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The ARRL Contest Update

June 28, 2017
Editor: Brian Moran, N9ADG


IN THIS ISSUE

 *  New HF Operators: RAC Canada Day Contest
 *  Contest Summary
 *  News: IARU Headquarters Stations, Mid-states VHF/UHF Conference, Drones,
    and more
 *  Word to the Wise: Non-Ionizing Radiation
 *  Sights and Sounds: Space Weather Woman Interview, Contest University
    Presentations, and more
 *  Results: Field Day Social Media Tags, TBDC Preliminary Results, ARRL DX
    Line Scores
 *  Operating Tip: Logging All of the Contact Information
 *  Technical Topics and Information: Legacy Serial Interfaces, SDRs for
    Meteor Scatter, Sound Diffusers
 *  Conversation: Commencement
 *  Contests
 *  Log Due Dates

____________________________________________________________________________


NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO

With the RAC Canada Day Contest coming up July 1, look for a lot of activity
from our northern neighbor. Phone and CW are both allowed, and remember that
Canada Amateurs have different frequency allocations on some bands for phone -
you're going to have to pay special attention to the frequency before you
respond to a Phone CQ. Some VEs may be using special prefixes for their calls,
in celebration of Canada's 150th birthday.

____________________________________________________________________________


CONTEST SUMMARY

Complete information for all contests follows the Conversation section

28 Jun - 10 Jul 2017

June 28

 *  SKCC Sprint
 *  Phone Fray
 *  CWops Mini-CWT Test

June 29

 *  CWops Mini-CWT Test

June 30

 *  QRP Fox Hunt
 *  NCCC RTTY Sprint
 *  NCCC Sprint

July 1

 *  RAC Canada Day Contest
 *  FISTS Summer Slow Speed Sprint
 *  Venezuelan Ind. Day Contest
 *  DL-DX RTTY Contest
 *  Marconi Memorial HF Contest
 *  Original QRP Contest
 *  PODXS 070 Club 40m Firecracker Sprint

July 2

 *  DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest

July 3

 *  10-10 Int. Spirit of 76 QSO Party
 *  IQRP Quarterly Marathon
 *  RSGB 80m Club Championship, CW

July 4

 *  ARS Spartan Sprint

July 5

 *  Phone Fray
 *  CWops Mini-CWT Test

July 6

 *  CWops Mini-CWT Test
 *  NRAU 10m Activity Contest

July 7

 *  QRP Fox Hunt
 *  NCCC RTTY Sprint
 *  NCCC Sprint

July 8

 *  FISTS Summer Unlimited Sprint
 *  IARU HF World Championship
 *  SKCC Weekend Sprintathon

July 9

 *  QRP ARCI Summer Homebrew Sprint

July 10

 *  CQC Great Colorado Gold Rush

____________________________________________________________________________


NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST

The IARU HF Contest will take place on July 8 and 9. Many country headquarter
stations will be active, and Bob, N6TV, and Joe, OZ0J, have compiled the
initial list for N1MM, Writelog, and Win-Test logging programs (zip file). If
you have updates for the list, please send them to Joe.


The Marconi Memorial HF CW Contest is July 1, 2017 at 1400 UTC to July 2, 1359
UTC. The contest "commemorates the second century of Radio and its father:
Guglielmo Marconi." This picture, taken at the Marconi site on Cape Cod,
depicts the umbrella-like antenna that was used for trans-Atlantic traffic. The
 towers were constructed of 3" by 12" lumber, and were 210 feet high.


