[SMCARA] CQ WPX SSB Contest

[Tom Shelton]

Hi All,

We had a really good presentation about contesting at last night’s meeting.  Thanks to PVRC’s Wayne Rogers (N1WR) for making the trip across the bridge for us.

This weekend the phone parts of the bands will be filled with DX and US stations working the CQ WPX SSB contest.  If you’d like to operate in the contest or if you’d just like to take this as an operating opportunity to fill in some DXCC/WAS/WAC boxes (or just to add some rare stations to your log), this will be the time to do it...  This is one of the most popular world-wide contests and virtually every country (and many DXpeditions) will be represented on the air – and they will be looking for you!

Full rules can be found here: http://www.cqwpx.com/rules.htm

Start Time: 0000 UTC Saturday (8:00 PM Friday, EDT)
End Time: 2359 UTC Sunday (7:59 PM Sunday, EDT)

Exchange: RS (signal report) plus a progressive contact serial number beginning with 001

Contact Points: (a) Contacts between stations on different continents are worth three (3) points on 28, 21, and 14 MHz and six (6) points on 7, 3.5, and 1.8 MHz.  (b) Contacts between stations on the same continent, but different countries, are worth one (1) point on 28, 21, and 14 MHz and two (2) points on 7, 3.5, and 1.8 MHz. Exception: For North American stations only—contacts between stations within the North American boundaries (both stations must be located in North America) are worth two (2) points on 28, 21, and 14 MHz and four (4) points on 7, 3.5, and 1.8 MHz.  (c) Contacts between stations in the same country are worth 1 point regardless of band.

Multipliers: The prefix multiplier is the number of valid prefixes worked. Each PREFIX is counted only once regardless of the band or number of times the same prefix is worked.

Example Exchange:  

AB3IC: “CQ WPX AB3IC Contest”
KG3BOZ: “KG3BOZ”
AB3IC: “KG3BOZ 59 001”  (my first’s contact)
KG3BOZ: “59 003” (Boz’s third contact)
AB3IC: “KG3BOZ thanks AB3IC
Then onto the next contact.

If your making contacts without wanting to actually enter the contest, I’d recommend that you use the GENLog program.  This is a free program, very easy to use, and will do very basic stuff for you, like Dupe checking, score tracking, serial number tracking, and can output an ADIF file for you to import into your station log.  Genlog can be downloaded for free here: http://www.qsl.net/w3km/ and there is a good tutorial here: http://naqcc.info/sprint_genlog_tutorial.html

If you’d like a logging program with a lot more capability, many more features (CAT Control, Telnet Clusters, Band Map, etc) and all the basic features – and still free, try N1MM.  Download it here: http://n1mm.hamdocs.com/tiki-index.php – for a good tutorial go to the PVRC webinars page http://pvrc.org/webinar/webinars.htm and scroll to the bottom of the list for the 2 part recorded webinar.  

Whatever reason you have for being on the air this weekend, have a great time and enjoy your operating time.  I hope to work you and get you in my log (best times for local contacts – and to work me – will be on 80 meters – probably between 3850 and 3900 kHz - between 10PM and 2:00AM).

As always, if you have any comments, questions, or concerns relating to this contest, or if you need some help setting up your station, submitting your log, or whatever, give me a call and I’ll do my best to help.

If you’d like to drop by during the contest and see my station at work during this contest, give me a call  240-434-3811.

Tom Shelton, AB3IC

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