[TCARC-NTX] General Contest Rules
David Johnson
[email protected]
Thu, 12 Jun 2003 11:49:42 -0500
These rules apply to all ARRL Contests:
General Rules for All ARRL Contests
1.Precedence of Rules:
Rules for individual contests or events, including Field Day, take
precedence over all General Rules.
1.2.General Rules for HF and VHF contests take precedence over General
Rules for all contests.
2.Conditions of Entry: Entrants agree to be bound by:
2.1.The provisions and intent of ARRL contest rules;
2.2.The regulations of the national licensing authority;
2.3.The decisions of the ARRL Awards Committee.
3.General Rules:
3.1.All operators must observe the limitations of their operator
licenses and station licenses at all times.
3.2.All callsigns and exchange information must be sent, received,
acknowledged and logged correctly by each station for a complete QSO.
3.3.An operator may not use more than one call sign from any given
location during the contest period.
3.4.The same station may be worked only once per band for contest
credit.
3.5.A transmitter used to contact one or more stations may not be
subsequently used under any other call during the contest period, except
for family stations where more than one call has been issued, and then
only if the second call sign is used by a different operator. (The
intent of this rule is to accommodate family members who must share a
rig, and to prohibit manufactured or artificial contacts.)
3.6.For the purposes of ARRL contests, maritime mobile is defined as
shipboard operation on the high seas, outside of the territorial waters
of the country (defined for these purposes only as 12 miles).
3.7.All transmitters and receivers must be located within a 500-meter
diameter circle, excluding antennas.
3.7.1.This prohibits the use of remote receiving installations.
3.7.2.Exceptions:
3.7.2.1.Stations remotely controlled by radio link may use necessary
equipment at the control point. This does not include using the control
point as another receiving location.
3.7.2.2.Multioperator and Single Operator Assisted stations may use
spotting nets.
3.8.Cross-band contacts are not permitted.
3.9.Contacts made through repeaters, digipeaters, or gateways are not
permitted.
3.9.1.This applies to all forms of active relays or repeaters.
3.9.2.Satellite contacts, where allowed, are not subject to this rule.
3.10.The use of non-Amateur Radio means of communication (for example,
Internet or telephone) to solicit a contact (or contacts) during the
contest period is not permitted.
3.11.Entrants who qualify for unsponsored plaques may purchase them from
the ARRL Contest Branch.
3.12.General contest queries should be directed to the Contest Branch
Manager via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at 860-594-0232.
3.13.All logs (electronic or paper) submitted to the ARRL for any
contest must be in chronological order, in a single log (file). Separate
band-by-band files or logs are subject to being classified as checklogs
and ineligible for competition.
3.14.In contests where spotting nets are permissible, spotting your own
station or requesting another station to spot you is not permitted.
4.ARRL Standard File Format for Electronic Submission of Entries.
4.1.The official ARRL File Format for electronic submissions is the
Cabrillo format.
4.1.1. The Cabrillo log file must include both an accurately completed
header (containing the summary information) and complete QSO log data
for each contact.
4.2.All electronic files must be standard ASCII text.
4.2.1. Output files from word processors (such as Word documents),
database programs (such as Excel spread sheets) or logging program .bin
files that are not ASCII text files are not acceptable for submissions.
4.3.Cabrillo format specifications are available:
4.3.1.On the ARRL Contest homepage at: http://www.arrl.org/contests.
4.3.2.On the Internet at http://www.kkn.net/~trey/cabrillo/.
4.3.3.By sending an SASE with two units of postage and $1 to: Cabrillo
File Specs, Contest Branch, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111.
4.4.Electronic log files may be submitted either via the Internet as an
email or on diskette.
4.4.1.Files sent via e-mail must be sent as attachments, not as the text
of the e-mail, and sent to the appropriate e-mail address from the
following list:
4.4.1.1.
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
4.4.2.E-mail log submissions must include the participant's call sign in
the Subject line.
4.4.3. Electronic files must be named with the callsign used during the
contest and the file extension .log or .txt.
4.4.4. Do not send zip files.
4.5.Electronic logs are assumed to be signed when submitted.
4.6.Any log that is computer generated must be submitted as an
electronic file in Cabrillo file format. Failure to submit the required
electronic file can result in the entry being designated a checklog, and
thereby ineligible for competition. A paper printout of an electronic
log file is not an acceptable substitute.
4.7.Only one entry may be included in each submission (e-mail or
diskette). CW and Phone weekends of the November Sweepstakes and
International DX Contest are considered separate contests and must be
submitted separately.
4.8.All diskettes submitted become property of the ARRL and are not
returnable.
4.9.Multioperator Two Transmitter category entries must indicate which
transmitter makes each QSO in the Cabrillo log file.
4.10.The log checking software will calculate off times in those
contests that include them. Do not list them in the main body of the
Cabrillo log file itself or in the Soapbox comments.
