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Contest Update Issues

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The ARRL Contest Update
September 30, 2020
Editor: Paul Bourque, N1SFE
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IN THIS ISSUE
NEW HF OPERATORS -- THINGS TO DO

Bruce Horn, CQ Contest Hall of Famer and the mover and shaker behind ContestCalendar.com, suggests the FISTS Slow Speed Sprint for those interested in a "truly low-speed CW contest." The next one is being held 1700Z-2100Z, Oct 3. Participants are asked to not exceed 13 WPM.

October 5 is the next K1USN Slow Speed Test (SST). This is a weekly CW contest at a "leisurely" pace, perfect for new CW operators or contesters. In the US, the contest time is 8-9 PM EDT Sunday evening.

If you enjoy contests where grid squares are the exchange, and want to try a digital mode that can be faster than FTx, give the Makrothen RTTY Contest a try on October 10 or 11. There are three 8-hour contest periods, you can enter them all if you like. If you're already set up for an FTx mode, you can install MMTTY or another AFSK RTTY program and get on the air.

Over the next two weeks the California, Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota state QSO parties will be held. The Nevada QSO Party rules even specify how one might use FT4/FT8 to make valid QSOs for their event.

CONTEST SUMMARY

Complete information for all contests follows the Conversation section

1 Oct - 14 Oct 2020

October 1

October 2

October 3

October 4

October 5

October 6

October 7

October 8

October 9

October 10

October 11

October 12

October 13

October 14

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NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST

The California QSO Party has some changes for 2020. See the complete rules for more information, but importantly, all multi-operator stations (multi-single and multi-multi) must register before the contest. Logs from multi stations that have NOT preregistered will be considered check logs. This year will be the 55th running of the CQP, and takes place 1600 UTC October 3, 2020 to 2200 UTC October 4, 2020. Awards for category winners include 40 bottles of wine, 55 plaques, certificates, and T-shirts.

The Oceania DX CW and SSB Contests are coming up in the next 2 weeks. Note that the contest start and end times are TWO HOURS EARLIER than previous years:

  • Phone: 06:00 UTC Saturday 3 October to 06:00 UTC Sunday 4 October 2020
  • CW: 06:00 UTC Saturday 10 October to 06:00 UTC Sunday 11 October 2020

The new Portable Operations Challenge is October 3 and 4, 2020. The operator may choose any 8-hour contiguous period during the 48 hours of the event to operate. Contest scores are based on a kilometers-per-watt metric, and operation is to take place on 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters. While non-portable stations can compete, the contest rules are biased towards portable operating. See the rules for the score calculation, exchange, restrictions, and the special rule requiring a "Data security and handling conditions text statement" to be submitted with each log entry. NCJ is a sponsor, however this is not an official ARRL or NCJ contest.

Tim, K9WX, writes: "SMC Holds First-Ever Virtual SMC Fest! SMC Fest has always been the premier in-person event for the Society of Midwest Contesters (SMC) with typically about 100 attending on site. The COVID-19 pandemic made that approach a non-starter for 2020.

So, like many other ham radio clubs, SMC held the 2020 SMC Fest in a virtual format. And while everyone missed the opportunity for face to face interaction with old friends, everyone also agreed that the August 22, 2020 SMC Fest was a hit despite the change in format.

"We've always had a great lineup of presenters and that tradition continued for 2020" noted SMC president Anthony Willard, AB9YC. "But this year, the presenters had to adapt their information to the online format and we had to manage the logistics of doing Q&A online, along with having a slate of moderators who kept everything running smoothly. One upside: the new format made it possible to do things we could not have done in person. Cedrick Johnson, WT2P, gave a live demonstration on measuring stubs and filters using a VNA. He could do that in our webinar format while sitting at home in his shack but, logistically, there is just no way he could have easily done that from a hotel conference room."

You can see a list of presentations on the SMC Fest web page and videos of each presentation can also be viewed on the SMC YouTube channel.

For 2020, the virtual SMC Fest had 178 registrations and 131 unique attendees along with 11 presenters and moderators. Additionally, in previous years, registration was limited to members only, but the virtual nature of the 2020 event allowed non-members to be accommodated. And perhaps the icing on the cake: SMC gained quite a few new members, making SMC Fest its most effective recruiting effort in quite some time.

