Contester's Rate Sheet for January 23, 2008

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          CONTESTER'S RATE SHEET
            23 JANUARY 2008

        Edited by Ward Silver N0AX

Published by the American Radio Relay League
 Free to ARRL members - tell your friends!
(Subscription info at the end of newsletter)
********************************************

SUMMARY
o From Bedsprings to Broadcast Towers - CQ WW 160 CW
o Minnesota, Delaware, and Vermont QSO Parties
o Thursday Night Triple Sprint Whammy - Jan 24
o First Ever Yasme Excellence Awards
o Who Needs a Telescope? - Solar Cycle 24 Web Site
o Strange Keyboards to Go With Your Strange Keys
o HAARP Moonbounce Mania
o Smart Fuses and Bed Risers
o What's There To Be Excited About?

NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO
o If you haven't had the pleasure of listening to the signal from an
antique radio, tune in some of the signals in the Classic Exchange
this weekend.  The phone contest is two weeks later.  And while
you're at it, try out your antenna farm in the CQ WW 160 CW contest -
the biggest of the 160 meter contests.

BULLETINS
o No bulletins this issue.

BUSTED QSOS
o Apologies for leaving the ARRL VHF+ contest out of the summary.
Your editor fell asleep at the switch. (Thanks, Ed K1EP and others)

CONTEST SUMMARY (Rules follow Commentary section)

January 24-27
- Locust QSO Party/Slow-Speed and Regular NCCC Sprint - CW
- CQ WW 160-Meter - CW
- BARTG RTTY Sprint
- REF French - CW
- UBA Contest - Phone
- Winter Field Day
- YLISSB QSO Party - SSB
- Classic Exchange - CW
February 2-3
- North American Sprint - CW
- Minnesota QSO Party
- Ten-Ten International Winter Phone QSO Party
- XE International RTTY
- Delaware QSO Party
- Vermont QSO Party
- YL-OM Contest - CW
- QRP ARCI Winter Fireside SSB Sprint
- FYBO Winter QRP Field Day
- Spartan Sprint - CW

--o- ooo - --o- ooo - --o- ooo -  -oo o
NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST
- oooo o   o-o o- - o   ooo oooo o o - -o-

They're new! They're red! They can hold your favorite beverage
without leaking! What are these amazing items?  The coffee mugs you
can purchase as your reward for making a "Clean Sweep" in the 2007
ARRL Phone or CW Sweepstakes, of course.  If your mug is itching for
a mug of mud out of one of these mugs, stop smuglymugging in the
mirror or you'll miss the order deadline on 31 Jan! Activity pins for
100 QSOs (or more) may also be ordered. Surely you will want to
proudly display the imprimatur of Sweepstakes savoir faire in your
shack? <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2008/01/11/101/?nc=1>
(Thanks, Sean KX9X, ARRL Contest Branch Manager)

The Directors of the Yasme Foundation are proud to announce the first
winners of the recently announced Yasme Excellence Awards
<http://www.yasme.org/> for service and dedication to amateur radio as
recognized by the foundation's Directors. The prizes are in the form
of a plaque and a monetary award. The winners include:
Joseph L. Arcure, Jr., W3HNK for his long service as a QSL manager
Sheldon C. Shallon, W6EL for his free propagation prediction software
James Brooks, 9V1YC for DXpedition organization and videography
Jukka Salomaa, OH2BUA and Antti Kantola, OH5TB for conceiving,
operating, and maintaining the DX Summit. (Thanks, Wayne N7NG,
President YASME Foundation)

Amateur radio has had a touchy relationship with the FCC in recent
years.  While the Enforcement Bureau's return to the scene has been
incredibly welcome and smartly responsive, the bureau's support of
BPL in the face of clear violations of long-standing policies on
interference has called its decision-making processes into question.
This hasn't gone entirely unnoticed by Congress as Ars Technica
reports
<http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080109-congress-to-probe-fcc.html>
in this 9 January article.  Perhaps we'll learn more about what's
really going on down there at 445 12 Street SW as a result of this
inquiry.

And maybe Riley Hollingsworth will tell us! The North Coast
Contesters proudly announce the 16th Annual Dayton Contest Dinner
<http://www.contestdinner.com/>. CQ Magazine's Contest Editor, John
K1AR will again masterfully and ceremoniously run the show, featuring
Riley Hollingsworth K4ZDH, Special Counsel in the FCC Spectrum
Enforcement Division as the keynote speaker!  CQ WW Director Bob
K3EST will announce the CQ Contest Hall of Fame Inductions, as well.
The dinner will be held on Saturday evening, May 17, at 6:30 PM in
the Crowne Plaza Hotel. (Thanks, Tim K3LR and to Web hosts Scott
KA9FOX and QTH.com)

The Mongolian MRSF QSL Bureau is no longer operating. The QSL bureau
for Mongolian QSLs is reached at Mongolian Amateur Radio Society, QSL
Bureau, PO Box 830, Ulaanbaatar-24, Mongolia. (Thanks, Khos JT1CD)

