Contester's Rate Sheet for April 10, 2002
*********************** Contest Rate Sheet 10 April 2002 *********************** Edited by Ward Silver, N0AX SUMMARY o New logs-received lists posted for the ARRL 10-Meter and 160-Meter contests o Annual CQ Contest Survey by K1AR o Secrets of Contesting, Chapter One -- by Jim Neiger, N6TJ BULLETINS -- no bulletins this time. BUSTED QSOS -- A golden log last issue! ANNOUNCEMENT & NOTICES FOR 10 APRIL TO 23 APRIL Logs are due for the following contests: o April 10 - NSARA Contest -- email to ve1cel@rac.ca, paper logs to: Mr. Tom Goldie, VE1BYO, Antigonish Amateur Radio Club, 18 Ponderosa Drive, Antigonish, NS B2G 2R5, Canada o April 11 - Great Lakes QSO Party - paper logs only to: Brian Pawloski, W8BRI MDXA Events Manager, O-947 Lake Michigan Drive, Apt. A, Grand Rapids, MI 49544 USA o April 11 - Wisconsin QSO Party - paper logs only to: Wisconsin QSO Party, West Allis Radio Amateur Club (WARAC), PO Box 1072, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA o April 15 - REF Contest, SSB - email to concours@ref-union.org, paper logs to: Reseau des Emetteurs Francais, REF Contest, BP 7429, 37074 Tours Cedex, France o April 15 - Virginia QSO Party - email to ks4ii@arrl.net, paper logs to: VA QSO Party, Call Box 599, Sterling, VA 20167, USA o April 15 - Montana QSO Party - email to k7lyy@arrl.net or roscons@digisys.net, paper logs to: FVARC, 117 Rainbow Drive, Kalispell, MT 59901, USA o April 20 -- CLARA and Family HF contest -- email to archibal@pubnix.net, paper logs to Helen Archibald, VE2YAK, 130 Embleton Cres, Pointe Claire, QC, Canada H9R 3N2 o April 25 - Spring QRP Homebrewer Sprint - email to n2cq@arrl.net, paper logs to: Ken Newman, N2CQ, 81 Holly Drive, Woodbury, NJ 08096, USA The following contests are scheduled: QRP ARCI Spring QSO Party -- CW - sponsored by the QRP ARCI, from 1200Z Apr 13 through 2400Z Apr 14, operate for a maximum of 24 hours. Frequencies: 1.830, 3.560, 3.710, 7.040, 7.110, 14.060, 21.060, 21.110, 28.060, 28.110, 50.128 MHz. Exchange: RST, SPC, QRP ARCI member number or power output. QSO Points: QSO with a member -- 5 pts, non-members on same continent -- 2 pts, different cont. -- 4 pts. Score: QSO points x SPC (from all bands) x power multiplier (>5W x 1, <5W x 7, <1W x10, <250mW x 15). For more information - http://personal.palouse.net/rfoltz/arci/arcitst.htm. Logs must be emailed or postmarked within 30 days of the contest to rfoltz@turbonet.com or to Randy Foltz, 809 Leith St., Moscow, ID 83843. EU Spring Sprints -- SSB: 13 April - managed by G4BUO, CW: 20 April - managed by I2UIY, from 1500Z until 1859Z. Frequencies: SSB -- 14.250, 7.050, 3.730, CW -- 14.040, 7.025, 3.550 MHz. SO category only, EU stations work everyone, non-EU stations work EU only. Exchange: your call, the other station's call, serial number starting at 001, your name -- both stations must repeat both callsigns. If any station solicits a QSO (CQ, QRZ?, etc.) he is permitted to work only one station on the same frequency and must move at least 2 kHz before he may call another station or before he may solicit QSOs again. Score is the total QSOs (1 point/QSO). Logs must be emailed in ASCII format or postmarked within 15 days of the contest to eusprint@kkn.net or to (SSB) Dave Lawley, G4BUO, Carramore, Coldharbour Road, Penshurst, Kent, TN11 8EX, England, UK, or (CW) Paolo Cortese, I2UIY, P. O. Box 14, 27043 Broni (PV), Italy. Software by DL2NBU is available for downloading at http://loja.kkn.net/~i2uiy/. Michigan QSO Party - CW/SSB - sponsored by the Mad River Radio Club, from 1600Z Apr 20 through 0400Z Apr 21, no time limit. Bands: 80-10M; frequencies: CW - 45 kHz from band edge, Phone - 3850, 7225, 14250, 21.300, 28.450 MHz. Work stations once per band and mode, MI-to-MI QSOs allowed, mobiles and portables can be worked from each county. Categories: SO, MO, and Mobile. Exchange: serial number and MI county or SPC. QSO Points: CW - 2 pts, Phone - 1 pt. Multipliers for MI stations are states, provinces and MI counties; multipliers for non-MI stations are MI counties. Multipliers count once per mode. Score: QSO points x multipliers. For more information - http://www.mrrc.net. Logs must be emailed or postmarked with 30 days of the contest to mqp@contesting.com or to Mad River Radio Club, c/o Dave Pruett, 2727 Harris Rd. Ypsilanti, MI 48198. GACW DX Contest "Mr. Samuel Morse Party" - CW - sponsored by the Grupo Argentino de Radiotelegrafia (GACW) from 1200Z Apr 20 through 1200Z Apr 21. Frequencies: 3.5 -- 28 MHz work stations once per band; SO-SB and SO-AB (HP, LP, and QRP), MS and MM categories, no time limit. MS category subject to 10-min band change rule -- see web site. Exchange RST and CQ Zone. QSO Points: same continent -- 1 point, diff cont. -- 3 pts, DX-to-South America add 2 points, own country -- 0 pts (but counts for zone and country credit). Score is QSO points x DXCC, WAE and GACW countries + CQ Zones from each band. For information -- http://www.geocities.com/gacwar. Logs must be emailed as ASCII text or postmarked by 30 May to uranito@infovia.com.ar or GACW DX CONTEST, P.O. Box 9, B1875ZAA Wilde, Buenos Aires, Argentina. TARA PSK31 Rumble - sponsored by Troy ARA, 0000z - 2400z, April 20th. Frequencies: 80,40,20,15,10,6 meters, work stations once per band. Categories: Club Challenge (see web site), Normal (100W), Great (20W), Super (5W), Novice, SWL. Exchange: Name and SPC. Score: QSO's x (W + VE + JA + VK call areas + 1 point per entity). Multipliers count once per band. For more information - http://www.qsl.net/wm2u/rumble.html or http://www.n2ty.org. Logs must be received by 18 May via the contest web site or email to wm2u@n2ty.org. Holyland DX Contest -- CW/SSB - sponsored by the Israel Amateur Radio Club from 0000Z to 2359Z Apr 20. Frequencies: 1.8 -- 28 MHz according to IARU Region I band plan, work Israeli stations once per band and mode. Categories: SO (Mixed Mode, CW, SSB), MS, MM, SWL. Exchange RST and serial number or Israel district. QSO Points: 1.8 or 3.5 MHz -- 2 pts; other bands 1 pt. Score: QSO Points x districts counted once per band. For more information - http://hamradio.iarc.org/contests/holy2002rules.html. Logs must be emailed or postmarked by 31 May to 4Z4KX@iarc.org or to Contest Manager 4Z4KX, Israel Amateur Radio Club, Box 17600, Tel Aviv, 61176. Ontario QSO Party - CW/Phone - sponsored by the Ontario DX Association from 1800Z, April 20 to 1800Z April 21st. Frequencies: SSB - 1.870, 3.735, 3.860, 7.070, 7.260, 14.130, 14.265, 21.260, 28.360 MHz; CW - 30 kHz above band edges; VHF-SSB: 50.130, 144.205, 432.105 MHz; VHF-FM 52.540, 146.550, 446.1 MHz, no repeater QSOs. Categories: SOAB and SOSB (HP, LP <150W HF & 50W VHF, QRP <5W) and (CW, Phone, and Mixed Mode), SO VHF FM QRP (< 5W), MS, SWL, Mobile, Rover. Exchange: RS(T) and S/P/C or Ontario QTH. QSO Points: HF SSB - 1 pt, HF CW - 2 pts, VHF - 5 pts (work stations once per VHF band), 10 bonus pts for each QSO with VE3ODX and VA3RAC. Score is QSO Points x Ontario QTHs (non-VE3 stations) or S/P/C + Ontario QTHs; all mults count once per band. For more information - http://www.odxa.on.ca/oqphome.html. Logs must be emailed or postmarked by May 31 to ve3sre@rac.ca or to Ontario QSO Party, Ontario DX Association, PO Box 161, Station "A", Willowdale, Ontario, M2N 5S8 CANADA 4th Annual SETI QSO Party -- CW/SSB -- sponsored by the Search for Extraterrestial Intelligence League and Burley (WA) Amateur Radio Club from 0000Z to 2359Z Apr 20. Frequencies: 14.204, 21.300 and 28.408 MHz, work SETI League members. Exchange: RST, Grid Square, and SETI member status. For more information -- http://www.setileague.org/awards/qsoparty.htm. Send logs by June 16 to Burley Amateur Radio Club, PO Box 262, Burley, WA 98322 attn: SETI. (No word on whether there is a bonus for working an ET station during the contest -- Ed.) NEWS & PRESS RELEASES The lists of Logs Received for the 2001 ARRL Ten Meter and 160-Meter Contests have been posted at http://www.arrl.org/contests/claimed/. If you find an error in your listing, or if your listing is missing, please contact Dan Henderson, N1ND at n1nd@arrl.org. Please have your receipt number available if you submitted electronically. Take a few minutes and respond to the CQ magazine 2002 Contest Survey by K1AR. You can find it on-line at