Joe, K7JOE, found the website QSOMap.org to be a "very helpful tool for antenna directional performance mapping." Joe notes that "Using the RBN, it is a helpful visual tool to see where your signal is propagating, the skip zone that you are hitting (or missing) and band vs band comparisons." Joe uses it for A/B antenna testing, and he finds it insightful to upload ADIF files of his contacts.

N1MM Logger+ users that also use WSJT-X for FTx contesting: According to Al, AB2ZY, From this week's release onward, N1MM Logger+ will require WSJT-X version 2.2 or later. Additionally, when WSJT-X is started from within N1MM Logger+, it will be configured to use the language settings configured in N1MM Logger+.

WSJT-X is getting a new mode in the just-published release candidate version 2.3.0: FST-4. This mode is intended as a replacement for JT9 and WSPR. Based on a 4-GFSK modulation scheme, FST4 has some "knobs" that can be turned: selectable transmission length and different sub-mode tone spacings. Designations of the particular mode and settings for communicating with potential QSO partners will be in the form of FST4{W}-{Transmission Length}{Submode} - Examples: FST4W-120A, -300A, -900A, -1800A for WSPR-like modes, or FST4-15A, FST4-30B, FST4-30C, FST4-30D for 15 second A, 30 second B, C, and D modes. WSJT-X version 2.3.0rc1 is available for download now from the WSJT-X webpage. Mac users of WSJT-X version 2.3.0rc1: You will receive an error message at startup unless you change your system configuration for shared memory. See this article for more information and the changes that are necessary.

WORD TO THE WISE

Gimmick Capacitor

A capacitor made by twisting two strands of insulated wire together. Capacitance is on the order of 2-3pF per inch for normal hookup wire. Variations include the use of Formvar-insulated wire or coaxial cable for higher voltage applications. Here's a Hackaday article with more information, and links to calculators for different wire types.

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS

Dink, N7WA, suggested this YouTube video by contester Randy, K5ZD: "Tips for Being A Better Single Op Contester." According to Randy's description: "This was the last presentation of the (virtual Ham Expo arranged by 4Z1UG) on Sunday afternoon and yet there were over 125 people who joined the Q&A afterwards. My sense from the Q&A (unfortunately not part of the YouTube recording) is that there is a wide-ranging thirst for information about operating among hams today. Hope you find the presentation interesting and educational. Please share it with your club and hams interested in contesting."

Dennis, N6KI, writes: "Any new battery technology will ultimately affect portable contesting use. Here's a video speculating on what's coming from Tesla's new cell design."

In RTTY or CW contests where a footswitch isn't necessary, using one of these can make a weekend less sedentary. It's a pedal exerciser that can fit under your operating position.

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RESULTS AND RECORDS

Ward, N0AX, writes:

The North American Sprint CW preliminary scores have been posted on ncjweb.com. This latest running represents a marked increase in participation versus a year ago. Results will be published in an upcoming issue NCJ. Also, please note this announcement in the preliminary results:

The 2021 February CW Sprint and March RTTY Sprint will start ONE HOUR EARLIER at 2300 UTC. September times are UNCHANGED. This will start the contest before 20 meters is closed on the East Coast. The contest duration will still be 4 hours --ending at 0259 UTC instead of the usual 0359 UTC. This is a temporary change to see if band activity is more balanced with an earlier start time and evaluate whether to keep that starting time after the contests.

Reiterating...next September's Sprint start times will still be 0000 UTC. The change will give the eastern half of the US more time on 20 meters during the late winter with low solar flux and should increase everyone's QSO totals with more time there.

A big thank-you and welcome to new Sprinters from CWOps and NAQP CW participants. We are very glad to see some new calls and know you will want to put the CW Sprint on your calendars for February!

OPERATING TIP

Your Exchange Should Be Correct and Not Be Unique

It's time for an operating tip repeat: If you're in a contest and you want to work others in that contest, your exchange should be in the same format as the other people you are working. For example, if the contest exchange is RST, CQ zone, and state, it's most common to send "599 03 WA" as an exchange. Sure, you could send "599 03 Washington" or "5NN 03 Washington" (in 5-bit Baudot, 5NN takes slightly longer to send than 599) but most logging programs are expecting a two-character abbreviation for state. If you're getting asked for frequent repeats by different stations, it may be a sign that your exchange has something unconventional in it.

TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION

Steve, K6OIK, writes: "Here is a great IEEE video on antennas by Yaha Rahmat-Samii, Professor of Electrical Engineering at UCLA. It's equal parts history and tutorial. This was presented at IEEE International Microwave Symposium, June 2013. I was a speaker and organized the focus session on Non-Foster Circuits for this symposium and so was able to attend this lecture live. I just discovered the video recording is public."

The goal of the "Radio Resilience Competition" is to "find the most interference-resistant, highest-performance waveforms possible." The event was announced during GNU Radio Con 2020, and encourages entrants to use GNU Radio as the testbed. No actual hardware is needed, nor is it necessary to transmit anything over the air - the competition takes place using an RF simulator. It's unclear from the website how the vagaries of propagation will factor into the competition if at all.

There was a historically interesting discussion of push-pull vs. single-ended linear amplifiers on the Amplifiers email reflector last month. The discussion started with Tom, W7WHY, asking why push-pull amplifier designs prominently featured in QST during the late 1940s and early 1950s gave way to the later non-push-pull designs. Victor, 4X6GP, opined that it "happened after WWII, when surplus coax became available. Shielded, single-ended circuits with pi-networks running into coax-fed antennas became the hot setup" and furthermore that bandswitching balanced output networks was problematic. Karl-Arne, SM0ARM, noted that "at higher frequencies... it becomes easier to get the proper L/C ratio as the circuit tuning and stray capacitances essentially are in series."

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CONVERSATION

Remote Hands Make Light Work

I subscribe to a variety of amateur-radio-related email lists devoted to things like particular transceiver models, logging programs, contest clubs, keyers, RTTY decoders, FTx software... and so on. Traffic on many of the lists has increased over the last few months as people have had time to devote to this hobby.

None of the lists are solely devoted to troubleshooting problems at the computer-radio gear boundaries, but on occasion my inbox will fill up overnight as one person posts a problem, and one or more people enter a multi-round dialog to solve the problem. Watching a problem be presented in email, seeing additional information about it being teased out by the community, coming to an eventual resolution - it has the feel of a TV crime or medical drama where we're all trying to solve the case along with the actors.

Often times the pathway to a solution reveals more information on the inner workings of the components involved, which helps educate the mailing list readership. Sometimes the methods that used to troubleshoot can be applied to other situations, again, helping the entire community.

But on occasion one person's very particular problem might be more easily solved if a knowledgeable helper could just sit down next to the person and go over the problem, collect the necessary information, and provide suggestions on how to proceed. Rather than troubleshooting these kinds of problems using the back and forth of email messages, it might be better handled through... additional tools.

One appropriate group of tools that we've all become more familiar with lately includes Zoom, Join.me, Microsoft Teams, Skype, and a number of others - meeting and video conferencing tools. Most, if not all of these have the "feature" that enables screen sharing by the meeting participants. The person that is experiencing the problem can share their screen with others in real-time, and the troubleshooting can happen in real-time. Using these lightweight, mostly non-invasive, and sometimes free conferencing tools for this purpose can shorten the time required to gather relevant information and apply appropriate remedies. Other related tools that might be useful include TeamViewer or NoMachine for when closer control of the target system is necessary.

Beyond troubleshooting, conference tools can be used for contest station building activities. For example, the Pacific Northwest VHF Society has a group that meets on weekends via video conferencing to build and troubleshoot microwave gear. Another: as Tim, K9WX, pointed out in this issue, the virtual SMC Fest's use of these tools allowed Cedrick, WT2P, to interactively demonstrate the measurement of filters and stubs to the Fest's audience.

One other feature to consider: Many of these tools also have the ability to record the session for later sharing. Perhaps that recording will be able to help someone else troubleshoot a similar problem in the future. Just don't forget to post a link to that video with a description to the email reflector.

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

73, Brian N9ADG

CONTESTS

1 Oct - 14 Oct 2020

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 Mini-CWT Test, Oct 1, 0300z to Oct 1, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; Member: Name + Member No., non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: October 3.