4.11.Any electronic file that does not include complete entry
information (category, power, callsigns, section, operator's list, etc)
will have the missing data recorded at a default value or may be
designated as a checklog.
4.11.1. Multioperator submissions must include the complete list of
operators in the Cabrillo OPERATORS: field.
4.11.2. If a club call is used, the Cabrillo OPERATORS: field must
include the call of operator/s participating.
4.12. Diskettes sent via postal service should be mailed to: ARRL, 225
Main St, Newington, CT 06111 with the contest name clearly marked on the
envelope/mailer. It is recommended that the sender obtain a receipt
showing the date the entry was mailed in case a problem arises.
5.Paper Logs:
5.1.Entrants must use official Contest Forms or acceptable facsimile.
5.2.The most current forms should be used, as scoring rules, ARRL
sections, etc, do change periodically. Paper submissions that have
incomplete or missing information may be classified as a checklog.
5.3.Handwritten logs files, showing required QSO information, are
accepted for all ARRL contests.
5.4.Handwritten logs that have been transcribed into a word processor,
database, or logging program after the contest are considered electronic
logs. The electronic log file in Cabrillo file format for these logs
must be submitted.
5.5.Paper entries with 500 or more QSOs must include band by band dupe
sheets.
5.5.1. A dupe sheet is an alphanumerically sorted list of all contacts
made during the contest, sorted by band and mode as appropriate. A list
of duplicate contacts does not meet this requirement.
5.6.Paper entries should be submitted to: ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington,
CT 06111 with the contest name clearly marked on the envelope. It is
recommended that the sender obtain a receipt showing the date the entry
was mailed in case a problem arises.
5.7.Only one contest entry may be included in each envelope mailed to
ARRL.
6.Reporting:
6.1.Entries must be sent to the ARRL within 30 days after the end of the
contest. For electronic submissions, this is determined by the date the
email is sent. For regular mail, this is determined from the postmark.
6.2.Logs not submitted or postmarked by the contest deadline may be
classified as checklogs.
6.3.Entries received at the ARRL more than 30 days after the contest
submission deadline may not be included in QST listings.
6.4.All entries -- whether electronic or paper - must include complete
summary information or may be re-classified as checklogs.
7.Disqualification and Penalties:
7.1.If the claimed score of a participant is reduced by 2% or more, the
entry may be disqualified. Score reduction does not include correction
of arithmetic errors.
7.2.Score reduction may be made for taking credit for unconfirmed QSOs
or multipliers, duplicate contacts or other scoring discrepancies.
7.2.1. Duplicate QSOs in electronic log file are considered zero point
QSOs and are not penalized.
7.3.If a paper entry with more than two-percent duplicate contacts left
in the log is detected, it will be automatically disqualified.
7.4. If an entry in which more than 2% "rubber clocking" is detected,
(altering the actual time to increase the operating time so that it is
greater than the allowable limit) it will be automatically disqualified.
7.5.Participants that are disqualified will be barred from submitting an
entry in the next annual running of that specific contest; for example,
disqualification from the 2000 phone SS prohibits submission of an entry
for the 2001 phone SS, but 2001 CW SS participation is allowable.
7.6.Call signs of all disqualified participants will be listed in the
QST contest report.
7.7.Any participant on the borderline of disqualification, but not
actually disqualified may receive a warning letter.
7.8.In a paper log, for each duplicate contact that is claimed for
credit, each miscopied call sign or each busted exchange that is removed
from the log by HQ, three additional contacts will be deleted as a
penalty. In electronic logs, for each duplicate contact that is claimed
for credit, each miscopied call sign or each busted exchange that is
removed from the log by HQ, one additional contact will be deleted as a
penalty. The penalty will not be considered part of the 2%
disqualification criteria.
7.9.In all cases, the decisions of the ARRL Awards Committee are final.
8.Club Competition:
8.1.There are six ARRL-sponsored contests that are designated as
Affiliated Club Competitions (ACC) for ARRL and RAC affiliated clubs:
8.1.1.January VHF Sweepstakes
8.1.2.(February and March) International DX Contest
8.1.3.September VHF QSO Party
8.1.4.November Sweepstakes
8.1.5.(December) 160-Meter Contest
8.1.6.(December) 10-Meter Contest
8.2.Only clubs actively affiliated with the ARRL or RAC may participate
in the ACC.
8.2.1.Within the US and its territories, a club must:
8.2.1.1. Be affiliated with the ARRL, and
8.2.1.2. Have filed an annual report with the Field Services Department
of ARRL HQ within the last two years.
8.2.2. Clubs outside of the ARRL operating territory may participate as
follows:
8.2.2.1. In Canada, clubs that are fully affiliated with the Radio
Amateurs of Canada (R.A.C.) are eligible to submit scores for an
Affiliated Club Competition event.