Are we excited or what?  Solar Cycle 24 now has it's own Web site -
<http://www.solarcycle24.com/>!  It's only a matter of time until Ol'
Sol gets it's own Facebook site.  We can only hope! (Thanks, Tim
K3LR)

While you're in "propagation mode", take a look at the HAARP (High
Frequency Active Auroral Research Program) Web site
<http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/data.html> for some interesting
graphs and statistics.  Take a look in this newsletter's Sights and
Sounds section, too! (Thanks, Zack W9SZ)

Yeah, but can they make one that will hold up a dipole?  Stanford
researcher Vladlen Koltun has developed a software package called
Dryad <http://dryad.stanford.edu/> that generates very lifelike
three-dimensional tree images by using about 100 different tree
attributes developed by botanists. In the Stanford News Service
article
<http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2008/january9/dryad-010908.html>
he explains how the tree characteristics are selected - much like
navigating Google Maps, how appropriate!

Rose N7HKW (XYL of Ken K0PP) is making some nice-looking cotton
fabric covers for Elecraft radios.  She offers custom embroidery to
really dress them up.  Email Rose for details at
ElecraftCovers@acninc.net.

Grid square maps based on Google Earth are available from the Stoned
Monkey VHF Society Web site <http://stonedmonkey.org/>. (Thanks, Kenny
K2KW)

Pete N4ZR reports that the Worldwide Contest Station database and
N1MM Quick Start Guide is unavailable until he is able to convert it
to a new form of access supported by the servers of the new Internet
host. 

Most of us have visited the APRS tracking site, Findu
<http://findu.com/>, and here's a new site based on Google Maps
<http://aprs.he.fi/> When you log in to this site by call sign, it
looks up your coordinates and starts off with you in the center of
the action.  You might find yourself surrounded by quite a lot of
APRS information! (Thanks, Carl KC2LLT)

I'm not sure if this is News, a Tech Tip, a consumer warning, or just
the usual raillery on a slow news day!  Slashdot
<http://slashdot.org/> featured an item about 10 Strange Keyboards
<http://tinyurl.com/324ddx>, some of which might be useful and some
of which might be good to back away from in some haste.  In
particular, I like the lace doily keyboard and expect to see it in
ham shacks across the country!

URL of the Week - Stan WA1LOU's ARRL Web article "How Not To Buy The
Farm" <http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2008/01/11/1/?nc=1> really
caught my eye this week.  Included in the article was a link to
K0BG's "Safe Mobile Operation" Web page
<http://www.k0bg.com/safety.html>. With many of us having just
completed a weekend of roving, this mention is a little late, but for
many others it may be just in time.  Words to live by.

oooo  o  -o--     -o-- o- o-oo o-oo
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
o-- o- - -o-o oooo    - oooo oo ooo

That was quite an experiment this past weekend, listening for
moonbounce on 7 MHz?  What?  You didn't know about it?  Take a look
at the QRZ.com story <http://tinyurl.com/3xasnj> for more
information, some videos taken during the test, and the address for a
QSL card if you were able to receive the signals. 
VE6WZ - http://www.qsl.net/ve6wz/HAARP.htm
N6TV - http://tinyurl.com/3bn8y5
N6GQ - http://www.n6gq.com/HAARP_echo_011908.mp3
N6OJ - http://www.n6oj.comm/
N9ADG - http://www.n9adg.com/audio/7mhz_moon.wav

Check out Randy K7AGE's stable of how-to ham radio videos on YouTube!
<http://ca.youtube.com/profile?user=K7AGE> The latest is a nifty
wireless headset adapter that uses inexpensive Bluetooth adapters.
(from QRZ.com)

Here's a fascinating Google Tech Talks video about once-secret radar
and satellite systems from WWII through the 1960's.  It's called "The
Secret History of Silicon Valley"
<http://youtube.com/watch?v=hFSPHfZQpIQ> and is presented by Steve
Blank, who may also be KF6DDL. (from QRZ.com)

Serge UA0SC is a frequent catch on Top Band when conditions are right
from the middle of Siberia.  Take a look at Serge's QTH, vertical
antenna, and QSL at http://93bmwm5.googlepages.com/home.  Nice
doggies! (Thanks, Bill W4ZV)

oo-o oo -o -oo   -o-- --- oo- o-o
RESULTS AND RECORDS
-o-o o- o-oo o-oo    oooo o o-o o

Plaques and the more than 1400 certificates for the 2007 ARRL DX
Contest are being sent out this week and should soon be in the hands
of their deserving owners. (Thanks, Sean KX9X, ARRL Contest Branch
Manager)

Jon N0JK has placed a plot of some of the 50 MHz Es QSO's on January
19 on the ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes Soapbox site
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/soapbox>. Note there were at least two
Es centers active at the start of the contest - one over southern
Mississippi/Alabama and a second over North Carolina.

