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http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/?issue=2016-04-20

The ARRL Contest Update

April 20, 2016
Editor: Brian Moran, N9ADG


IN THIS ISSUE
 *  New HF Operators: Antenna Work & 75 baud RTTY
 *  Bulletins: Avoid Earthquake Relief Frequencies, Amateur Radio at IEEE
    IMS 2016, and more
 *  Contest Summary
 *  News: Doctor is in Podcast, WRTC-2018 bands, and more
 *  Word to the Wise: OTRSP
 *  Sights and Sounds: FlexRadio beginnings, Visualization of Knots
 *  Results: GAQP, WRTC-2018 Qualifying Midpoint, WAG Survey
 *  Operating Tip: Hourly Rate Plan
 *  Technical Topics and Information: RF Absorbing Skin, 3D Printing of
    Antennas and more
 *  Tech Website of the week: K6TU's tips for HFTA
 *  Conversation: IDXC, New Contesters
 *  Contests
 *  Log Due Dates


NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO

Spring in the northern hemisphere! A good time for some antenna work. Don't
forget to watch the weather and not take any chances when it comes to
lightning.

Next weekend has three RTTY contests. The BARTG 75 uses 75 Baud RTTY, which is
almost twice as fast as the normal 45.5 Baud; depending on the software that
you use for decoding, and the method, AFSK or FSK, you use for sending,
getting set up for the faster speed may take a little time. See 
ttycontesting.com's 75 baud set up page for more information and tips to get
you going.

If you are using 40 meters, remember to stay clear of Ecuador earthquake
relief operations around 7.060 MHz. They're using SSB, so please be extra
vigilant in checking the frequency before you transmit.


BULLETINS

Parts of Ecuador continue to recover from the recent magnitude 7.8 earthquake
and aftershocks. The "Cadena HC" emergency frequency is now activated and is
running 24 hours per day on 7.060 MHz LSB. The HC hams have been very busy
coordinating search and rescue activities on that frequency. Ecuadorean
Amateur Radio operators request that the Ham Radio community keep 7.060 MHz
clear for these operations. Operators, please take particular care on 40m
RTTY/Digital modes to avoid the area around 7.060 MHz. (Rick, NE8Z/HC1MD via
The DailyDX)

If you're one of the 10,000 or so wireless professionals, university
educators, or STEM students attending the IEEE IMS 2016 conference in May, why
not stop by the Ham Radio Social at the San Francisco Marriott on the evening
of Tuesday, May 24? Typically, more than 100 hams from around the world get
together at the conference.

During the conference, you can stop by the ARRL booth in the university area,
where this year's theme will be encouraging industry professionals to urge
students and educators to participate in Amateur Radio as a means of personal
and professional development.

Call for Input -- UHF and Above Contest Proposal

"After receiving and reviewing considerable input from the Amateur community,
the ARRL VHF Contest Revitalization Committee has drafted rules for a proposed
new UHF & Up Contest and now seeks your input on this draft. In proposing the
new rules, the Committee sought to respond to some of the most frequently
received comments and to provide a "test bed" for changes that might be
considered for other non-HF contests in the future. Among the most common
themes in the comments were:

 *  Use distance-based scoring rather than a geographic multiplier system
 *  The August timing is too close to other VHF+ contests / too hot for
    roving
 *  More incentive is needed to invest time and effort in making higher-band
    contacts
 *  Existing rover rules are too complicated and too restrictive
 *  Current VHF+ contests have too many entry categories
 *  Scoring potential varies widely from one geographic region to another

This proposal uses distance scoring with point multipliers for contacts made
on higher bands. To encourage roving, it simplifies rover rules to include
those who do not travel great distances and mobile stations. It includes just
three entry categories and features regional rather than national competition.
It adds team competition for small groups of operators who may not be part of
a contest club. The timing would be in the spring, between the January and
June VHF contests. Nothing is final yet, including the name of the contest.
The Committee would like your input on the draft rules before the VCR
Committee moves ahead with any additional changes. You may submit your
comments by e-mail to mailto:vhf-input@arrl.org between now and June 15th. In
addition, the Committee encourages more local outreach - articles,
announcements, seminars and mentoring - to draw new participants into this and
all radio sporting activities. Expanding the pool of potential contacts will
make these contests more enjoyable for everyone. Please share your outreach
ideas with us as well." - Kermit Carlson, W9XA, ARRL VCR Committee Chairman


