 February 1, 2023 Editor: Paul Bourque, N1SFE | |
In this Issue:
Upcoming Contests - Things to Do Upcoming State QSO Parties There are three opportunities to participate in state QSO parties this weekend. The Vermont QSO Party begins at 0000 UTC on Saturday, February 4, and runs for 48 hours, concluding at 2359 UTC on Sunday, February 5. Also on Saturday, the Minnesota QSO Party kicks off at 1400 UTC and concludes at 2359 UTC. Finally, the British Columbia QSO Party begins at 1600 UTC on February 4 and concludes at 2359 UTC on February 5. NCJ North American CW Sprint The NCJ North American CW Sprint is Sunday, February 5, starting at 0000 UTC and concluding at 0359 UTC. The object for North American stations is to contact as many radio amateurs as possible. Stations located outside of North America contact as many North American stations as possible. The exchange is the other station's call sign, your call sign, a sequential serial number, your name, and your location (state, province, or country). Full rules are available at https://ncjweb.com/Sprint-Rules.pdf. CQ World Wide WPX RTTY Contest The CQ World Wide WPX RTTY Contest begins at 0000 UTC on Saturday, February 11, and concludes at 2359 UTC on Sunday, February 12. The objective is for amateurs world wide to contact as many stations and prefixes as possible. Single Operator stations may operate for 30 hours of the 48-hour contest period. Multi-operator stations may operate the full 48 hours. Complete rules are available at https://www.cqwpxrtty.com/rules.htm. Bulletins The European DX Contest Club (EUDXCC) is holding the EUDX Contest this weekend, starting at 1200 UTC on Saturday, February 4, and concluding at 1159 UTC on Sunday, February 5. New for this year is an online logger for participants who do not have contest logging software. Contest QSOs can be logged online in real time during the contest, or offline after the contest. Read the full rules at https://www.eudx-contest.com/. -Thanks to Francesco Giancola, IK6QON Andy Blank, N2NT, the director of the CQ World Wide 160 Meter Contest, is looking for photos from stations that were active in the contest last weekend. He is seeking photos featuring operators, particularly newcomers, and those who have not been included in previous results articles. Photos can be emailed to Andy directly at AndyN2NT@gmail.com. Registration for the Microwave Update 2023 and the 46th Eastern VHF/UHF Conference to be held at the Hilton Garden Inn at Bradley Airport in Windsor, Connecticut on April 14 - 15, is now open (www.microwaveupdate.org). Microwave Update is an international conference dedicated to microwave equipment design, construction, and operation. It is focused on, but not limited to, amateur radio on the microwave bands. -Thanks to Paul Wade, W1GHZ With the state QSO party season kicking off this weekend with the Vermont, Minnesota, and British Columbia QSO parties, Stan Zawrotny, K4SBZ, would like to remind us of the State QSO Party Challenge. The challenge is open to any radio amateurs who participate in any of the approved US state and Canadian Province QSO parties. Participants must submit their scores to 3830scores.com to be included in the challenge. More details are available at the State QSO Party website.
Contest Summary See the "Contests" section below for complete contest information. February 2 February 3 February 4
February 5 February 6 February 7 February 8
February 9 February 10 February 11
February 12 February 13
February 14 February 15
News, Press Releases, and Special Interest Amateur Contact Log 7.0.7 Now Available Scott Davis, N3FJP, has announced the release of Amateur Contact Log 7.0.7, which includes the following enhancements: - the addition of 10 memory fields to the Frequency Change form. - the option to silently detect and download AD1C country list updates. - upgrades to the behavior of the Watch List alert form. - the addition of ADIF satellite tags (SAT_NAME and PROP_MODE) on LoTW download, which will fill in empty fields in Amateur Contact Log if they are currently empty.
AC Log 7.0.7 and other N3FJP amateur radio software can be downloaded at http://www.n3fjp.com/index.html. Results and Records Full Results articles and line scores for the 2022 ARRL International Digital Contest, the 2022 ARRL June VHF Contest, and the 2022 IARU H.F. World Championship are available at http://contests.arrl.org. Select the contest that you'd like to view on the left-hand navigation of the page, and then select "Articles/Line Scores."