The real time scoreboard at <http://www.getscores.org/> will have been
running for NAQP CW and SSB.  Look for it during CQ 160 CW and BARTG
RTTY.  David is working on supporting multiple contests running at
the same time, too! (Thanks, David K1TTT)

Digests of 3830 Soapbox comments for the following contests are
available online at <http://www.eskimo.com/~mwdink/3830>:
ARRL 10M, ARRL 160M, ARRL CW SS, ARRL RTTY Roundup, ARRL SSB SS, CQWW
CW, CQWW RTTY, CQWW SSB, NAQP CW, RAC Winter, TBDC Soapbox
(Thanks, Dink N7WA)

oooo o -o--   -o-- --- oo-
OPERATING TIP
o-- o- -o- o      oo- o--o

Not so much an operating tip as a training tip, Mike W7DRA is
teaching Morse code to his grandsons (age around 5) using "Learn code
in a minute" <http://www.learnmorsecode.com/> - about right for really
young kids. The tip is that to keep their interest up he sends them
WAV file messages containing things like "the money is under the
upstairs bathroom rug" after one of his daughters hides a dollar
there. Master Inculcator Mike says, "You would be surprised at how
fast I can send and they can still receive!"

oo oo-o    oo - ooo    -o --- - -ooo o-o --- -o- o
TECHNICAL TIPS AND INFORMATION
-o-- --- oo- o-o o  -o --- -  - o-o -o-- oo -o --o

Les N1LF reports on an improvement to that simplest of components,
the fuse. "Recently, I upgraded my standard fuses with a product
called  Smart Fuse' <http://www.smartglow.com/>. These are OEM
specification fuses with one key improvement: they incorporate a
small built in light that glows when the fuse is blown. It makes
troubleshooting much faster, even in poor lighting conditions. Where
several radios and accessories may be sharing a power distribution
panel, this can be a real aid to quickly identifying the problem, and
getting back on the air.  They do cost more than standard fuses, but
I think the potential time savings in troubleshooting makes them
worth the expense." Smart Fuses are probably available from your
local auto parts store.

If you want to scan a band, but don't have a spare spectrum analyzer
to dedicate to the job, there's an alternative. Joe K8FC suggests
that you can do the job for a relatively small investment, a
software-defined radio (SDR), such as one of the Softrock kits
<http://www.softrockradio.org/> combined with Rocky
<http://www.dxatlas.com/Rocky> or Power SDR
<http://www.wu2x.com/:80/sdr.html> software.  These are pretty amazing
packages!

Multi-section fiberglass poles seem to be in abundance, but they
don't come with guying hardware for the most part.  How to attach the
guys? Doug N6TQS uses hole saws to make guy rings of aluminum plate -
first the inner hole, then the outer circumference of the ring.  Use
a drill press, start with a pilot hole, drill the guy attachment
holes in the ring then screw the aluminum blank to a wood backing
piece using the guy holes before using the hole saws.  The backing
piece stabilizes the workpiece, making for a cleaner, safer job. Bill
AI4WM notes that you can also make guy rings from large stainless
steel washers, available from McMaster-Carr: P/N 92141-A040,
stainless steel flat washer, 1-1/4" screw size, 1-5/16" ID, 2-3/4"
OD, 0.156" thick.

While shopping, Dave KA1NCN came across "bed risers" that come in
sets of four <http://tinyurl.com/ytxarw> and
<http://tinyurl.com/2bfv8x> and seem to be remarkably strong.  These
seem to be widely available and so could be a possible base insulator
or some other antenna-related item, should an old beer bottle be
unavailable or otherwise unsuited to the task.

Here's a couple of previously unreported sources for ferrite items:
Lodestone Pacific <http://www.lodestonepacific.com/fair-rite.php>
Misek Antenna Research <http://exax.net/> Misek's site also has a lot
of information on Beverage antennas. (Thanks to a pair of Johns, W0UN
and ON4UN)

While antenna analyzers often fill the need for low-level signal
sources (they make handy, if somewhat unstable and uncalibrated,
signal generators), on occasion having a standalone signal source
that doesn't require ac power is pretty handy.  Bjorn SM0MDG
contributes three such sources:
- a 0.4-watt, 1-35 MHz transmitter by DL2KQ
<http://dl2kq.de/ant/3-32-1.gif>
- self-contained oscillators
<http://www.mouser.com/catalog/632/785.pdf>
- NorCal QRP generator kit
<http://www.norcalqrp.org/s1s9generator.htm>

Keeping RF out of PC keyboards seems to be a frequent problem. If
ferrite cores on the cables aren't doing the trick, Bill W6WRT
observes, "For some reason the USB keyboards are much more immune to
RF. If your computer has the PS/2 style socket, adaptors are
available. If your rig and your computer are sitting right next to
each other, connect a short ground lead between them."

Here's a good tip from Tom W8JI - if filter performance changes when
the case or receiver are grounded (assuming the receiver has a metal
case), then there is something wrong with the shielding of the
filter, the receiver, or the connecting cable.  Shield or case
grounding should not affect filter performance.

Wes WZ7I has found the GB Instruments "LAN Tracker" (available from
Home Depot and other home improvement stores, no doubt) to be very
helpful in finding and tracking wires and cables.  It is a
multi-purpose wire tracer using a small transmitter with a number of
different plugs and a small receiver for detecting the signal.