The possibility of a computer mouse running out of power in the middle of a
computer game is enough to hinder adoption of wireless mice. Logitech has
developed a charging mouse pad to alleviate that particular concern. It's only
2 millimeters thick, and uses electromagnetic resonance as the method of power
transfer. The pad is said to be initially compatible with two Logitech mice
models, and is set for release in August. (Dennis, N6KI)


Home Depot sells some 2m/440 dual band antennas and other antenna
accessories... through their website. According to their website, orders can be
 picked up with no shipping costs if they're delivered to your local Home
Depot, or shipped with a minimum order of $45. (via LVRAC )


The Mid-Atlantic States VHF Conference is scheduled for October 6-8, 2017, in
Bensalem, Pennsylvania, and includes a number of sessions related to VHF/UHF
contesting, including automation and rover operation. See the conference
website for more information.


Flying a drone to inspect your tower and antennas could eliminate the need for
a climb. For non-commercial uses, a drone operator generally does not need to
be licensed, but using a drone for the business of tower inspections does
require operator licensing. Here's an article that details what one person did
to become licensed as a commercial drone operator, and how they're using a
drone for commercial broadcast tower inspections.


Drone aircraft used by hobbyists require registration, but that may change in
the future as a result of a court case decided in May, 2017. The FAA's website
still states a requirement for drone registration, and according to an article
by model aircraft enthusiasts, the FAA may be considering an appeal.


There may be more Amateur Radio operators in Cuba soon. According to an IARU
Region 2 news article, the Communications Ministry and Federación de
Radioaficionados de Cuba (FRC) has called for examinations to be held on July
22. The examinations are held twice a year, where applicants must demonstrate
competence in theory and practice. Cuba has over ten thousand licensed Amateur
Radio operators.


Reservations at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dayton, Ohio for the 2018 Contest
University can be made starting June 27, 2017. Use group code NTH.

____________________________________________________________________________


WORD TO THE WISE

Non-ionizing Radiation

Electromagnetic radiation that does not have sufficient energy to displace
electrons from their atoms. Radio Frequency (RF) radiation is non-ionizing.

____________________________________________________________________________


SIGHTS AND SOUNDS

If you're traveling to a different country for a contest, make sure you know
what kind of power that you'll be using, and that your equipment is compatible
with voltage and phase. This type of "surface mount switchboard" is found in
Australia.


Dr. Tamitha Skov was interviewed by Tim, K3LR, during the 2017 Contest
University. The interview covers her career path that led to her current status
 as the "Space Weather Woman."


Presentations and videos from the 2017 Contest University, held in Dayton,
Ohio, are now available.


The presentation entitled "Bouvet Island 2018" given by Nodir, EY8MM, at the
2017 Topband Dinner is available on the Topband Dinner website. (Tim, K3LR, via
 Topband Reflector)


W0W was active in the Missouri QSO Party, and their video documents the
multi-station setup, including antennas, operators, network, logging software
setup. Operators included KE0HXL, N0SSC, K0KEV, WX5CW, WT2P and N0KTK. They
were set up on the junction of three county lines.


In this YouTube video, R4WBF can be seen working a bunch of stations in the
CW WPX contest at a CW speed of something over 40 words per minute. As
contest videos go, this one would be pretty standard, except that then you
realize that R4WBF is just 9 years old. (Ward, N0AX)

____________________________________________________________________________


RESULTS AND RECORDS

Many stations announced and documented their ARRL Field Day operations using
the Twitter hashtag #ARRLFD. The WRTC 2018 folks were testing the various
German station locations and equipment during Field Day weekend, too. Looking
at some of the preliminary reports, conditions were better than 2016, and for
some big stations it was a excellent, perhaps record, year for contacts. Check
out this media coverage from the Baltimore Sun.


WQ6X described operating in the All-Asian CW Contest in a recent blog entry. It
 captures the essence of operating in a contest where working U.S. stations is
not the primary focus.


Line scores for the 2017 ARRL DX CW and Phone Contests are now available on the
 ARRL website.


With the Summer Stew Perry Top Band Distance Challenge just completed a week
ago, preliminary scores can be found on the Stew website. Logs are still being
accepted until July 3 at tbdc@contesting.com.