BUSTED QSOS

Wayne Overbeck's call is actually N6NB (Dave, W6TE)

The links from last issue's Operating Tip were missing, so here it is again:

"TV Bob", N6TV, submits: "Ever listen to the NCDXF Beacons? The Faros program
by VE3NEA can automatically listen to these beacons and record when they are
heard. An excellent design ensures that even the weakest beacon signals will
be detected, with QRM ignored. Here's a YouTube video of Faros in action,
copying many of the 20m beacons in sequence. K2MO has posted an excellent
video showing how to set up the software, which will work with virtually any
transceiver."


CONTEST SUMMARY

Complete information for all contests follows the Conversation section

21 Apr to 4 Mar 2016

April 21

 *  CWops Mini-CWT Test
 *  RSGB 80m Club Championship, Data

April 22

 *  NCCC RTTY Sprint
 *  NCCC Sprint

April 23

 *  10-10 Int. Spring Contest, Digital
 *  SP DX RTTY Contest
 *  Helvetia Contest

April 24

 *  BARTG Sprint 75

April 27

 *  SKCC Sprint
 *  Phone Fray
 *  CWops Mini-CWT Test
 *  432 MHz Spring Sprint
 *  UKEICC 80m Contest

April 28

 *  CWops Mini-CWT Test

April 29

 *  NCCC RTTY Sprint
 *  NCCC Sprint

April 30

 *  SBMS 2.3 GHz and Up Contest and Club Challenge
 *  Russian WW MultiMode Contest
 *  Florida QSO Party

May 1

 *  Florida QSO Party
 *  AGCW QRP/QRP Party

May 2

 *  RSGB 80m Club Championship, SSB

May 3

 *  ARS Spartan Sprint

May 4

 *  Phone Fray
 *  CWops Mini-CWT Test
 *  MIE 33 Contest


NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST

Sponsored by DX Engineering, "The Doctor Is In" has launched a twice-monthly
podcast in addition to the QST magazine column of the same name. You'll be
able to listen to community-submitted technical questions answered by Joel
Hallas, W1ZR, and Steve Ford, WB8IMY. The 20 minute episodes are available via
iTunes, Stitcher, and Blubrry, or via "The Doctor Is In" webpage. The first
episode (April 7) features HF Vertical Antennas.

Sandy, DL1QQ, gave an update on the upcoming WRTC-2018 in a session during
last weekend's International DX Conference in Visalia, California. For US
amateurs, there are 9 qualifying events left, and the current standings can be
viewed at the WRTC 2018 website. Sandy mentioned that due to solar conditions,
160 meters may be included in WRTC-2018, and pan-adapters may be allowed for
the first time.

Taking advantage of the rapid innovation and cheapening of communications
technologies, amateur scientists are creating global sensor networks.

73 is a magic number, sometimes even outside of amateur radio.


WORD TO THE WISE

OTRSP - "Open Two Radio Switching Protocol"

A specification of commands and responses involved in controlling SO2R
devices. As early SO2R devices were originally controlled by manipulating PC
parallel ports. Unfortunately, parallel ports are generally no longer found on
PCs. OTRSP was developed to abstract the control of SO2R devices from the
underlying interfaces. The YCCC SO2R box implements OTRSP.


SIGHTS AND SOUNDS

Gerald Youngblood, K5SDR, visited the Central Mississippi Amateur Radio
Association (cmsara.org) in November 2015, and talked about how FlexRadio
Systems was started. (Frank, K4FMH via QRP-L)

When putting up wire antennas, ropes and knots are important. This video can
help you learn a few new ones. (Ward, N0AX)


RESULTS AND RECORDS

W0BH/m was successful in their team quest to activate 73 counties as a mobile
during the Georgia QSO Party, which may be a new record for any QSO Party
mobile. Bob's team included John, N6MU, Paul, N4PN, Bob, W0BH, and Lorna,
K0WHY. Lorna piloted their mobile RF generator over 500 miles on each of the
two days. With 3,958 contacts in the log, some operators worked them from
multiple counties. Examples include K9YC and W7GKF, who found W0BH/m in 68 and
66 counties, respectively, and worked them over 100 times. DL3DXX was right in
there as well, with 97 contacts over 66 counties. Check out the 3830 write-up
and be on the lookout for a more extensive article in a publication in the
future.