Band-pass filters are used at multi-transmitter stations to reduce
interference from harmonics and phase noise. Frank W3LPL notes that
lab-bench measurements of filter performance with resistive 50-ohm
terminations may be misleading.  Actual transmitters and antennas
often present wildly different than 50 ohms out-of-band. Some filter
designs are extremely sensitive to mistermination, while others (for
example, the W3LPL receive filter in many editions of The ARRL
Handbook) were specifically designed to perform excellently when
misterminated. Evaluating filter performance in your station is
straightforward.  On receive, find a very strong out-of-band signal
then insert the filter and observe the results. On transmit, have a
nearby ham compare the strength of your transmitter harmonics with
and without the filter installed.

TECHNICAL URL OF THE WEEK -- VHF+ contesters will find lots of value
at Jim W6PQL's Web site <http://w6pql.com/> as Jim says, "It's been
raining here a lot, and I tend to write when I'm cooped up." New
additions include UHF PC-board filters, a VHF VCXO, and a microwave
marker generator.  Happy browsing!

o- -o-o -o-o oo- o-o o- -o-o -o--   oo ooo   o--- --- -ooo
CONVERSATION
--- -o o   oo -o   -o-o --- -o - o ooo - oo -o --o

What's There to Be Excited About?

Like many of my readers, I've been in this hobby a long time - 35
years in a couple of weeks.  Indeed, I've been a ham for a good part
of my adolescence and all of my adult life.  I've made many thousands
of contacts, on many bands, with many places, with many pieces of
gear. Once a callow and nervous Novice, I'm starting on the fifth
solar cycle that's come 'round the limb of Ol' Sol.  You would think
that with that background, maybe I've pretty much experienced all of
what amateur radio has to offer.  Interestingly enough, the answer
is, "Not even close!"

In fact, what I've found is that the longer a ham has been licensed,
the FEWER different aspects of ham radio they are likely to use.  We
are creatures of habit and once formed, we tend to pertinaciously
follow those habits, frequently becoming incredibly deep experts to
be sure, growing narrower, relatively speaking. (Many of us also grow
wider in other ways, but I digress...)  It is rare individual that
can lay claim to being a Renaissance Ham.  

As we develop and hone our expertise, we may also find that we have
explored much of what there is to explore in our chosen niches.  Our
hamming begins to become permeated with a sameness that leads to a
quietus of "been there, done that".  Does this stoic inertia sound
familiar?  How can this electronic ennui be excised?  What is there
to get excited about as modern ham radio approaches nonagenarianism? 
Let me tell you about a few things that have caught my interest of
late...

Digital contesting - After years and years of languishing as lightly
attended events "up there" in the CW bands, RTTY contesting is the
fastest growing contest mode.  To be sure, it started small, but it's
not small any more with digital contests nearly every weekend.  The
combination of excellent software and simple radio hookups make this
incredibly easy to try compared to the Mechanical Ages.  I do miss
the smell of teletype oil, though.

VHF+ Roving - In case you haven't noticed, roving has become a huge
part of VHF+ contesting.  The stations that take to the grids in
search of adventitious locations and routes are astounding in their
capabilities.  New rovers, making excellent use of their new
all-band, all-mode rigs, are hitting the trail on contest weekends,
too.  Transverters, antennas, logging software, navigational aids,
beacons - all contributing to more participants and more QSOs on more
bands from more places.  Now, if we could just get propagation to
cooperate!

Mobile Operating - Similarly, down on the HF bands, those same radios
do yeoman's work as a "shack on the dash" and put out quite a decent
number of microvolts per meter.  We have antennas that autotune,
noise blankers that actually do, plenty of power, and the open road. 
To those of you that live in anti-tenna communities or risk
upbraiding from RFI, welcome back!  Who's the mobile?

Solar Cycle 24 - Just when we were about to give up hope, fearing
another Maunder Minimum, the first baby sunspot appeared on the
unblemished disk of the Sun.  And there was celebration throughout
the land.  Of course, 10 meters, like Generalissimo Francisco Franco,
is still dead, but now we know it won't be for long.  Spring is here!

40 Meters - Lest anyone forget, 40 meters will be given over to its
rightful owners (ahem) starting in 2009 as amateur radio gets its
mitts on more and more of those marvelous meters.  And just in the
nick of time, too!  Why, the stew of digital contests, salted with CW
ragchewers and peppered with phone signals nearly melts the cook pot!
 Look for more countries to open the gates to 7100-7200 kHz, too. 
Will "Listening this frequency and..." become a thing of the past? 
We can only hope.

China and India - When 15 meters starts to open up, I am pretty sure
that North American hams will be astounded at the number of new and
unusual call signs in the pileups.  The conditions are ripe - a
growing middle class, interest in technology, governments opening the
airwaves to more licensed amateurs.  When the world's two largest
populations begin to sprout a few amateur radio operators, there is
some real potential for exciting contests!