____________________________________________________________________________


OPERATING TIP

Logging ALL of the Contact Information

It's good practice to log all pertinent information with your contacts, and
ensure that information is also included when uploading to LOTW. Many HF
operators collect counties, while VHF/UHF operators are interested in grid
squares. When uploading logged contacts to LOTW, please make sure that this
information is included with each contact, or make sure that your LOTW
information includes your grid and county and that it's accurate for each
contact. If you've already uploaded contacts to LOTW with incorrect
information, you can correct it and upload those contacts again. See this
document on fixing logs uploaded to LOTW.

____________________________________________________________________________


TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION

Older digital gear like RTTY demodulators can still be useful in certain
situations, but it's getting harder to find computers that still include serial
 interfaces. Most laptops haven't had RS-232 serial interfaces for a number of
years. USB to serial adapters are one option. Another is using an ESP8266 board
 to make a serial port available over your Wi-Fi network, so you can TELNET to
your device. If you have an old terminal or computer you'd like to use to
connect to the Internet, here's a solution that emulates a Hayes-compatible
modem to connect via TELNET.


The RTL-SDR website has published a spate of projects that have potential
applicability for contesters. One project shows how to integrate data collected
 from aircraft beacon broadcasts (ADSB) so that it can be queried through an
Amazon Echo device. As source code is provided, it's a stepping stone to being
able to retrieve packet spot information by voice command. Meteor scatter mode
users may appreciate another article detailing the detection of signal
reflections using the waterfall of an SDR display.


A new design for sound-diffusing panels like those used in performance spaces
or studios, could achieve the same effect with just a fraction of the material.
 North Carolina State University did the research, which could ultimately
result in sound diffusing panels being used in more applications than before.
(Dennis, N6KI)


Some new research on the Sun's coronal mass ejections (CMEs) indicates that
they are cloud-like structures, subject to amorphous behavior. Previous models
indicated CMEs were more bubble-like in their behavior. The new thinking means
that it may be more difficult to model or predict CME influences such as the
solar wind, and therefore harder to model threats to Earth.

____________________________________________________________________________


CONVERSATION

Commencement

It's that time of year - school graduation. The contesting community has
Contest University, Contest Academy, and number of contesting seminars as an
adjunct to other events like hamfests and conventions, devoted to teaching
aspects of the hobby. Imagine borrowing another aspect from learning
institutions -- The Commencement speech:

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman. You may not know me personally, but like
 all of you, in a contest my qualifications are my callsign, and my exchange.
Our peers include everyman: farmer, technician, homemaker, captain of industry,
 King. I'm flattered to have been asked to address our group at this occasion
of you having completed this phase of instruction in radio contesting. I say
this phase, because after we have all learned in these sessions from the titans
 of our hobby, we realize that mastering our hobby is a never-ending quest.

My task today is to point out some things that go beyond technique and
practice. If you'll indulge me, I hope to inspire you to consider some issues
that face our future.

That we are gathered in this room, inspired to practice what some would judge
an anachronistic and quaint art, is testament to your enthusiasm and passion.
However, looking around you, consider who is not here, who is under-represented
 in our ranks. Our numbers will only increase and remain strong if we encourage
 younger people and those that do not look like the majority of those in this
room to share our interest.

You've met a number of people during your recent studies. Take advantage of
those connections you've made, and consider honoring your instructors by
becoming an instructor or mentor yourself. Our pursuit can always benefit from
more Elmers.

Every generation of contesters has faced the challenge of competing against
those that bend or outright break the rules, and ours is no different. What is
different today is the ability to gather evidence of undesirable behavior in
time to confront cheaters. Our resolution against cheaters should be accurate,
firm, and fair. Where there is genuine ignorance, we should educate. Where
there is willful intent to cheat, we should take appropriate action to
disqualify offenders and require demonstration of reform before allowing them
to compete again.