Additional contest scores have been factored into the WRTC-2018 Standings.
Only nine more qualifying events left for US hams!

The Worked All Germany (WAG) contest survey results are available via Twitter.

The Worked All Germany Contest did a survey in 2015, with fifty questions
ranging from LOTW use to mode preference. The results have been trickling out
via Twitter: https://twitter.com/wag_e (you do not need to have a Twitter
account).


OPERATING TIP

Hourly Rate Plan

Before you enter the next contest, why not study the results from past years
to inform your operating plan? Check out your results from last year, know how
many contacts you made each contest hour, and on what bands. If propagation is
worse this year, factor that into your potential band usage. Study the results
of other stations in your area to understand what they did right, and learn
from them. Sometimes actual logs are available from the contest sponsors after
the contest. Occasionally, stations publish hourly rates in their 3830
summaries. Once you have your goals hour-by-hour, you can enter that
information into some loggers (such as N1MM Logger+) where it will be
displayed during the contest.


TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION

Tom, WA9YI, sent in a link to the story of Iowa State University's research
into "metaskin" that can absorb RADAR energy. "Not sure what RF applications
there might be, but then we never are until we fiddle with it for awhile,
right? Wrap the neighbor's grow-light operation in it to block RFI? Next best
thing to a tin-foil hat?"

How soon before we see an "SSB Skimmer?" Google, IBM's Watson, and other
providers have real-time speech-to-text (STT) services available right now.
Will someone build an application utilizing STT in time for, say, Sweepstakes?

The European Space Agency used a 3D printer to fabricate a 14.5 GHz satellite
antenna. After printing the part, it was coated with copper to give it its
electrical properties. This might provide some ideas for methods to "print"
other signal-chain items for UHF+ frequencies, for example interdigital
filters.

A researcher has figured out a way to do full-duplex radio using just silicon.
Claiming that it subverts Lorentz Reciprocity, the CMOS circulator has
potential for making higher data rates faster and cheaper. (Ward, N0AX)

Technical Web Site of the Week - http://k6tu.net/?q=TerrainProfiles

You've heard about terrain analyses, and you know you should probably do them
to better understand your shack's location - Stu's website can step you though
everything you need to do to get going with N6BV's High Frequency Terrain
Analysis (HFTA) program. K6TU's website will even assist with the tedious
part, the generation of the terrain profiles for your station location, by
automatically pulling data from the National Elevation Dataset, or the Shuttle
Radar Topography Mission database based on your latitude and longitude.
Furthermore, he's built a script to automate the running of HFTA over a
360-degree sweep at your QTH, to generate antenna model files.


CONVERSATION

International DX Convention & New Operators

I was fortunate to be able to attend the International DX Convention in
Visalia, California last weekend. Alternatively sponsored by the Northern
California DX Club and the Southern California DX Club, this year was the
south's turn to host. Contest-related activities over the weekend included
Friday's Contest Dinner, the Topband dinner, Saturday's contest forum,
sessions on rig performance, SDR, remote station operation, the NCCC
hospitality suite, vendor room, hallway conversations - you get the idea.
There are plenty of common interests between DXers and Contesters. The morning
to wee-hours were packed. It was great to see friends in person and inspiring
to see the faces associated with so many familiar calls.

The kids from the Dorothy Grant Elementary School were there, and the issue of
"How do we get more youth involved?" was brought up in a few of the sessions.

Are we overlooking other potential sources of new contesters? The demographic
at the DX conference was primarily male, and 'mature.' What about thinking of
contester spouses as potential new contesters? They already have potential
access to equipment. They likely know a lot of the basics. They already hang
around with contesters, or at least "a" contester.

Think of the potential benefits: MORE resources devoted to the hobby you love,
someone who may challenge you to be a better operator, and someone you can
talk to about radio nearly any time.