Additionally, raw scores for the 2023 ARRL RTTY Roundup are now available at http://contests.arrl.org. Participants should verify that their entry has been submitted in the correct category. Any questions or problems with an entry should be directed to the ARRL Contest Manager at contests@arrl.org. Technical Topics and Discussion Scientists Steer Lightning with High-Powered Laser Researchers at Institut Polytechnique de Paris successfully diverted lightning using a high-powered laser in the first demonstration of the technique outside a laboratory. Scientists believe the technology could eventually help control lightning strikes, potentially reducing the thousands of fatalities and $3 billion in damages each year resulting from the phenomenon. Traditional metal lightning rods only cover an area as wide as the rod is tall, limiting their application on large sites. To test covering a wider area, the researchers created a virtual lightning rod using a laser pulsing 1,000 times per second near a 400-foot tower in Switzerland. During storms in the summer of 2021, the laser's rapid beams heated a path of charged air near the tower, ultimately steering four lightning strikes through the ionized channel over 6 hours. You can read the full article at Science News.
-Thanks to Brian Moran, N9ADG Do you have a good technical topic that you'd like to share with the community? Let me know! Send an email to contest-update@arrl.org and I'll share it here. 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. Contests February 2, 2023 - February 15, 2023 An expanded, downloadable version of QST's Contest Corral is available as a PDF. Check the sponsors' website for information on operating time restrictions and other instructions. HF CONTESTS Walk for the Bacon QRP Contest, Feb 2, 0000z to Feb 3, 0300z; CW; Bands: 40; Maximum 13 wpm, RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (Member No./power); Logs due: Feb 9. CWops Test (CWT), Feb 2, 0300z to Feb 2, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Feb 4. CWops Test (CWT), Feb 2, 0700z to Feb 2, 0800z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Feb 4. NRAU 10m Activity Contest, Feb 2, 1800z to Feb 2, 2200z; CW, SSB, FM, Digital; Bands: 10; RS(T) + 6-character grid square; Logs due: Feb 16. SKCC Sprint Europe, Feb 2, 2000z to Feb 2, 2200z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (SKCC No./"NONE"); Logs due: Feb 9. NCCC RTTY Sprint, Feb 3, 0145z to Feb 3, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: Feb 5. QRP Fox Hunt, Feb 3, 0200z to Feb 3, 0330z; CW; Bands: 20; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: Feb 4. NCCC Sprint Ladder, Feb 3, 0230z to Feb 3, 0300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15; Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: Feb 5. K1USN Slow Speed Test, Feb 3, 2000z to Feb 3, 2100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Feb 5. Vermont QSO Party, Feb 4, 0000z to Feb 5, 2359z; All (see rules for FT8 guidance); Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, VHF/UHF; VT: RS(T) + County, non-VT W/VE: RS(T) + (state/province), DX: RS(T); Logs due: Feb 19. 10-10 Int. Winter Contest, SSB, Feb 4, 0001z to Feb 5, 2359z; Phone; Bands: 10; 10-10 Member: Name + 10-10 number + (state/province/country), Non-Member: Name + 0 + (state/province/country); Logs due: Feb 13. Mexico RTTY International Contest, Feb 4, 1200z to Feb 5, 2359z; RTTY Only; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; XE: RST + State, non-XE: RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Mar 15. European Union DX Contest, Feb 4, 1200z to Feb 5, 1200z; CW, SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; EU Union: RS(T) + EU Union Region (4-characters), Non-EU Union: RS(T) + ITU Zone No.; Logs due: Feb 12. F9AA Cup, CW, Feb 4, 1200z to Feb 5, 1200z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 2; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Mar 5. Minnesota QSO Party, Feb 4, 1400z to Feb 4, 2359z; CW (CW/RTTY/Digital no FTn), Phone (FM/SSB/AM); Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; MN: Name + County, W/VE: Name + (state/province), DX: Name; Logs due: Feb 18. FYBO Winter QRP Sprint, Feb 4, 1400z to Feb 4, 2359z; CW, SSB, Digital; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RS(T) + (state/province/country)+ name + power out + temperature(F); Logs due: Mar 6. AGCW Straight Key Party, Feb 4, 1600z to Feb 4, 1900z; CW; Bands: 80; AGCW: RST + Serial No. + "/" + Class + "/" + Name + "/" + Age; Logs due: Feb 28. British Columbia QSO Party, Feb 4, 1600z to Feb 5, 2359z; CW, SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; BC: RS(T) + District, non-BC: RS(T) + (state/province/"DX"); Logs due: Feb 20. North American Sprint, CW, Feb 5, 0000z to