http://hamgallery.com/survey/ or in the April edition of CQ. Your participation is appreciated. All of the results and analysis will be available in CQ later this summer. (Thanks to John Dorr, K1AR, CQ Contest Columnist) The results for the 2001 Florida QSO Party (the 2002 FQP runs 27 and 28 April) and US, VE, and DX records are now on-line at http://www.qsl.net/fqp. (Thanks Ron Wetjen, WD4AHZ) JF1SQC has been keeping both Phone and CW all-time records for the All-Asia contests; http://www.home.cs.puon.net/morikawa/jf1sqc/alltime.html (Thanks to Tack Kumagai JE1CKA/KH0AM) Up-and-coming young contester Ben Shupack, NW7DX, has been nominated for the Hiram Percy Maxim Youth Award. http://www.arrl.org/sect/wwa. (Thanks to Harry Lewis W7JWJ, WWA Section Manager) For those who dream of moving contest dates, here's one source for holiday listings worldwide you can use: http://www.holidayfestival.com/. (Thanks to Tom Frenaye, K1KI) TECHNICAL & TECHNIQUE This week's offering comes to the Rate Sheet courtesy of N6TJ, Mr. ZD8Z, who is out on lonely Ascencion Island as this issue goes to press. While some might think the timing indicates an April Fool's prank, not so! Secrets of Contesting, Chapter One As I pass through the twi-light years of my radio contesting career, I think it important to reveal some of what I call "Secrets of Contesting". Perhaps others may find them helpful. I hope so. Although it is perhaps all too easy to take a few hundred thousand contest QSO's for granted, one may reasonably ask, "How can you possibly demonstrate such a keen accuracy in remembering six or more characters, sent only once, at a very high speed, faithfully re-transmitting them, and accurately logging them?" For me, a Contest Forum virtually cannot pass without having to expound on just HOW I have been able to do this, with such inordinate skill, and for so very many years. If you truly wish to learn this secret, please read on... IT HAS BEEN PROVEN that the simple act of CHEWING GUM will improve your short- and long-term memory by up to 35 percent! It is believed that the gentle exercise of chewing may be enough to raise a person's heart rate and increase the flow of oxygen to the brain. Chewing may also trigger the release of insulin in the body, which could increase the uptake of blood sugar by the brain. It is firmly believed that it is not an ingredient of the gum, but rather that the act of chewing that is making the difference. Simply, if you chew gum, you will observe an increase in your heart rate of five to six beats per minute. This may be unrelated to brain function, but on the other hand an increase in the blood delivery of oxygen to the brain probably increases cognitive function. Also, chewing a stick of gum probably fools the body into thinking that it is about to get a meal, increasing insulin production. The hippocampus, the region of the brain that deals with memory, has insulin receptors that are involved in increasing the uptake of glucose. It took some trial and error on my part, to be able to make SSB QSO's at a high rate, while actively chewing, but it can be done. It was very similar to the practice I was required to employ when I changed from sending CW with my right hand, to my left hand, some twenty years ago, but it can be done. So there you have it. Chewing gum helps your memory while contesting. Please let me know how it works out for you. Very 73, Jim Neiger, N6TJ While we're on the subject of chewing, "contest food" is always a hot topic. What types of food do you find keep your motor running during the competition? CONVERSATION And on April 7th, from Garrison Keillor's "Prairie Home Companion -- Annual Joke Show" on Public Radio International... Q: What did the ham radio operator say when he fell off the antenna tower? A: "Ouch, that megahurts" I guess any publicity is welcome, eh? ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Contester's Rate Sheet wishes to acknowledge information from the following sources: WA7BNM's Contest Calendar - http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/ ARRL Contest page - http://www.arrl.org/contests/ SM3CER's Web site - http://www.sk3bg.se/contest/