Sandy, N7RQ, licensed since 1990, is a seasoned contester. I asked her how she
got started in the hobby:

"My brother was a ham, but never wanted to spend the time to teach me, so when
I met a ham in my mid-30s, I inquired and found him a willing Elmer. Using the
ARRL manuals and code tapes & devices, I went from zero (with no technical
background) to a 20 WPM Extra Class in 54 weeks. The easy-to-understand way
the manuals were written made the science fun for me. I received my ticket 2
weeks before the 1990 CQWW DX SSB contest, and was dumbfounded by the number
of countries represented on the air during that test. I guess you could say
DXing was the gateway drug to contesting for me.
Understand also that to be exposed to kind, patient people from many cultures
was also a huge draw for me. Above and beyond what you can do on the Internet,
the opportunity to sit and talk with someone in a foreign country and learn
about his or her life and family is still fascinating to me. The randomness of
those contacts makes each one a treasure."

Her thoughts on how to be more welcoming of spouses or YLs in general to the
hobby:

"I grew up in a family of boys, so I'm not intimidated by the fact that
amateur radio is primarily a male hobby. For women who might feel intimidated,
I'd think contesting with other women via Field Day or multi-op stations can
give them the chance to learn contesting without feeling like the oddball in
the group.

If she's new to amateur radio and married to a ham who is also her Elmer, he
might help her explore her interests: languages, cultures, DXing, science,
math, antennas, propagation, and so forth, to find her place in the hobby. If
she wants to improve her operating skills, contesting is certainly a great way
to do that, and nothing is more fun than a 'his and hers' station. At some
point, she'll find favorite contests that she wants to operate on her own, and
work toward improving her scores year-over-year. That's what I did. I knew I
could never beat the big guns with my modest tower and radio, but I could be a
better contester."

And what about her spouse, Bob, K8IA?

"By the time I met my husband, Bob Epstein K8IA, I was a seasoned contester
ready for the next level, and he was a well-regarded contester with a far
better antenna system, and a desire to be my contest Elmer. He integrated my
equipment into his existing station set-up and we've been contesting together
ever since then. With friends, we started our own contest club - Arizona
Outlaws Contest Club - in 2009. If women can find a contest club or group near
them, they can be great resources for asking questions and learning new
methods to improve scores. Best of all, they'll find themselves welcomed into
a world of people who respect women contesters and their increasing
contributions to the hobby."

Thank you, Sandy!

73, Brian N9ADG

That's all for this time. Remember to send contesting related tips,
techniques, press releases, errata, selfies, pictures, stories, blog links,
Twitter handles, and Field Day recipes to contest-update@arrl.org

CONTESTS

21 Apr to 4 Mar 2016

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

CWops Mini-CWT Test, Apr 20, 1300z to Apr 20, 1400z, Apr 20, 1900z to Apr 20,
2000z, Apr 21, 0300z to Apr 21, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m;
Member: Name + Member No., non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs
due: April 23.

RSGB 80m Club Championship, Data, Apr 21, 1900z to Apr 21, 2030z; RTTY, PSK;
Bands: 80m Only; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: April 28.

NCCC RTTY Sprint, Apr 22, 0145z to Apr 22, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: (see rules);
Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: April 24.

NCCC Sprint, Apr 22, 0230z to Apr 22, 0300z; CW; Bands: (see rules); Serial
No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: April 24.

10-10 Int. Spring Contest, Digital, Apr 23, 0001z to Apr 24, 2359z; Digital;
Bands: 10m Only; 10-10 Member: Name + 10-10 number + (state/province/country),
Non-Member: Name + 0 + (state/province/country); Logs due: May 9.

SP DX RTTY Contest, Apr 23, 1200z to Apr 24, 1200z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20,
15, 10m; SP: RST + 1-letter province, Non-SP: RST + QSO No.; Logs due: May 8.

Helvetia Contest, Apr 23, 1300z to Apr 24, 1259z; CW, SSB, Digital; Bands:
160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; HB: RS(T) + Serial No. + 2-letter canton, non-HB:
RS(T) + Serial No.; Logs due: May 9.

BARTG Sprint 75, Apr 24, 1700z to Apr 24, 2100z; 75 Baud RTTY; Bands: 80, 40,
20, 15, 10m; Serial No.; Logs due: May 1.