Remote Radios - We're just an RJ-45 and CAT5 cable away from being
able to operate from nearly anywhere at just about any time.  What
does the band sound like from, say, Samarkand?  Or Tokyo?  Or
Johannesburg?  Or Santiago?  Who's on your DX contest team?  Well
OH-XXX and PY-ZZZ are taking 15 meters, K-AAA and JA-BBB are on 40. 
When do they get in?  Oh, they're logging in from home!  New
opportunities, new problems?  Sure!

And there are many more - you are probably wondering why I didn't
mention any number of topics.  Didn't I say I didn't know everything?
 See?  There's lots of stuff in which to take an interest. So if your
groove has started to become a rut, there's no need for you to stay
stuck.  Take a look around and try something new before you give up
on the world's most amazing hobby!

-o-o  --o-  - o ooo - -o-o  --o-  - o ooo -
CONTESTS -- 23 JANUARY THROUGH 5 FEBRUARY 2008
-o-o  --o-  - o ooo - -o-o  --o-  - o ooo -

Note that the following abbreviations are used to condense the
contest rules summaries: SO - Single-Op; M2 - Multi-Op - 2
Transmitters; MO - Multi-Op; MS - Multi-Op, Single Transmitter; MM -
Multi-Op, Multiple Transmitters; AB - All Band; SB - Single Band;
S/P/C - State/Province/DXCC Entity; HP - High Power (>100 W); LP -
Low Power; QRP (5W or less)

HF CONTESTS

Locust QSO Party - sponsored by Rick Hilding K6VVA from 0100Z - 0150Z
Jan 24. Frequencies: 80, 40 meters (see Web site for band times).
Categories: see Web site. Exchange: name and S/P/C. Follow NA Sprint
QSY rules. For more information and log submission: http://
http://www.k6vva.com/lqp51. (See the NCCC Web site
<http://www.ncccsprint.com/> for information on other Thursday night
sprints.)

CQ WW 160-Meter Contest--CW, sponsored by CQ Magazine from 0000Z Jan
26 - 2359Z Jan 27 (Phone is Feb 23-24). Exchange: RST and S/P/C.
Categories: SO-QRP (<5 W) -LP(<150 W) -HP, MO categories. Enter as MO
if packet or spotting nets are used. QSO Points: own entity--2 pts,
same continent--5 pts, diff. cont.--10 pts, /MM stations count 5
points, but no multiplier. Score: QSO points X states + VE call areas
+ DXCC entities (KH6 and KL7 count as DXCC only). For more
information: http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/. Logs due by Feb 28 to
160cw@kkn.net (Cabrillo format only) or CQ 160 Contest, 25 Newbridge
Rd, Hicksville, NY 11801.

BARTG RTTY Sprint--sponsored by the British Amateur Radio Teletype
Group from 1200Z Jan 26 - 1200Z Jan 27. Frequencies: 80 - 10-meters.
Categories: SO-Expert, SOAB, MO, and SWL. Operators with a Top Ten
log in the past three years must enter as an Expert. Exchange: serial
number only. QSO Points: 1 pt/QSO. Score: QSO points x DXCC entities
+ W/VE/JA/VK call areas x continents counted only once. For more
information: http://www.bartg.org.uk/. Logs in Cabrillo format due 1
Mar to ska@bartg.demon.co.uk. See Web site for emailing instructions.

REF French Contest--CW, sponsored by the Reseau des Emetteurs
Francais from 0600Z Jan 26 - 1800Z Jan 27 (Phone is Feb 23-24).
Contact French stations including Corsica and Overseas Territories..
Frequencies: 80 - 10-meters. Categories: SOAB, MS, and SWL. Exchange:
non-French stations send RST and serial number, French send RST and
department number or prefix. QSO Points: different continent--3 pts,
1 pt otherwise. Score: QSO points X departments and prefixes counted
once per band. For more information:
http://www.ref-union.org/concours. Logs in Cabrillo format due 30
days after the contest to cdfcw@ref-union.org (SSB -
cdfssb@ref-union.org) or Reseau des Emetteurs Francais, REF Contest,
BP 7429, 37074 Tours Cedex, France.

UBA Contest--Phone, sponsored by the Royal Union of Belgian Amateur
Radio from 1300Z Jan 26 - 1300Z Jan 27 (CW is Feb 23-24).
Frequencies: 80 - 10-meters, according to the IARU band plan.
Categories: SOAB and SOSB (QRP, LP, HP), MS, SWL, packet is allowed
for all classes. Exchange: RST and serial number, ON stations add
their province abbr. QSO Points: QSOs with ON stations--10 pts, with
other European Union--3 pts, outside European Union--1 pt. Score: QSO
points X ON provinces + ON prefixes + European Union DXCC entities
counted once per band. For more information and a list of EU
entities: http://www.uba.be/. Logs due 30 days after the contest to
ubassb@uba.be (ubacw@uba.be for CW) in Cabrillo format or UBA
Contest, Francis Bauweraerts ON6LY, Lokerenstraat 110/5, B-2300,
Turnhout Belgium.