8.2.2.2. Clubs outside ARRL operating territory or Canada must be ARRL
affiliates as determined by the "Rules and Regulations Concerning
Affiliated Societies" section of the ARRL Articles of Association,
By-Laws, Rules and Regulations.
8.3.For a club to be listed, the following conditions must be met:
8.3.1.A minimum of three entries from qualified club members must be
submitted.
8.3.2.The entry must clearly indicate the club name in the Cabrillo file
header.
8.3.3.The Club Secretary or designated Club Scorekeeper for an
affiliated club must submit a list of all club members eligible to
compete for the club (not a club roster) and which level (unlimited,
medium, local) they wish to enter for each competition within 30 days
after the contest.
8.3.3.1. In lieu of mailing a list within 30 days after the end of each
contest, the club may designate its Secretary or Scorekeeper to submit
their club's eligibility roster electronically to a secure web site. The
designated club official may update the electronic eligibility list by
the start of each ACC contest as new members join the club or
established members no longer meet the eligibility requirements. The
designated club official must contact the ARRL Contest Branch Manager in
order to obtain access to the secure website.
8.3.3.2. Failure by the club to submit an valid list of members eligible
to submit scores for the club either electronically or by mail may
result in the club being declared ineligible for the Club Competition
event in question.
8.3.4.A member's score must be shown in the contest results to be
counted for a club. Only that score shown in the results (or in
subsequent corrections) will count for the club competition.
8.4.There are three categories of club competition:
8.4.1.Unlimited
8.4.1.1.Club submits 51 or more entries.
8.4.1.2.One station can submit two entries--one on CW and one on Phone
in the November Sweepstakes and the DX Contest.
8.4.1.3. The club territory is either defined by:
8.4.1.3.1. A 175-mile (282-kilometer) circle from a designated center;
or
8.4.1.3.2. One ARRL section.
8.4.1.4.All stations must be located and all operators must reside
within the designated club territory.
8.4.1.5.All members must be "members in good standing" according to the
rules and requirements of the club.
8.4.1.6.Members that live outside or operate stations outside the club
territory may not compete in the club competition, except as provided in
rule 8.6.
8.4.2.Medium
8.4.2.1.Club submits 50 or fewer entries and does not qualify under the
local club criteria.
8.4.2.2.One station can submit two entries--one on CW and one on Phone
in the November Sweepstakes and the DX Contest.
8.4.2.3. The club territory is either defined by:
8.4.2.3.1. A 175-mile (282-kilometer) circle from a designated center;
or;
8.4.2.3.2. An ARRL-section
8.4.2.4. All stations must be located and all operators must reside
within the designated club territory.
8.4.2.5.All members must be "members in good standing" according to the
rules and requirements of the club.
8.4.2.6. Members that live outside or operate stations outside the club
territory may not compete in the club competition, except as provided in
rule 8.6.
8.4.3.Local
8.4.3.1. Club submits 10 or fewer entries.
8.4.3.2.One station can submit two entries--one on CW and one on Phone
in the November Sweepstakes and the DX Contest.
8.4.3.3.All members must reside and operate within 35 miles of the
club's designated center.
8.4.3.4.All members must be "members in good standing" according to the
rules and requirements of the club.
8.5.Single Operator and Multioperator station scores may be counted for
club competition:
8.5.1. If a guest operator at a single-operator station is a member in
good standing of the club and the station is located within the defined
club territory. The owner of the station does not need to be a member of
the club claiming the score.
8.5.2.If at multioperator stations, at least 50% of the operators are
members in good standing of the club and the station is located within
the defined club territory. The owner of the station does not need to be
a member of the club claiming the score.
8.5.3.A multioperator entry may (optional) utilize non-member operators
licensed one year or less without including such operators in the above
50% calculation. (The intent here is to encourage clubs to recruit
contesters from newer amateurs without adversely affecting the club
aggregate score.)
8.6. For the ARRL International DX Contest, DXpedition (operating
outside the United States and Canada) scores for either single operator
or multioperator stations may be counted for Medium or Unlimited Clubs
even though the operation is outside the club's area, provided all other
requirements are met.
8.6.1.For multioperator stations, the score counts for only one club and
at least 50% of the operators must be members of that club and meet all
other criteria.
8.7.A club's entry classification may be changed if, in the opinion of
the ARRL Awards Committee, the club has manipulated its number of
entries to allow the club to enter a lower classification. (For example,
if a club with100 members submits only the 10 highest scores, even if
more than 10 of its members compete.)
8.8.It is not within the intent of these rules that a club should vote
out a member or that a member resign and then be voted back into the
club later so the member in good standing rule can be met.
8.9. The highest scoring active affiliated club entry in each category
(unlimited, medium, local) will be awarded a gavel.
73 de KB5YLG
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