SKCC Sprint, Apr 27, 0000z to Apr 27, 0200z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15,
10m; RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (SKCC No./power); Logs due: April
29.

Phone Fray, Apr 27, 0230z to Apr 27, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15m;
NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: April 29.

CWops Mini-CWT Test, Apr 27, 1300z to Apr 27, 1400z, Apr 27, 1900z to Apr 27,
2000z, Apr 28, 0300z to Apr 28, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m;
Member: Name + Member No., non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs
due: April 30.

UKEICC 80m Contest, Apr 27, 2000z to Apr 27, 2100z; CW; Bands: 80m Only;
4-Character grid square; Logs due: April 27.

NCCC RTTY Sprint, Apr 29, 0145z to Apr 29, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: (see rules);
Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: May 1.

NCCC Sprint, Apr 29, 0230z to Apr 29, 0300z; CW; Bands: (see rules); Serial
No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: May 1.

Russian WW MultiMode Contest, Apr 30, 1200z to May 1, 1159z; CW, SSB, RTTY,
BPSK63; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; UA: RST(Q) + 2-character oblast,
non-UA: RST(Q) + QSO No.; Logs due: May 15.

Florida QSO Party, Apr 30, 1600z to May 1, 0159z, May 1, 1200z to May 1,
2159z; CW, Phone; Bands: 40, 20, 15, 10m; FL: RS(T) + county, W/VE: RS(T) +
(state/province), DX: RS(T) + DXCC prefix; Logs due: May 31.

AGCW QRP/QRP Party, May 1, 1300z to May 1, 1900z; CW; Bands: 80, 40m; RST +
QSO No. + "/" + Class ID (A/B); Logs due: May 31.

RSGB 80m Club Championship, SSB, May 2, 1900z to May 2, 2030z; SSB; Bands: 80m
Only; RS + Serial No.; Logs due: May 9.

ARS Spartan Sprint, May 3, 0100z to May 3, 0300z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15,
10m; RST + (state/province/country) + Power; Logs due: May 5.

Phone Fray, May 4, 0230z to May 4, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15m;
NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: May 4.

CWops Mini-CWT Test, May 4, 1300z to May 4, 1400z, May 4, 1900z to May 4,
2000z, May 5, 0300z to May 5, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m;
Member: Name + Member No., non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs
due: May 7.

MIE 33 Contest, May 4, 2300z to May 5, 0300z; CW, Phone; Bands: All, except
WARC; Mie: RS(T) + age + "ME", non-Mie JA: RS(T) + age + "MEJ", non-Mie
non-JA: RS(T) + age; Logs due: May 31.

VHF+ CONTESTS

432 MHz Spring Sprint, Apr 27, 1900z to Apr 27, 2300z; (not specified); Bands:
432 Only; 6-character grid square; Logs due: May 11.

SBMS 2.3 GHz and Up Contest and Club Challenge, Apr 30, 0600 (local) to May 1,
2359 (local); Any; Bands: 2.3 GHz and up; 6-character Maidenhead locator; Logs
due: June 1.

LOG DUE DATES

21 Apr to 4 Mar 2016

April 21, 2016

 *  NRAU 10m Activity Contest

April 22, 2016

 *  Phone Fray

April 23, 2016

 *  New Mexico QSO Party
 *  RSGB International Sprint Contest, SSB
 *  CWops Mini-CWT Test

April 24, 2016

 *  OK/OM DX Contest, SSB
 *  Run for the Bacon QRP Contest
 *  Worked All Provinces of China DX Contest

April 25, 2016

 *  144 MHz Spring Sprint
 *  Hungarian Straight Key Contest

April 27, 2016

 *  Low Power Spring Sprint

April 28, 2016

 *  QRP ARCI Spring QSO Party

April 30, 2016

 *  Mississippi QSO Party
 *  Classic Exchange, CW
 *  International Vintage Contest HF
 *  SP DX Contest

May 1, 2016

 *  ES Open HF Championship

May 2, 2016

 *  YU DX Contest

May 3, 2016

 *  222 MHz Spring Sprint
 *  Missouri QSO Party


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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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