Winter Field Day--all modes, sponsored by the Society for the
Preservation of Amateur Radio (SPAR) from 17000Z Jan 26 - 1700Z Jan
27. Frequencies: 160-10 meters. Categories: SO, Two Op, Multi,
Indoor, Outdoor, Home. Exchange: call sign, RS(T), category, local
outside temperature. QSO Points: 1 pt/QSO. Score: QSO points x modes
operated on each band. For more information and bonus points:
http://www.spar-hams.org/. Logs due 15 Feb to winterfd@spar-hams.org.

YLISSB QSO Party--SSB, sponsored by the Young Ladies International
Single Side Band System from 0000Z Jan 26 - 2359Z Jan 27 (CW and RTTY
- Feb 2-3). Frequencies: 160-10 meters. Exchange: Call sign, RS(T)
and  ISSB number. For more information and scoring info:
http://www.ylsystem.org/. Logs due 1 Mar to ve1jim@ns.sympatico.ca or
Jim Flowers VE1JIM, 13 Rufus Ave, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3N
2L4.

Classic Exchange--CW, from 1400Z Jan 27 - 0800Z Jan 28 (AM/SSB/FM -
Feb 10). Frequencies (Mc): CW 1.810, 3.545, 7.045, 14.045, 21.135,
28.050, 50.100, 144.100. Exchange: RST, QTH, RX, TX.  QSO Points: 1
pt/QSO. Total Score: QSO's times CX multiplier (Age of all RX TX and
XCVR used for at least 3 QSOs.). For more information:
http://www.qsl.asti.com/CX. Logs to wq8u@arrl.net or J.D. "Mac" Mac
Aulay WQ8U, 104 W Queen St, Hillsborough, NC 27278.

North American Sprint--CW, sponsored by the National Contest Journal
from 0000Z - 0400Z Feb 3. (SSB is Feb 10) Frequencies: 80 - 20
meters, work stations once per band. North American stations work
everyone, others work NA stations only. Exchange: other station's
call, your call, serial number, name, S/P/C. QSY rule: Stations
calling CQ, QRZ, etc, may only work one station in response to that
call, they must then move at least 1 kHz before working another
station or 5 kHz before soliciting another call. Once you are
required to QSY, you may not make a new QSO on the previous frequency
until you have made a contact at least 1 or 5 kHz (as required) away.
(see http://www.contesting.com/articles/198 for beginner's guide) 
Score: QSOs X S/P/C (count each only once). For more information:
http://www.ncjweb.com/. Logs due 7 days after the contest via
http://www.ncjweb.com/sprintlogsubmit.php or cwsprint@ncjweb.com or
Boring ARC, 15125 Bartell Road, Boring, OR 97009.

Minnesota QSO Party--CW/Phone, sponsored by the Minnesota Wireless
Association from 1400 - 2359Z Feb 2. Frequencies (MHz): CW 1.810,
3.550, 7.050, 14.050, 21.050, 28.050, SSB 1.870, 3.890, 7.230,
14.290, 21.390, 28.420. Categories: QRP, SOLP, SOHP, VHF, MS, MN
Mobile-Single Xmtr, and MN Mobile-Unlimited. Exchange: Name and MN
county or S/P/C. QSO Points: SSB--1 pt, CW--2 pts. Score: QSO points
x MN counties (MN stations also count States and Provinces), each
counted only once. For more information and MN QSO Party software:
http://www.w0aa.org/. Logs due Mar 15 to mnqp@isd.net or MNQP,
4745-170th Lane NE, Ham Lake, MN 55304-5233.

Ten-Ten International Winter Phone QSO Party--sponsored by Ten-Ten
International from 0001Z Feb 2 - 2359Z Feb 3. Frequencies: 10 meters.
Exchange: Callsign, name, QTH, and 10-10 number (if a member). QSO
Points: nonmembers--1 pt, members--2 pts. Score: total points. For
complete rules: http://www.ten-ten.org/. Logs due Feb 18 to
tentencontest@alltel.net or Steve Rasmussen N0WY, #68684, 312 N 6th
St, Plattsmouth, NE 68048.

XE International RTTY Contest, sponsored by FMRE from 1800Z Feb 2 to
1759Z Feb 3. Frequencies: 80 -- 10 meters. Categories: SO-1 Radio,
SO-2 Radio. Exchange: RST and serial number or XE state/district. QSO
Points: own country--2 pts, DX--3 pts, XE stations--4 pts. Score: QSO
points x XE states + DXCC entities from each band. For more
information: http://www.fmre.org.mx/. Logs due 30 days after the
contest to xe1j@ucol.mx or Jose Levy XE1J, Dirección de Concursos
FMRE, Clavel 333, Colima, Col 28030, Mexico.

Delaware QSO Party--CW/Phone/RTTY/Digital, sponsored by the First
State ARC (FSARC) from 1700Z Feb 2 - 0500Z Feb 3 and 1300Z Feb 3 -
0100Z Feb 4. Categories: SO (150 watts max), SO-QRP, MO, Club, Rover.
 Frequencies (MHz): CW 1.825, 3.550, 7.050, 14.050, 21.050, 28.050;
Phone 1.860, 3.960, 7.260, 14.260, 21.360, 28.360; PSK31 14.071,
Hellschreiber 14.081, RTTY 14.090, Novice & Technician 25 kHz above
the sub-band edge. CW/RTTY/Digital count as separate modes. Exchange:
RST and DE county or S/P/C. QSO Points: Phone--1 pt,
CW/RTTY/Digital--2 points, satellite--5 pts, DE Club--10 pts. Score:
QSO Points x S/P/C counted once only. For more information:
http://www.fsarc.org/. Logs due Mar 8 to QSOparty@fsarc.org or Contest
Chairman--FSARC, PO Box 1050, Newark, DE 19715.

