 March 27, 2024 Editor: Paul Bourque, N1SFE | |
In this Issue:
Upcoming Contests - Things to Do CQ World Wide WPX Contest, SSB One of the largest HF contests of the year, the CQ World Wide WPX Contest, SSB, runs from 0000 UTC Saturday, March 30 through 2359 UTC Sunday, March 31. Participants may operate on the 1.8, 3.5, 7, 14, 21, and 28 MHz bands. The exchange is your signal report and a sequential contact serial number starting with the numeral 1. Single Operator stations may operate 36 of the 48 hours, and off times must be a minimum of 60 minutes, during which no QSO is logged. Multioperator stations may operate the full 48-hour contest period. For full rules and scoring details, see www.cqwpx.com/. VHF/UHF Spring Sprints Of interest to weak-signal VHF/UHF amateur radio operators, the 144 MHz Spring Sprints, sponsored by the Central States VHF Society, begin on Monday, April 1, at 1900 local time, and concluding at 2300 local time. The 144 MHz Spring Sprints are the first of a series of five events, each focusing on specific bands. The remaining dates are as follows:
For rules and more information, visit https://sites.google.com/site/springvhfupsprints/2024-information. Georgia and Florida State Parks on the Air Events If you're a Parks on the Air activator or hunter, there are two events occurring the first week of April that might be of interest. Georgia State Parks on the Air begins at 1200 UTC on Saturday, April 6, and concludes at 2359 UTC on Sunday, April 7. Also, Florida State Parks on the Air begins at 1400 UTC on Saturday, April 6, and concludes at 2200 UTC on Sunday, April 7. For more information, visit the individual sponsors' websites Upcoming State QSO Parties For those of you who enjoy state QSO parties, here are three events coming up on the first weekend of April that might be of interest to you. You can also find more details in the Contests section. April 6 -7: HamSCI Solar Eclipse QSO Party The Solar Eclipse QSO Party (SEQP), one of the events to be held during the HamSCI Festivals of Eclipse Ionospheric Science, will be held from 1400 to 2359 UTC on April 8, 2024. Participants are encouraged to operate before, during and after the eclipse passes over the continental U.S. The SEQP is unique among ham radio competitions as it awards points for two-way QSOs (ham-to-ham contacts via radio) and bonus points for reception reports from CW skimmers, Reverse Beacon Network, PSKReporter and the like. The exchange is an accurate signal report and your four-digit grid square. Complete rules are available at https://hamsci.org/seqp-rules. Contest Summary See the "Contests" section below for complete contest information. March 28 March 29 March 30 April 1
April 2 April 3
April 4
April 5 April 6
April 7 April 8
April 9 April 10
Results and Records 2024 Minnesota QSO Party Results Mark Endorf, WA0MHJ, has announced that the results of the 2024 Minnesota QSO Party are now available at https://www.w0aa.org/results/. North American RTTY Sprint Preliminary Results The preliminary results for the North American RTTY Sprint have been posted at https://ncjweb.com//sprint-scores/preliminary/sprintrttymar2024prelim.txt . The final article and results will be in the May/June 2024 issue of the National Contest Journal and posted at ncjweb.com. Conversation With the CQ World Wide WPX SSB Contest this weekend, it's an appropriate time to remind contesters to pay attention to band edges. If you're operating near the upper or lower edges of the band (or of your operating privileges), be aware that your signal's bandwidth may extend beyond the frequency displayed on your radio. For example, if your radio reads 7.125 MHz on lower sideband phone, your signal extends outside of the US phone band (and into the CW portion of the band). With the quick pace and excitement of a contest, it's easy to lose track of upper and lower band edges, as well as of your license privileges. If you're using spotting assistance, be aware that some foreign amateurs have different frequency allocations and may be spotted operating on frequencies that are not allowed for US amateurs. Be sure to always check that the spot you just clicked on is within your privileges. The ARRL website has a handy, printable band plan chart for those who wish to have one for quick reference. 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 March 28, 2024 - April 10, 2024 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 CWops Test (CWT), Mar 28, 0300z to Mar 28, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 30. CWops Test (CWT), Mar 28, 0700z to Mar 28, 0800z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 30. RSGB 80m Club Championship, SSB, Mar 28, 2000z to Mar 28, 2130z; SSB; Bands: 80; RS + Serial No.; Logs due: Mar 29. QRP Fox Hunt, Mar 29, 0100z to Mar 29, 0230z; CW; Bands: 20; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: Mar 30. NCCC FT4 Sprint, Mar 29, 0100z to Mar 29, 0130z; FT4; Bands: (see rules); 4-character grid square; Logs due: Mar 31. Weekly RTTY Test, Mar 29, 0145z to Mar 29, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 31. NCCC Sprint, Mar 