NRAU 10m Activity Contest, Oct 1, 1700z to Oct 1, 1800z (cw) and, Oct 1, 1800z to Oct 1, 1900z (ssb) and, Oct 1, 1900z to Oct 1, 2000z (fm) and, Oct 1, 2000z to Oct 1, 2100z (dig); CW, SSB, FM, Digital; Bands: 10m Only; RS(T) + 6-character grid square; Logs due: October 15.

RTTYOPS Weeksprint, Oct 1, 1700z to Oct 1, 1900z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20m; [other station's call] + [your call] + [serial no.] + [your name]; Logs due: October 6.

SARL 80m QSO Party, Oct 1, 1700z to Oct 1, 2000z; SSB; Bands: 80m Only; RS + Serial No. + Grid Locator or QTH; Logs due: October 8.

SKCC Sprint Europe, Oct 1, 1900z to Oct 1, 2100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6m; RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (SKCC No./power); Logs due: October 8.

NCCC RTTY Sprint, Oct 2, 0145z to Oct 2, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: October 4.

NCCC Sprint, Oct 2, 0230z to Oct 2, 0300z; CW; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: October 4.

Portable Operations Challenge, Oct 3, 0000z to Oct 4, 2359z; CW, Phone, Digital; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; Station class (P/Q) + Serial No. + 4-character grid square; Logs due: October 11.

TRC DX Contest, Oct 3, 0600z to Oct 4, 1800z; CW, SSB; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; TRC Members: RST + Serial No. + "TRC", non-TRC Members: RST + Serial No.; Logs due: October 11.

Oceania DX Contest, Phone, Oct 3, 0600z to Oct 4, 0600z; Phone; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RS + Serial No.; Logs due: October 31.

German Telegraphy Contest, Oct 3, 0700z to Oct 3, 1000z; CW; Bands: 80, 40m; DL: RST + LDK, non-DL: RST; Logs due: October 17.

Russian WW Digital Contest, Oct 3, 1200z to Oct 4, 1159z; BPSK63, RTTY; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; UA: RST(Q) + 2-character oblast code, non-UA: RST(Q) + QSO No.; Logs due: October 9.

YLRL DX/NA YL Anniversary Contest, Oct 3, 1400z to Oct 4, 0200z; CW/Digital, SSB, Separate logs for each mode; Bands: All, except WARC; Serial No. + RS(T) + (ARRL Section/province/country); Logs due: November 3.

RTTYOPS Weekend Sprint, Oct 3, 1600z to Oct 3, 1959z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; [other station's call] + [your call] + [serial no.] + [your name] + [6-character grid locator]; Logs due: October 10.

California QSO Party, Oct 3, 1600z to Oct 4, 2200z; CW, Phone; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; CA: Serial No. + County, non-CA: Serial No. + (state/VE area/DX); Logs due: October 19.

International HELL-Contest, Oct 3, 1600z to Oct 3, 1800z (80m) and, Oct 4, 0900z to Oct 4, 1100z (40m); Hell; Bands: 80, 40m; RST + QSO No.; Logs due: October 18.

FISTS Fall Slow Speed Sprint, Oct 3, 1700z to Oct 3, 2100z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; Maximum 13 wpm, FISTS: RST + (state/province/country) + first name + FISTS No., non-FISTS: RST + (state/province/country) + first name + power; Logs due: October 17.

SKCC QSO Party, Oct 3, 1800z to Oct 4, 1800z; CW; Bands: All, except WARC; RST + (state/province/country) + Name + 4-Character Grid Square; Logs due: October 11.

RSGB DX Contest, Oct 4, 0500z to Oct 4, 2300z; CW, SSB; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RS(T) + Serial No.; Logs due: October 9.

UBA ON Contest, SSB, Oct 4, 0600z to Oct 4, 0900z; SSB; Bands: 80m Only; ON: RS + Serial No. + ON Section, non-ON: RS + Serial No.; Logs due: October 18.

Peanut Power QRP Sprint, Oct 4, 2200z to Oct 4, 2359z; CW, SSB; Bands: 40, 20, 15m; RS(T) + (state/province/country) + (peanut no./power output); Logs due: October 21.

