSO/>, Oct 17, 1400z to Oct 17, 
2300z; CW/Digital, Phone; Bands: All, except WARC and 60m; IA: RS(T) + 
County, non-IA: RS(T) + (state/province/"DX"); Logs due: November 15.

New York QSO Party 
<http://nyqp.org/wordpress/nyqp/2014/NY_QSO_Party_Rules_2014.pdf>, Oct 
17, 1400z to Oct 18, 0200z; CW, SSB, Digital; Bands: All, except WARC; 
NY: RS(T) + county, non-NY: RS(T) + (state/province/"DX"); Logs due: 
November 1.

Worked All Germany Contest 
<http://www.darc.de/referate/dx/contest/wag/en/rules/>, Oct 17, 1500z to 
Oct 18, 1459z; CW, SSB; Bands: (Please observe contest free band 
segments per the rules), 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; DL, DARC-Member: RS(T) + 
DOK (local area code), DL, non-DARC: RS(T) + "NM", non-DL: RS(T) + 
Serial No.; Logs due: November 2.

Stew Perry Topband Challenge <http://www.kkn.net/stew/> - The 
"Pre-Stew", Oct 17, 1500z to Oct 18, 1500z; CW; Bands: 160m Only; 
4-Character grid square; Logs due: November 2.

Telephone Pioneers QSO Party 
<http://www.tpqso.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Announ2015-v15.pdf>, 
Oct 17, 1700z to Oct 17, 2100z (CW/Digital), Oct 17, 2300z to Oct 18, 
0300z (Phone), Oct 18, 1700z to Oct 18, 2100z (Phone), Oct 18, 2300z to 
Oct 19, 0300z (CW/Digital); CW/Digital, Phone; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 
15, 10, *6, 2m*; Members: RS(T) + chapter no. + name, non-Members: RS(T) 
+ name; Logs due: December 10.

South Dakota QSO Party <http://www.kb0wsw.com/SDQP/page_home.html>, Oct 
17, 1800z to Oct 18, 1800z; CW, Phone, Digital; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 
15, 10, *6, 2m*; SD: RS(T) + county, non-SD: RS(T) + 
(state/province/country); Logs due: November 14.

Feld Hell Sprint 
<https://sites.google.com/site/feldhellclub/Home/contests/sprints/Happy-Birthday-Rudolph-Sprint>, 
Oct 17, 2000z to Oct 17, 2159z; Feld Hell; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 15, 10, 
*6m*; (see rules); Logs due: October 24.

Asia-Pacific Fall Sprint, CW <http://jsfc.org/apsprint/aprule.txt>, Oct 
18, 0000z to Oct 18, 0200z; CW; Bands: 20, 15m; RST + Serial No.; Logs 
due: October 25.

Illinois QSO Party <http://www.w9awe.org/ILQP%202014%20Rules.pdf>, Oct 
18, 1700z to Oct 19, 0100z; CW/digital, Phone; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 
15, 10, *6, 2m*; IL: RS(T) + County, non-IL: RS(T) + 
(state/province/country); Logs due: November 18.

Run for the Bacon QRP Contest <http://fpqrp.org/pigrun/>, Oct 19, 0100z 
to Oct 19, 0300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RST + 
(state/province/country) + (Member No./power); Logs due: October 25.

*ARRL School Club Roundup <http://www.arrl.org/school-club-roundup>*, 
Oct 19, 1300z to Oct 23, 2359z; CW/RTTY/Digital, Phone; Bands: All, 
except 60, 30, 17, 12m; RS(T) + Class (I/C/S) + 
(state/province/country); Logs due: November 7.

Phone Fray <http://www.perluma.com/Phone_Fray_Contest_Rules.pdf>, Oct 
21, 0230z to Oct 21, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15m; NA: Name + 
(state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: October 9.

CWops Mini-CWT Test <http://www.cwops.org/cwt.html>, Oct 21, 1300z to 
Oct 21, 1400z, Oct 21, 1900z to Oct 21, 2000z, Oct 22, 0300z to Oct 22, 
0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; Member: Name + Member No., 
non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: October 10.

