[TVARC] ARRL 10M Contest This Weekend

[K2PS Pete Stafford]

This weekend is my favorite event of the year, the ARRL 10M Contest.  It's
the perfect one for us and our meager antennas.  I know, I know, I have
indeed put up a yagi for the weekend, but you don't need a super antenna for
10 meters given our place in the sunspot cycle right now.  It's not at peak
(hopefully), but good enough so that the fabled "window screen" antenna can
allow you to work much of the world on that band.

 

It starts tonight at 7P local, and goes for 48 hours.  Remember, 10M is
primarily a daytime band, so figure on working people from sunup (a little
past 7A), until a couple of hours past sundown, so until about 8P.  The
first night keeps people up later than that, but it's rough going.  If
you've got limited time, the best schedule would have you look to Europe
from daybreak until maybe 11 or 12, then get a good dose of the USA, until
later in the afternoon when South America, or even Asia, may be workable.

 

The contest is CW and SSB.  You can enter one or the other, or Mixed; QRP,
Low Power (100W), or High.  There's even a Limited Antennas category, for
which verticals or dipoles are welcomed.  Our exchange is 59(9)FL, and we
expect to receive their state if domestic (DC counts), province if Canada,
or a serial number for DX.  Mexicans send their state too, a three-letter
abbreviation.  Each is considered a multiplier.  You can work 'em on SSB and
CW, but CW contacts are worth double.

 

I encourage you to also sign up for contestonlinescore.com and be sure to
indicate The Villages Amateur Radio Club.  We'll then be able to see all of
our scores in real-time and in one place as the contest goes on, and it's
fun to watch it.

 

Hope to work all of you on both modes, but I'll spend most of the time on
CW.  Afternoons are most likely for SSB, looking for stateside multipliers,
since CW and SSB have their own mult counts.

 

Good luck and make lots of Qs!

 

73, Pete, K2PS

 

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