While you've learned techniques in your sessions that have been refined over
time, remember that radio contesting is an evolving sport, and has evolved
greatly from what it was just a few years ago. If an explanation given for a
technique includes the phrase "We do it that way because it's always been done
like that" then that technique should not be a 'best practice'.

After you leave here, and when you contest, keep in mind how you can address
some of these issues.

Consider bringing some of your new knowledge back to your radio club, and
sharing it with other members. Inspire others to try contesting by
communicating your enthusiasm.

Follow your own particular path in contesting by trying new modes, new
categories, or new techniques. You don't have to like everything, but be
continue to try new things, and keep learning.

To have a chance at that top 10 box, you're going to have to work hard and
enter a lot of contests. Be mindful of your manners, and be a grown up on the
radio. Don't be tempted to trade your integrity and reputation for a hollow and
 temporary "victory" by cheating.

Congratulations to this 2017 Class of Contesters. Get on the air, shake things
up, invent or improve something, have fun, and see you in the contest."

That's all for this time. Remember to send contesting related stories, book
reviews, tips, techniques, press releases, errata, schematics, club
information, pictures, stories, blog links, and predictions to
contest-update@arrl.org

73, Brian N9ADG

____________________________________________________________________________


CONTESTS

28 Jun - 10 Jul 2017

An expanded, downloadable version of QST's Contest Corral in PDF format is
available. Check the sponsor's Web site for information on operating time
restrictions and other instructions.


HF CONTESTS

SKCC Sprint, Jun 28, 0000z to Jun 28, 0200z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15,
10m; RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (SKCC No./power); Logs due: June
30.

Phone Fray, Jun 28, 0230z to Jun 28, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15m;
NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: June 30.

CWops Mini-CWT Test, Jun 28, 1300z to Jun 28, 1400z, Jun 28, 1900z to Jun 28,
2000z, Jun 29, 0300z to Jun 29, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m;
Member: Name + Member No., non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs
due: July 1.

QRP Fox Hunt, Jun 30, 0100z to Jun 30, 0230z; CW; Bands: 20m Only; RST +
(state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: July 1.

NCCC RTTY Sprint, Jun 30, 0145z to Jun 30, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: (see rules);
Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: July 2.

NCCC Sprint, Jun 30, 0230z to Jun 30, 0300z; CW; Bands: (see rules); Serial No.
 + Name + QTH; Logs due: July 2.

RAC Canada Day Contest, Jul 1, 0000z to Jul 1, 2359z; CW, Phone; Bands: 160,
80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, 2m; VE: RS(T) + province/territory, non-VE: RS(T) +
Serial No.; Logs due: July 31.

FISTS Summer Slow Speed Sprint, Jul 1, 0000z to Jul 1, 0400z; 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:
July 31.

Venezuelan Ind. Day Contest, Jul 1, 0000z to Jul 1, 2359z; CW, SSB, PSK; Bands:
 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RS(T) + Serial No.; Logs due: July 16.

DL-DX RTTY Contest, Jul 1, 1100z to Jul 2, 1059z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15,
10m; RST + QSO No.; Logs due: July 9.

Marconi Memorial HF Contest, Jul 1, 1400z to Jul 2, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80,
40, 20, 15, 10m; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: July 16.

Original QRP Contest, Jul 1, 1500z to Jul 2, 1500z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20m; RST
 + Serial No. + "/" + Power category; Logs due: July 31.

PODXS 070 Club 40m Firecracker Sprint, Jul 1, 2000z to Jul 2, 2000z; PSK31;
Bands: 40m Only; RST + (state/province/country); Logs due: July 9.

DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest, Jul 2, 1100z to Jul 2, 1700z; RTTY, Amtor,
Clover, PSK31, Pactor; Bands: 10m Only; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: July 16.

10-10 Int. Spirit of 76 QSO Party, Jul 3, 0001z to Jul 10, 0000z; CW, SSB,
PSK31, RTTY, FM, AM; Bands: 10m Only; 10-10 Member: Name + 10-10 number +
(state/province/country), Non-Member: Name + 0 + (state/province/country); Logs
 due: July 24.