29, 0230z to Mar 29, 0300z; CW; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: Mar 31. Sasquatch Stomp, Mar 29, 1900z to Mar 30, 0300z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + (state/province/country) + (Sasquatch number/zip code) + name; Logs due: Apr 12. K1USN Slow Speed Test, Mar 29, 2000z to Mar 29, 2100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 31. Feld Hell Sprint, Mar 30, 0000z to Mar 30, 2359z; Feld Hell; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; (see rules); Logs due: Apr 3. CQ WW WPX Contest, SSB, Mar 30, 0000z to Mar 31, 2359z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RS + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 5. K1USN Slow Speed Test, Apr 1, 0000z to Apr 1, 0100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Apr 3. ICWC Medium Speed Test, Apr 1, 1300z to Apr 1, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Apr 4. DARC Easter Contest, Apr 1, 1500z to Apr 1, 1729z; CW, SSB; Bands: 80, 40; DL: RS(T) + DOK (or "NM" if not a DARC member), non-DL: RS(T) + QSO No.; Logs due: Apr 8. OK1WC Memorial (MWC), Apr 1, 1630z to Apr 1, 1729z; CW; Bands: 80, 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 5. ICWC Medium Speed Test, Apr 1, 1900z to Apr 1, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Apr 4. ARS Spartan Sprint, Apr 2, 0100z to Apr 2, 0300z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + (state/province/country) + Power; Logs due: Apr 4. Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest, Apr 2, 0100z to Apr 2, 0159z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RS + age group (OM, YL, Youth YL or Youth); Logs due: Apr 3. ICWC Medium Speed Test, Apr 2, 0300z to Apr 2, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Apr 4. ZL Sprint, Apr 2, 0800z to Apr 2, 0859z; CW, SSB; Bands: 80; RS(T) + Outside Temperature (C); Logs due: Apr 3. QRP Fox Hunt, Apr 3, 0100z to Apr 3, 0230z; CW; Bands: 20; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: Apr 4. Phone Weekly Test, Apr 3, 0230z to Apr 3, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15; NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: Apr 5. A1Club AWT, Apr 3, 1200z to Apr 3, 1300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: RST + Name; Logs due: Apr 8. CWops Test (CWT), Apr 3, 1300z to Apr 3, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Apr 6. Mini-Test 40, Apr 3, 1700z to Apr 3, 1759z; CW; Bands: 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 5. Mini-Test 80, Apr 3, 1800z to Apr 3, 1859z; CW; Bands: 80; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 5. CWops Test (CWT), Apr 3, 1900z to Apr 3, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Apr 6. UKEICC 80m Contest, Apr 3, 2000z to Apr 3, 2100z; SSB; Bands: 80; 6-Character grid square; Logs due: Apr 3. Walk for the Bacon QRP Contest, Apr 4, 0000z to Apr 5, 0300z; CW; Bands: 40; Maximum 13 wpm, RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (Member No./power); Logs due: Apr 11. CWops Test (CWT), Apr 4, 0300z to Apr 4, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Apr 6. CWops Test (CWT), Apr 4, 0700z to Apr 4, 0800z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Apr 6. SARL 80m QSO Party, Apr 4, 1700z to Apr 4, 2000z; SSB; Bands: 80; RS + Serial No. + Grid Locator or QTH; Logs due: Apr 16. NRAU 10m Activity Contest, Apr 4, 1800z to Apr 4, 2200z; CW, SSB, FM, Digital; Bands: 10; RS(T) + 6-character grid square; Logs due: Apr 18. SKCC Sprint Europe, Apr 4, 2000z to Apr 4, 2200z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (SKCC No./"NONE"); Logs due: Apr 11. QRP Fox Hunt, Apr 5, 0100z to Apr 5, 0230z; CW; Bands: 20; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: Apr 6. NCCC FT4 Sprint, Apr 5, 0100z to Apr 5, 0130z; FT4; Bands: (see rules); 4-character grid square; Logs due: Apr 7. Weekly RTTY Test, Apr 5, 0145z to Apr 5, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Apr 7. NCCC Sprint, Apr 5, 0230z to Apr 5, 0300z; CW; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: Apr 7. K1USN Slow Speed Test, Apr 5, 2000z to Apr 5, 2100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Apr 7. PODXS 070 Club PSK 31 Flavors Contest, Apr 6, 1000z to Apr 7, 0400z; BPSK31, QPSK31, BPSK63, QPSK63, BPSK125, QPSK125; Bands: 20; 070 members: (state/province/country) + member no., Non-members: (state/province/country) + name; Logs due: Apr 14. EA RTTY Contest, Apr 6, 1200z to Apr 7, 1200z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; EA: RSQ + province, non-EA: RSQ + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 22. Georgia State Parks on the Air, Apr 6, 1200z to Apr 7, 2359z; Any; Bands: Any, except WARC; Activator: RS(T) + optional park identifier, Hunter: (state/province/"DX"), FT4/8: signal report + grid; Logs due: Apr 21. RSGB FT4 International Activity Day, Apr 6, 1200z to Apr 7, 1200z; FT4; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Signal report; Logs due: Apr 8. Louisiana QSO Party, Apr 6, 1400z to Apr 7, 0200z; CW/Digital, Phone; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, 2; LA: RS(T) + Parish, non-LA: RS(T) + (state/province/country); Logs due: Apr 17. Mississippi QSO Party, Apr 6, 1400z to Apr 7, 0200z; CW, SSB, RTTY, FT4/8; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, 2; MS: RS(T) + county, non-MS: RS(T) + (state/province/country), FT4/8: Signal report + 4-character grid square; Logs due: Apr 30. Missouri QSO Party, Apr 6, 1400z to Apr 7, 2000z; CW, Phone, Digital; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, VHF/UHF; MO: RS(T) + county, non-MO W/VE: RS(T) + (state/province/territory), DX: RS(T) + "DX"; Logs due: May 7. Florida State Parks on the Air, Apr 6, 1400z to Apr 7, 2200z; Any; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; FL Park: park ID, non-FL Park: (state/province), DX: RS(T) + "DX"; Logs due: Apr 21. SP DX Contest, Apr 6, 1500z to Apr 7, 1500z; CW, SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; SP: RS(T) + 1-character province, non-SP: RS(T) + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 21. WAB 3.5/7/14 MHz Data Modes, Apr 7, 1000z to Apr 7, 2100z; RTTY, PSK31; Bands: 80, 40, 20; British Isles: RS + serial no. + WAB square, Other: RS + serial no. + country; Logs due: Apr 17. K1USN Slow Speed Test, Apr 8, 0000z to Apr 8, 0100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Apr 10. ICWC Medium Speed Test, Apr 8, 1300z to Apr 8, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Apr 11. Solar Eclipse QSO Party, Apr 8, 1400z to Apr 8, 2359z; CW, Phone, Digital; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RS(T) + 4-character grid square; Logs due: May 7. OK1WC Memorial (MWC), Apr 8, 1630z to Apr 8, 1729z; CW; Bands: 80, 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 12. RSGB 80m Club Championship, CW, Apr 8, 1900z to Apr 8, 2030z; CW; Bands: 80; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 9. ICWC Medium Speed Test, Apr 8, 1900z to Apr 8, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Apr 11. Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest, Apr 9, 0100z to Apr 9, 0159z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RS + age group (OM, YL, Youth YL or Youth); Logs due: Apr 10. ICWC Medium Speed Test, Apr 9, 0300z to Apr 9, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Apr 11. ZL Sprint, Apr 9, 0800z to Apr 9, 0859z; CW, SSB; Bands: 80; RS(T) + Outside Temperature (C); Logs due: Apr 10. DARC RTTY Sprint, Apr 9, 1800z to Apr 9, 1929z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40; DL: RST + (DOK/"NM"), non-DL: RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 16. NAQCC CW Sprint, Apr 10, 0030z to Apr 10, 0230z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20; RST + (state/province/country) + (NAQCC No./power); Logs due: Apr 13. Phone Weekly Test, Apr 10, 0230z to Apr 10, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15; NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: Apr 12. A1Club AWT, Apr 10, 1200z to Apr 10, 1300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: RST + Name; Logs due: Apr 15. CWops Test (CWT), Apr 10, 1300z to Apr 10, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Apr 13. Mini-Test 40, Apr 10, 1700z to Apr 10, 1759z; CW; Bands: 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 12. Mini-Test 80, Apr 10, 1800z to Apr 10, 1859z; CW; Bands: 80; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 12. CWops Test (CWT), Apr 10, 1900z to Apr 10, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Apr 13. VHF+ CONTESTS IRTS 70cm Counties Contest, Apr 1, 1300z to Apr 1, 1330z; FM, SSB; Bands: 70cm; EI/GI: RS(T) + Serial no. + county, non-EI/GI: RS(T) + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 15. IRTS 2m Counties Contest, Apr 1, 1330z to Apr 1, 1500z; FM, SSB; Bands: 2; EI/GI: RS(T) + Serial no. + county, non-EI/GI: RS(T) + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 15. 144 MHz Spring Sprint, Apr 1, 1900 local to Apr 1, 2300 local; Any; Bands: 2; 4-character grid square; Logs due: Apr 15. VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest, Apr 3, 1700z to Apr 3, 2100z; FT8; Bands: 144 MHz; 4-character grid square; Logs due: Apr 8. VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest, Apr 10, 1700z to Apr 10, 2100z; FT8; Bands: 432 MHz; 4-character grid square; Logs due: Apr 15. See also: Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest, Louisiana QSO Party, Mississippi QSO Party, Missouri QSO Party, Solar Eclipse QSO Party Log Due Dates March 28 March 29 March 30 March 31
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April 2 April 3 April 4 April 5 April 6 April 7 April 8
April 9 April 10 ARRL Information Click here to advertise in this newsletter, space subject to availability. Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information No other organization works harder to promote and protect amateur radio. Membership supports benefits, services, programs, and advocacy to help you get (and stay) active and on the air. Membership includes access to digital editions of all four ARRL magazines: QST, On the Air, QEX, and NCJ. 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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