K1USN Slow Speed Test, Oct 5, 0000z to Oct 5, 0100z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20m; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: October 7.

RSGB 80m Autumn Series, CW, Oct 5, 1900z to Oct 5, 2030z; CW; Bands: 80m Only; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: October 8.

Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest, Oct 6, 0100z to Oct 6, 0159z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6m; RS + age group (OM, YL, Youth YL or Youth); Logs due: September 30.

ARS Spartan Sprint, Oct 6, 0100z to Oct 6, 0300z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RST + (state/province/country) + Power; Logs due: October 8.

RTTYOPS Weeksprint, Oct 6, 1700z to Oct 6, 1900z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20m; [other station's call] + [your call] + [serial no.] + [your name]; Logs due: October 6.

Phone Fray, Oct 7, 0230z to Oct 7, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15m; NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: October 9.

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

VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest, Oct 7, 1700z to Oct 7, 2000z; FT8; Bands: (see rules) ; 4-character grid square; Logs due: October 12.

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

UKEICC 80m Contest, Oct 7, 2000z to Oct 7, 2100z; ; Bands: 80m Only; 6-Character grid square; Logs due: September 30.

CWops Mini-CWT Test, Oct 8, 0300z to Oct 8, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; Member: Name + Member No., non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: October 10.

RTTYOPS Weeksprint, Oct 8, 1700z to Oct 8, 1900z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20m; [other station's call] + [your call] + [serial no.] + [your name]; Logs due: October 13.

NCCC RTTY Sprint, Oct 9, 0145z to Oct 9, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: October 11.

NCCC Sprint, Oct 9, 0230z to Oct 9, 0300z; CW; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: October 11.

QRP ARCI Fall QSO Party, Oct 10, 0000z to Oct 10, 2359z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; ARCI: RST + (state/province/country) + ARCI No., non-ARCI: RST + (state/province/country) + power out; Logs due: October 26.

Makrothen RTTY Contest, Oct 10, 0000z to Oct 10, 0800z and, Oct 10, 1600z to Oct 11, 0000z and, Oct 11, 0800z to Oct 11, 1600z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; 4-character grid square; Logs due: October 21.

10-10 Int. 10-10 Day Sprint, Oct 10, 0001z to Oct 10, 2359z; All; Bands: 10m Only; 10-10 Member: Name + 10-10 number + (state/province/country), Non-Member: Name + 0 + (state/province/country); Logs due: October 19.

Nevada QSO Party, Oct 10, 0300z to Oct 11, 2100z; CW, SSB, Digital (including FT8); Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, VHF/UHF; NV: RS(T) + "NV" + county, non-NV: RS(T) + (state/province/"DX"); Logs due: November 1.

Oceania DX Contest, CW, Oct 10, 0600z to Oct 11, 0600z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: October 31.

Scandinavian Activity Contest, SSB, Oct 10, 1200z to Oct 11, 1200z; SSB; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: October 16.

SKCC Weekend Sprintathon, Oct 10, 1200z to Oct 12, 0000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6m; RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (SKCC No./"NONE"); Logs due: October 18.

Arizona QSO Party, Oct 10, 1500z to Oct 11, 0500z; CW, Phone, Digital; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, 2m; AZ: RS(T) + county, non-AZ: RS(T) + (state/province/country); Logs due: October 21.

Pennsylvania QSO Party, Oct 10, 1600z to Oct 11, 0500z and, Oct 11, 1300z to Oct 11, 2200z; CW, Phone; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, VHF/UHF; PA: Serial No. + County, non-PA: Serial No. + ARRL/RAC Section; Logs due: October 18.

FISTS Fall Unlimited Sprint, Oct 10, 1700z to Oct 10, 2100z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; FISTS: RST + (state/province/country) + first name + FISTS No., non-FISTS: RST + (state/province/country) + first name + power; Logs due: October 24.

South Dakota QSO Party, Oct 10, 1800z to Oct 11, 1800z; CW, Phone, Digital; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, 2m; SD: RS(T) + county, non-SD: RS(T) + (state/province/country); Logs due: October 31.