IQRP Quarterly Marathon, Jul 3, 0800z to Jul 9, 2000z; CW, SSB, Digital; Bands:
 All; RS(T); Logs due: July 23.

RSGB 80m Club Championship, CW, Jul 3, 1900z to Jul 3, 2030z; CW; Bands: 80m
Only; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: July 4.

ARS Spartan Sprint, Jul 4, 0100z to Jul 4, 0300z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15,
10m; RST + (state/province/country) + Power; Logs due: July 6.

Phone Fray, Jul 5, 0230z to Jul 5, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15m; NA:
 Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: June 23.

CWops Mini-CWT Test, Jul 5, 1300z to Jul 5, 1400z, Jul 5, 1900z to Jul 5,
2000z, Jul 6, 0300z to Jul 6, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m;
Member: Name + Member No., non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs
due: June 24.

NRAU 10m Activity Contest, Jul 6, 1700z to Jul 6, 1800z (CW), Jul 6, 1800z to
Jul 6, 1900z (SSB), Jul 6, 1900z to Jul 6, 2000z (FM), Jul 6, 2000z to Jul 6,
2100z (Dig); CW, SSB, FM, Digital; Bands: 10m Only; RS(T) + 6-character grid
square; Logs due: July 20.

QRP Fox Hunt, Jul 7, 0100z to Jul 7, 0230z; CW; Bands: 20m Only; RST +
(state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: July 8.

NCCC RTTY Sprint, Jul 7, 0145z to Jul 7, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: (see rules);
Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: June 25.

NCCC Sprint, Jul 7, 0230z to Jul 7, 0300z; CW; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. +
 Name + QTH; Logs due: June 25.

FISTS Summer Unlimited Sprint, Jul 8, 0000z to Jul 8, 0400z; 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:
August 7.

IARU HF World Championship, Jul 8, 1200z to Jul 9, 1200z; CW, Phone; Bands:
160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; IARU HQ: RS(T) + IARU Society, Non-HQ: RS(T) + ITU
Zone No.; Logs due: August 8.

SKCC Weekend Sprintathon, Jul 8, 1200z to Jul 10, 0000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80,
40, 20, 15, 10, 6m; RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (SKCC No./"NONE";
Logs due: July 16.

CQC Great Colorado Gold Rush, Jul 10, 2000z to Jul 10, 2159z; CW; Bands: 20m
Only; RST + (state/province/country); Logs due: August 8.

QRP ARCI Summer Homebrew Sprint, Jul 9, 2000z to Jul 9, 2359z; CW; Bands: 160,
80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RST + (state/province/country) + (ARCI no./power); Logs
due: July 23.


VHF+ CONTESTS

See RAC Canada Day Contest and SKCC Weekend Sprintathon, above.


LOG DUE DATES

28 Jun - 10 Jul

June 30, 2017

 *  MARAC County Hunters Contest
 *  4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint

July 1, 2017

 *  UKSMG Summer Contest
 *  VK Shires Contest

July 2, 2017

 *  IARU Region 1 50 MHz Contest

July 3, 2017

 *  Alabama QSO Party
 *  Stew Perry Topband Challenge
 *  AGCW VHF/UHF Contest
 *  Ukrainian DX Classic RTTY Contest

July 4, 2017

 *  SEANET Contest

July 5, 2017

 *  West Virginia QSO Party

July 9, 2017

 *  WAB 50 MHz Phone

July 10, 2017

 *  His Maj. King of Spain Contest, SSB

____________________________________________________________________________


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ARRL Contest Update wishes to acknowledge information from WA7BNM's Contest
Calendar and SM3CER's Contest Calendar.

____________________________________________________________________________


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)\/(ark

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... Education is not the filling of a vessel but the lighting of a fire!
---
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