Vermont QSO Party-- CW/Phone/Digital, sponsored by the Central
Vermont Amateur Radio Club from 0000Z Feb 2 to 2400Z Feb 3. 
Frequencies (MHz): 160-10 meters and VHF/UHF; CW 40 kHz from band
edge;   Phone--lowest 25 kHz of General segment and entire
Novice/Tech 10m band;  VHF SSB-50.200, 144.200, FM-146.49, 146.55. 
Categories: SOAB, MO, Club, Rover.  Exchange RST and VT county or
S/P/C.  QSO points: Phone--1 pt, CW or digital--2 pts.  Work stations
once per mode up to four QSOs per band.  Score: QSO points times
VT/NH/ME counties plus Vermont Club Stations (VT stations use S/P/C)
counted only once. For more information and list of club stations:
http://www.qsl.net/w1bd.  Logs due 1 Mar to trlong1@adelphia.net or
Central Vermont Amateur Radio Club, PO Box 74, South Barre, VT
05670-0074.

YL-OM Contest--CW, sponsored by the Young Ladies Radio League (YLRL)
from 1400Z Feb 2 - 0200Z Feb 4 (Phone is 1400Z Feb 9 to 0200Z Feb
11). Frequencies: 160-10 meters. Exchange: Call sign, RST, serial
number and S/P/C. For more information and scoring info:
http://www.ylrl.org/ylcontests.html. Logs due 30 days after the
contest to kc4iyd@yahoo.com or Nancy Rabel Hall, KC4IYD, PO Box 775,
North Olmsted, OH 44070 

QRP ARCI Winter Fireside SSB Sprint, sponsored by the QRP ARCI from
2000Z - 2359Z Feb 3. Frequencies (MHz): For more information:
www.qrparci.org. Logs due Mar 4 to contest@qrparci.org or ARCI
Fireside Sprint, c/o Jeff Hetherington VA3JFF, 139 Elizabeth St W,
Welland, Ontario, Canada L3C 4M3 (See Dec QST, p 78 for QRP ARCI
Sprint rules)

FYBO (Freeze Your Butt Off) Winter QRP Field Day--CW/SSB, sponsored
by the AZ ScQRPions from 1600Z - 2400Z Feb 2. Use QRP calling
frequencies on HF bands, work stations once per band. Categories are
SO, MS, MM, and Novice/Tech--indicate home or field. Exchange: RST,
S/P/C, name, power, and temperature in degrees F at operating
position. Score: total QSOs x S/P/C (counted only once) x Temperature
multiplier x 4 (if field location) x 2 (if alternative pwr) x 2 (if
QRP). Temp mult--65+ x1, 50-64 x2, 40-49 x3, 30-39 x4, 20-29 x5, <20
x6. Add 10,000 points for a QSO with NQ7RP. For more information:
http://www.azscqrpions.org/. Logs due 30 days after the contest to
azscqrpions@covad.net or John Stevens K5JS, 21547 North 91st Dr,
Peoria AZ 85382.

Spartan Sprint--CW, sponsored by the Adventure Radio Society from
0200Z - 0400Z Feb 5 (Monday local time in the USA). The sprint is
held on the first Monday of every month. Frequencies (MHz): 3.560,
7.040, 14.060, 21.060, 28.060. Categories: SOAB. Exchange: RST,
S/P/C, and power output. For more information: http://www.arsqrp.com/.

VHF+ CONTESTS

No VHF+ contests are scheduled.

-oo  --- -o - -- oo ooo ooo   -o-- --- oo- o-o
LOG DUE DATES - 23 JANUARY THROUGH 5 FEBRUARY 2008
o-oo  --- --o     -oo o o- -oo o-oo oo -o o ooo

January 23 - NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint, email logs to:
naqcc33@alltel.net, post log summary at:
http://www.arm-tek.net/~yoel/sprint_submit_log.html, paper logs and
diskettes to: Tom Mitchell, KB3LFC, RD6 Box 122A, Kittanning, PA
16201, USA. Find rules at:
http://www.arm-tek.net/~yoel/sprint200801.html 

January 26 - North American QSO Party, CW, email logs to: (see rules,
web upload preferred), upload log at:
http://www.ncjweb.com/naqplogsubmit.php, paper logs and diskettes to:
Bruce Horn, WA7BNM, 4225 Farmdale Avenue, Studio City, CA 91604, USA.
Find rules at: http://www.ncjweb.com/naqprules.php 

January 28 - DARC 10-Meter Contest, email logs to: 10m@dxhf.darc.de,
paper logs and diskettes to: (none). Find rules at:
http://www.darc.de/referate/dx/xedczr.htm

