Lots of stuff is cooking in the realm of ARRL Sweepstakes.
First off, the 2007 Sweepstakes plaques are being shipped. We received about 2/3 of the order last week, and those plaques were shipped out and are starting to show up in people's mailboxes. We still have about 1/3 of the plaques to send out, and will do so once we receive them from our supplier. A big thanks to Icom America for being the principal sponsor of the ARRL November Sweepstakes and helping defray the costs of the unsponsored plaques and the certificates. They've been on board since 2005 and their efforts make a big difference.
Second, I need to issue a correction. The special mugs for this year are actually not lead crystal, but are a mighty fine etched glass mug... chalk it up to the fact that I'm just a single guy who hasn't yet developed a knack for identifying the finer dining accoutrements of life. The etched Clean Sweep mugs will still be a once-in-a-lifetime trophy for your shelf, and will be $16.
The Sweepstakes pins will be available again this year (as always) for submitting a log with 100 QSOs in either the CW or Phone Sweepstakes. Magnets will be given away for free to any station that submits a log with 75 sections worked in either the Phone or CW Sweepstakes. Lastly, "Clean Sweep" whisk brooms will be given away for free to any station that works all 80 sections this year. All 80 sections must be worked in the same event; you cannot combine your sections totals from CW and Phone to qualify for any awards.
Finally, I want to encourage all operators in rare sections to get on the air this year as much as you can. Nebraska (NE), North Dakota (ND), Northern New York (NNY), South Dakota (SD) and Wyoming (WY) are the traditional "tough ones" in the US. In Canada, Alberta (AB), the Maritimes (MAR), Manitoba (MB), Newfoundland/Labrador (NL), Northern Territories (NT), Quebec (QC), and Saskatchewan (SK) find their way into logs all too infrequently. If you live in one of these sections, you would be very popular if you were to get on the air. If you're sick of hanging around and you want to travel, consider an expedition to one of these sections. Post your intentions to the CQ-Contest reflector and help spread the word that these sections need activation!
Let's make the 75th ARRL November Sweepstakes one to remember for a long time to come. Get on the air and have some fun!