*VHF+ CONTESTS*

Microwave Fall Sprint <http://svhfs.org/2015FallSprintRulesRev1.pdf>, 
Oct 10, 0700z to Oct 10, 1400z; not specified; Bands: 902 MHz and above; 
6-character grid square; Logs due: October 24.

UBA ON Contest, 2m <http://www.uba.be/en/hf/contest-rules/on-contest>, 
Oct 18, 0600z to Oct 18, 1000z; CW, Phone; Bands: 2m Only; ON: RS(T) + 
Serial No. + ON Section, non-ON: RS(T) + Serial No.; Logs due: November 8.

LOG DUE DATES

*8 Oct - 21 Oct 2015*

**

*October 8, 2015*

  * SARL 80m QSO Party
    <http://www.sarl.org.za/Document_Store/CONT_20150101_SARL_Contest_Manual_2015.pdf>

  * ARS Spartan Sprint <http://www.arsqrp.blogspot.com/>

*October 9, 2015*

  * Phone Fray <http://www.perluma.com/Phone_Fray_Contest_Rules.pdf>

  * Russian WW Digital Contest
    <http://www.rdrclub.ru/rdrc-news/russian-ww-digital-contest/51-rus-ww-digi-rules>

*October 10, 2015*

  * CWops Mini-CWT Test <http://www.cwops.org/cwt.html>

*October 11, 2015*

  * NCCC Sprint <http://www.ncccsprint.com/rules.html>

  * NCCC RTTY Sprint Ladder <http://www.ncccsprint.com/rules.html>

  * TRC DX Contest <http://www.trcdx.org/trcdxc/index.html>

*October 12, 2015*

  * California QSO Party <http://www.cqp.org/Rules.html>

  * AGCW VHF/UHF Contest
    <http://www.agcw.org/index.php/en/contests-and-cw-activities/vhf-uhf-contest>

  * Maine QSO Party <http://www.qsl.net/ws1sm/Maine_QSO_Party.html>

*October 13, 2015*

  * 220 MHz Fall Sprint <http://svhfs.org/2015FallSprintRulesRev1.pdf>

*October 14, 2015*

  * ARRL September VHF Contest <http://www.arrl.org/september-vhf>

*October 15, 2015*

  * NRAU 10m Activity Contest
    <http://www.nrau.net/activity-contests/below-30mhz.html>

  * Peanut Power QRP Sprint <http://www.nogaqrp.org/PeanutPower/rules.pdf>

  * 4 State 4x4 QRP Sprint <http://www.4sqrp.com/>

*October 17, 2015*

  * German Telegraphy Contest
    <http://www.agcw.org/index.php/en/contests-and-cw-activities/german-telegraphy-contest-dtc>

*October 18, 2015*

  * AGB NEMIGA Contest <http://www.ev5agb.com/contest/agb_nemiga.htm>

  * Scandinavian Activity Contest, SSB <http://www.sactest.net/blog/rules/>

  * UBA ON Contest, 6m <http://www.uba.be/en/hf/contest-rules/on-contest>

  * International HELL-Contest
    <http://www.darc.de/de/referate/ukw-funksport/hf-hell-wettbewerb/teilnahmebedingungen/>

*October 19, 2015*

  * South Carolina QSO Party <http://scqso.com/rules/>

  * 15-Meter SSTV Dash Contest <http://contests.wsstvc.org/rules/>

  * QRP Afield <http://newenglandqrp.org/node/1973>

  * RSGB 21/28 MHz Contest <http://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2015/r2128.shtml>

*October 20, 2015*

  * ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest <http://www.arrl.org/10-ghz-up>

  * ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest <http://www.arrl.org/10-ghz-up>

*October 21, 2015*

  * 432 MHz Fall Sprint <http://svhfs.org/2015FallSprintRulesRev1.pdf>

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