PODXS 070 Club 160m Great Pumpkin Sprint, Oct 10, 2000z to Oct 11, 2000z; PSK31; Bands: 160m Only; RST + (state/province/country); Logs due: October 18.

UBA ON Contest, CW, Oct 11, 0530z to Oct 11, 0800z; CW; Bands: 80m Only; ON: RST + Serial No. + ON Section, non-ON: RST + Serial No.; Logs due: October 25.

K1USN Slow Speed Test, Oct 12, 0000z to Oct 12, 0100z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20m; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: October 14.

4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint, Oct 12, 0000z to Oct 12, 0200z; CW, SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; Member: RS(T) + (State/Province/Country) + Member No., Non-member: RS(T) + (State/Province/Country) + Power; Logs due: October 14.

Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest, Oct 13, 0100z to Oct 13, 0159z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6m; RS + age group (OM, YL, Youth YL or Youth); Logs due: September 30.

RTTYOPS Weeksprint, Oct 13, 1700z to Oct 13, 1900z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20m; [other station's call] + [your call] + [serial no.] + [your name]; Logs due: October 13.

NAQCC CW Sprint, Oct 14, 0030z to Oct 14, 0230z; CW; Bands: (see rules); RST + (state/province/country) + (NAQCC No./power); Logs due: October 18.

Phone Fray, Oct 14, 0230z to Oct 14, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15m; NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: October 16.

CWops Mini-CWT Test, Oct 14, 1300z to Oct 14, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; Member: Name + Member No., non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: October 17.

RSGB 80m Autumn Series, Data, Oct 14, 1900z to Oct 14, 2030z; RTTY, PSK; Bands: 80m Only; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: October 17.

AGCW Semi-Automatic Key Evening, Oct 14, 1900z to Oct 14, 2030z; CW; Bands: 80m Only; RST + Serial No. + "/" + 2-digit year first used a bug; Logs due: November 1.

CWops Mini-CWT Test, Oct 14, 1900z to Oct 14, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; Member: Name + Member No., non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: October 17.

VHF+ CONTESTS


IARU Region 1 UHF/Microwaves Contest, Oct 3, 1400z to Oct 4, 1400z; All; Bands: 435 MHz, 1.3 GHz, 2.4 GHz, 3.4 GHz, 5.7 GHz, 10 GHz, Millimetre; RS(T) + QSO No. + 6-character grid square; Logs due: October 12.

432 MHz Fall Sprint, Oct 7, 1900z to Oct 7, 2300z; not specified; Bands: 432 MHz; 4-character grid square; Logs due: October 21.

ARRL EME Contest, Oct 10, 0000z to Oct 11, 2359z; CW, Phone, Digital; Bands: 50 MHz and up; Signal report; Logs due: December 29.

Microwave Fall Sprint, Oct 10, 0800z to Oct 10, 1400z; not specified; Bands: 902 MHz and above; 6-character grid square; Logs due: October 24.

Cosack's Honor VHF/UHF Contest, Oct 10, 1600z to Oct 11, 0400z; CW, SSB, FM, Digital; Bands: 2, 70 cm; RS(T) + QSO No. + 6-character grid square + "/" + (territory ID or participant ID); Logs due: October 25.

UBA ON Contest, 6m, Oct 11, 0800z to Oct 11, 1000z; CW, Phone; Bands: 6m Only; ON: RS(T) + Serial No. + ON Section, non-ON: RS(T) + Serial No.; Logs due: October 25.

VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest, Oct 14, 1700z to Oct 14, 2000z; FT8; Bands: (see rules); 4-character grid square; Logs due: October 19.

Also, see Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest, South Dakota QSO Party, Arizona QSO Party, SKCC Weekend Sprintathon, Nevada QSO Party, SKCC Sprint Europe, Pennsylvania QSO Party, above.

LOG DUE DATES

1 Oct - 14 Oct 2020

October 1, 2020

October 2, 2020

October 3, 2020

October 4, 2020

October 5, 2020

October 6, 2020

October 7, 2020

October 8, 2020

October 9, 2020

October 10, 2020

October 11, 2020

October 12, 2020

October 13, 2020

October 14, 2020

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ARRL Contest Update wishes to acknowledge information from WA7BNM's Contest Calendar and SM3CER's Contest Calendar.

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