Feb 5, 0359z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20; [other station's call] + [your call] + [serial no.] + [your name] + [your state/province/country]; Logs due: Feb 12. K1USN Slow Speed Test, Feb 6, 0000z to Feb 6, 0100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Feb 8. ICWC Medium Speed Test, Feb 6, 1300z to Feb 6, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Feb 9. OK1WC Memorial (MWC), Feb 6, 1630z to Feb 6, 1729z; CW; Bands: 80, 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Feb 10. ICWC Medium Speed Test, Feb 6, 1900z to Feb 6, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Feb 9. RSGB 80m Club Championship, SSB, Feb 6, 2000z to Feb 6, 2130z; SSB; Bands: 80; RS + Serial No.; Logs due: Feb 7. Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest, Feb 7, 0100z to Feb 7, 0159z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RS + age group (OM, YL, Youth YL or Youth); Logs due: Feb 8. ARS Spartan Sprint, Feb 7, 0200z to Feb 7, 0400z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + (state/province/country) + Power; Logs due: Feb 9. ICWC Medium Speed Test, Feb 7, 0300z to Feb 7, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Feb 9. NAQCC CW Sprint, Feb 8, 0130z to Feb 8, 0330z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20; RST + (state/province/country) + (NAQCC No./power); Logs due: Feb 11. QRP Fox Hunt, Feb 8, 0200z to Feb 8, 0330z; CW; Bands: 20; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: Feb 9. Phone Weekly Test, Feb 8, 0230z to Feb 8, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15; NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: Feb 10. A1Club AWT, Feb 8, 1200z to Feb 8, 1300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: RST + Name; Logs due: Feb 13. CWops Test (CWT), Feb 8, 1300z to Feb 8, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Feb 11. Mini-Test 40, Feb 8, 1700z to Feb 8, 1759z; CW; Bands: 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Feb 10. Mini-Test 80, Feb 8, 1800z to Feb 8, 1859z; CW; Bands: 80; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Feb 10. CWops Test (CWT), Feb 8, 1900z to Feb 8, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Feb 11. CWops Test (CWT), Feb 9, 0300z to Feb 9, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Feb 11. CWops Test (CWT), Feb 9, 0700z to Feb 9, 0800z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Feb 11. EACW Meeting, Feb 9, 1900z to Feb 9, 2000z; CW; Bands: 80, 40; EACW Member: RST + Member No. + Nickname, EA non-Member: RST + Nickname + EA province, non-EA: RST + Nickname + DXCC prefix; Logs due: Feb 11. NCCC RTTY Sprint, Feb 10, 0145z to Feb 10, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: Feb 12. QRP Fox Hunt, Feb 10, 0200z to Feb 10, 0330z; CW; Bands: 20; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: Feb 11. NCCC Sprint Ladder, Feb 10, 0230z to Feb 10, 0300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15; Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: Feb 12. K1USN Slow Speed Test, Feb 10, 2000z to Feb 10, 2100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Feb 12. CQ WW RTTY WPX Contest, Feb 11, 0000z to Feb 12, 2359z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Feb 17. Asia-Pacific Spring Sprint, CW, Feb 11, 1100z to Feb 11, 1300z; CW; Bands: 40, 20; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Feb 18. SKCC Weekend Sprintathon, Feb 11, 1200z to Feb 12, 2359z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (SKCC No./"NONE"); Logs due: Feb 19. KCJ Topband Contest, Feb 11, 1200z to Feb 12, 1200z; CW; Bands: 160; JA: RST + Prefecture/District Code, non-JA: RST + CQ Zone; Logs due: Feb 28. Dutch PACC Contest, Feb 11, 1200z to Feb 12, 1200z; CW, SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; PA: RS(T) + province, non-PA: RS(T) + Serial No.; Logs due: Feb 17. YLRL YL-OM Contest, Feb 11, 1400z to Feb 13, 0200z; CW/Digital, SSB; Bands: All, except WARC; QSO No. + RS(T) + (section/province/country); Logs due: Mar 14. OMISS QSO Party, Feb 11, 1500z to Feb 12, 1500z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RS + (state/province/DX) + (OMISS No. if member); Logs due: Mar 1. FISTS Saturday Sprint, Feb 11, 1600z to Feb 11, 1800z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; FISTS: RST + first name + FISTS No. + (state/province/country), non-FISTS: RST + first name + "0" + (state/province/country); Logs due: Feb 18. RSGB 1.8 MHz Contest, Feb 11, 1900z to Feb 11, 2300z; CW; Bands: 160; UK: RST + Serial No. + District Code, non-UK: RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Feb 12. Balkan HF Contest, Feb 12, 1300z to Feb 12, 1700z; CW, SSB; Bands: 80, 40; RS(T) + QSO No.; Logs due: Feb 19. K1USN Slow Speed Test, Feb 13, 0000z to Feb 13, 0100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Feb 15. CQC Winter QSO Party, Feb 13, 0100z to Feb 13, 0259z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20; RST + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 14. 