January 28 - Run for the Bacon QRP Contest, email logs to:
W2LJ@arrl.net, upload log at: http://gentzow.com/fpqrp/autolog.asp,
paper logs and diskettes to: Larry Makoski, W2LJ, 327 Clinton Place,
South Plainfield, NJ 07080, USA. Find rules at:
http://www.gentzow.com/fpqrp/fpqrprun.php 

January 31 - TOPS Activity Contest, email logs to: yo2rr@clicknet.ro,
paper logs and diskettes to: Ioan Branga YO2RR, Str. Imparatul Traian
nr.2, RO-305500 LUGOJ, ROMANIA. Find rules at:
http://www.procwclub.yo6ex.ro/tacrules.htm 

January 31 - RAC Winter Contest, email logs to: canadawinter@rac.ca,
paper logs and diskettes to: Radio Amateurs of Canada, 720 Belfast
Road, Suite 217, Ottawa, Ontario K1G 0Z5, Canada. Find rules at:
http://www.rac.ca/downloads/canwin2007.pdf 

January 31 - Original QRP Contest, email logs to: oqrpc@qrpcc.de,
paper logs and diskettes to: Dr.Hartmut Weber, DJ7ST, Schlesierweg
13, D-38228 SALZGITTER, Germany. Find rules at:
http://www.qrpcc.de/contestrules/oqrpr.html 

January 31 - Stew Perry Topband Challenge, email logs to:
tbdc@contesting.com, paper logs and diskettes to: BARC, 15125 SE
Bartell Rd, Boring, OR 97009, USA. Find rules at:
http://jzap.com/k7rat/stew.rules.txt 

January 31 - Lighthouse Christmas Lights QSO Party, email logs to:
(none), paper logs and diskettes to: Dave Ruch, NF0J, PO Box 20696,
Bloomington, MN 55420-0696, USA. Find rules at:
http://arlhs.com/LCL-2007-guidelines.html 

January 31 - SARTG New Year RTTY Contest, email logs to:
contest@sartg.com, paper logs and diskettes to: SARTG Contest
Manager, Ewe Hakansson, SM7BHM, Pilspetsvagen 4, SE-291 66
KRISTIANSTAD, SWEDEN. Find rules at:
http://www.sartg.com/contest/nyrules.htm 

January 31 - AGCW Happy New Year Contest, email logs to:
hnyc@agcw.de, paper logs and diskettes to: Werner Hennig, DF5DD, Am
Cappeler Freistuhl 33, D-59556 Lippstadt, Germany. Find rules at:
http://www.agcw.de/english/contest/happynew_e.htm 

January 31 - NRAU-Baltic Contest, CW, email logs to: nrau@lrmd.lt,
paper logs and diskettes to: NRAU-Baltic Contest, LRMD, PO Box 1000,
LT-01014 Vilnius, Lithuania. Find rules at:
http://www.sk3bg.se/contest/nrau.htm 

January 31 - NRAU-Baltic Contest, SSB, email logs to: nrau@lrmd.lt,
paper logs and diskettes to: NRAU-Baltic Contest, LRMD, PO Box 1000,
LT-01014 Vilnius, Lithuania. Find rules at:
http://www.sk3bg.se/contest/nrau.htm 

February 1 - International Naval Contest, email logs to:
sparks_223@yahoo.co.uk, paper logs and diskettes to: Cosmo Di Nitto,
IK0JFS, Via Bachelet 7/C, Gaeta (LT), Italy. Find rules at:
http://www.marinefunker.de/eng/show.php3?pos=18 

February 1 - Feld Hell Sprint, email logs to: (none), post log
summary at: http://www.wa6l.com/contests/autolog.html, paper logs and
diskettes to: John Graf, WA6L, 23085 Old Ranch Rd, Alpine, CA 91901,
USA. Find rules at:
http://feldhellclub.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61&Itemid=71


February 2 - North American QSO Party, SSB, email logs to: (see
rules, web upload preferred), upload log at:
http://www.ncjweb.com/naqplogsubmit.php, paper logs and diskettes to:
Bruce Horn, WA7BNM, 4225 Farmdale Avenue, Studio City, CA 91604, USA.
Find rules at: http://www.ncjweb.com/naqprules.php 

February 5 - ARRL RTTY Roundup, email logs to: RTTYRU@arrl.org, paper
logs and diskettes to: RTTY Roundup, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT
06111, USA. Find rules at:
http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2008/rtty.html 

February 5 - Kid's Day Contest, email logs to: (none), paper logs and
diskettes to: (see rules). Find rules at:
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/kd-rules.html 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS & SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

The Contester's Rate Sheet wishes to acknowledge information from the
following sources:
WA7BNM's Contest Calendar Web page -
<http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal>
SM3CER's Web site - <http://www.sk3bg.se/contest>

ARRL members may subscribe at no cost by editing their Member Data
Page as described at <http://www.arrl.org/contests/rate-sheet>.

Copyright 2008 American Radio Relay League, Inc.  
All Rights Reserved

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