4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint, Feb 13, 0100z to Feb 13,0300z; CW, SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: RS(T) + (State/Province/Country) + Member No., Non-member: RS(T) + (State/Province/Country) + Power; Logs due: Feb 15. ARRL School Club Roundup, Feb 13, 1300z to Feb 17, 2359z; CW, Phone, RTTY/Digital; Bands: All, except 60, 30, 17, 12m; RS(T) + Class (I/C/S) + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 4. ICWC Medium Speed Test, Feb 13, 1300z to Feb 13, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Feb 16. OK1WC Memorial (MWC), Feb 13, 1630z to Feb 13, 1729z; CW; Bands: 80, 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Feb 17. ICWC Medium Speed Test, Feb 13, 1900z to Feb 13, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Feb 16. PODXS 070 Club Valentine Sprint, Feb 14, 0000z to Feb 14, 2359z; PSK31; Bands: 160, 80, 40; Name + (OM/YL) + (state/province/country); Logs due: Feb 21. Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest, Feb 14, 0100z to Feb 14, 0159z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RS + age group (OM, YL, Youth YL or Youth); Logs due: Feb 15. ICWC Medium Speed Test, Feb 14, 0300z to Feb 14, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Feb 16. QRP Fox Hunt, Feb 15, 0200z to Feb 15, 0330z; CW; Bands: 20; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: Feb 16. Phone Weekly Test, Feb 15, 0230z to Feb 15, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15; NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: Feb 17. A1Club AWT, Feb 15, 1200z to Feb 15, 1300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: RST + Name; Logs due: Feb 20. CWops Test (CWT), Feb 15, 1300z to Feb 15, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Feb 18. Mini-Test 40, Feb 15, 1700z to Feb 15, 1759z; CW; Bands: 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Feb 17. Mini-Test 80, Feb 15, 1800z to Feb 15, 1859z; CW; Bands: 80; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Feb 17. AGCW Semi-Automatic Key Evening, Feb 15, 1900z to Feb 15, 2030z; CW; Bands: 80; RST + Serial No. + "/" + 2-digit year first used a bug; Logs due: Mar 1. CWops Test (CWT), Feb 15, 1900z to Feb 15, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Feb 18. RSGB 80m Club Championship, Data, Feb 15, 2000z toFeb 15, 2130z; RTTY, PSK; Bands: 80; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Feb 16. VHF+ CONTESTS VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest, Feb 8, 1700z to Feb 8, 2100z; FT8; Bands: 432 MHz; 4-character grid square; Logs due: Feb 13. VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest, Feb 15, 1700z to Feb 15, 2100z; FT8; Bands: 1.2G; 4-character grid square; Logs due: Feb 20. See also SKCC Weekend Sprintathon, Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest, F9AA Cup, CW Log Due Dates February 2 February 3
February 4 February 5 February 6 February 7 February 8 February 9
February 10 February 11 February 12
February 13 February 15 ARRL Information Click here to advertise in this newsletter, space subject to availability. Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information ARRL membership includes a choice of one print magazine: QST, the monthly membership journal, or On the Air, ARRL's new bimonthly publication for beginner and intermediate hams. All ARRL members can access all four ARRL magazines - QST, On the Air, NCJ, and QEX - digitally. Subscribe to NCJ - the National Contest Journal. Published bimonthly, it features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint, and QSO Parties. Subscribe to QEX - A Forum for Communications Experimenters. Published bimonthly, it features technical articles, construction projects, columns, and other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals. Free of charge to ARRL members: Subscribe to The ARRL Letter (weekly digest of news and information), the ARES Letter (monthly public service and emergency communications news), Division and Section news, and much more! ARRL offers a wide array of products to enhance your enjoyment of Amateur Radio. Visit the site often for new publications, specials, and sales. Donate to the fund of your choice - support programs not funded by member dues! Reprint permission can be obtained by emailing permission@arrl.org with a description of the material and the reprint publication. Acknowledgements ARRL Contest Update wishes to acknowledge information from WA7BNM's Contest Calendar. | |
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