 March 15, 2023 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 25 through 2359 UTC Sunday, March 26. Participants may operate on the 1.8, 3.5, 7, 14, 21, and 28 MHz bands. The exchange is signal report and a sequential contact serial number starting with 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/. Virginia State QSO Party The Virginia QSO Party (VAQP) begins at 1400 UTC on Saturday, March 18, and runs through 2359 UTC on Sunday, March 19. See the website for rules and other contest details. Participants are reminded that the VAQP is part of the 2023 State QSO Party Challenge. For more details about the challenge, visit http://stateqsoparty.com/.
The year-long ARRL Volunteers on the Air event continues, recognizing the support and contributions of ARRL volunteers. Get on the air and make contacts with as many ARRL volunteers or members as possible. There will be week-long activations of portable W1AW/# stations in all 50 states, and in several US possessions/territories. For a schedule of W1AW/# portable operations, see the W1AW Portable Activations Schedule. Be sure to upload your logs to LoTW and check your score online. Check out the full details at http://vota.arrl.org. Bulletins Rules Changes Announced for 2023 ARRL Field Day
In addition, changes have been made to the Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) section list. The Maritime (MAR) Section has been eliminated, making New Brunswick (NB) and Nova Scotia (NS) individual sections. The Greater Toronto Area section has been renamed Golden Horseshoe (GS) and Northern Territories has been renamed Territories (TER). Participants should make sure their logging software has been updated to reflect these changes. For a complete list of ARRL/RAC Sections, see https://contests.arrl.org/contestmultipliers.php?a=wve. ARRL Field Day will be held on June 24 - 25, 2023. For more information and complete rules, visit https://www.arrl.org/field-day. Contest Summary See the "Contests" section below for complete contest information. March 16 March 17 March 18
March 19 March 20 March 21 March 22 March 23 March 24 March 25 March 26 March 27 March 28 March 29 News, Press Releases, and Special Interest Pete Smith, N4ZR, has announced that the TZ4AM Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) node in Bamako, Mali, is up and running. The new node, along with ET3AA in Ethiopia are currently the only nodes active in Equatorial Africa. Pete extends his thanks to Jeff Dorsey, TZ4AM, for hosting the new node. Sights and Sounds On March 1, a group of five hams met at in Addison, Vermont, with the goal of attempting to make successful contacts on the 134, 241, 322, and 403 GHz bands along a 1.12-kilometer path. Mike Seguin, N1JEZ, provides details and photos in an article for the North East Weak Signal Group newsletter. You can read the full article here. - Thanks to Mike Seguin, N1JEZ The Guisborough and District Amateur Radio Club, MX0NYM, operated the ARRL International DX Contest - SSB from a former nuclear missile bunker in North York Moors. The group shared a YouTube video of their operation that can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1JApbehEgs. Results and Records The preliminary results of the February 2023 North American QSO Party - RTTY are now available on the National Contest Journal website -www.ncjweb.com/current-naqp-rtty-results/. Please report any problems to NAQP RTTY Contest Manager Mark Aaker, K6UFO, at rttynaqpmgr@ncjweb.com. - Thanks to Mark Aaker, K6UFO The final results article for the February North American CW Sprint is now available at https://ncjweb.com and includes updated records. A summarized version will also be printed in the May/June issue of the National Contest Journal. The event organizers would like to thank to Jim George, N3BB, for his contributions to the final results. This wasJim's last Sprint results article, and his efforts are greatly appreciated. - Thanks to NA CW Sprint Manager, Ward Silver, N0AX Mark Endorf, WA0MHJ, has announced that the results of the 2023 Minnesota QSO Party are now available at https://www.w0aa.org/results/. Technical Topics and Discussion An article written by software engineer Robert Heaton describes how forensic scientists can use the hum generated by the local electric grid to successfully date an audio recording. The technique, called Electrical Network Frequency (ENF) Matching, exploits patterns in the frequency of the "mains hum," which is the faint background noise emitted by an electrical grid as it pipes electricity around in order to power our homes and workplaces. Read the full article, "How to date a recording using background electrical noise" at https://robertheaton.com/enf/. - Thanks to Brian Moran, N9ADG Conversation With the CQ World Wide WPX SSB Contest next 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). In 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 working 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 16, 2023 - March 29,2023 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, Mar 16, 0000z to Mar 17, 0300z; CW; Bands: 20; Maximum 13 wpm, RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (Member No./power); Logs due: Mar 23. NAQCC CW Sprint, Mar 16, 0030z to Mar 16, 0230z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20; RST + (state/province/country) + (NAQCC No./power); Logs due: Mar 19. CWops Test (CWT), Mar 16, 0300z to Mar 16, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 18. CWops Test (CWT), Mar 16, 0700z to Mar 16, 0800z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 18. BCC QSO Party, Mar 16, 1900z to Mar 16, 2059z; CW, SSB, RTTY; Bands: 80; RS(T) + T-shirt size (see rules); Logs due: Mar 16. NTC QSO Party, Mar 16, 1900z to Mar 16, 2000z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20; NTC Member: RST + Member No., non-Member: RST + "NM", Less than 25 wpm; Logs due: Mar 19. QRP Fox Hunt, Mar 17, 0100z to Mar 17, 0230z; CW; Bands: 20; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: Mar 18. NCCC RTTY Sprint, Mar 17, 0145z to Mar 17, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: Mar 19. NCCC Sprint, Mar 17, 0230z to Mar 17, 0300z; CW; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: Mar 19. K1USN Slow Speed Test, Mar 17, 2000z to Mar 17, 2100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 19. Maidenhead Mayhem Sprint, Mar 18, 0000z to Mar 19, 2359z; CW, SSB, Digital; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; 2-character grid field; Logs due: Mar 31. BARTG HF RTTY Contest, Mar 18, 0200z to Mar 20, 0159z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + Serial No. + 4-digit time (UTC); Logs due: Mar 27. Russian DX Contest, Mar 18, 1200z to Mar 19, 1200z; CW, SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Ru: RS(T) + 2-character oblast, non-Ru: RS(T) + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 2. F9AA Cup, SSB, Mar 18, 1200z to Mar 19, 1200z; SSB; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 2; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 18. All Africa International DX Contest, Mar 18, 1200z to Mar 19, 1200z; CW, SSB, RTTY; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RS(T) + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 3. Virginia QSO Party, Mar 18, 1400z to Mar 19, 2359z; CW, Phone, Digital; Bands: All, except WARC; VA: Serial No. + county, non-VA: Serial No. + (state/province/"DX"); Logs due: Apr 15. Feld Hell Sprint, Mar 18, 2000z to Mar 18, 2159z; Feld Hell; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; (see rules); Logs due: Mar 22. UBA Spring Contest, SSB, Mar 19, 0700z to Mar 19, 1100z; SSB; Bands: 80; ON: RS + Serial No. + UBA Section, non-ON: RS + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 2. Classic Exchange, Phone, Mar 19, 1400z to Mar 22, 0800z; AM, SSB, FM; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, 2; Name + RS + (state/province/country) + rcvr/xmtr manuf/model; Logs due: Apr 30. Run for the Bacon QRP Contest, Mar 19, 2300z to Mar 20, 0100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + (state/province/country) + (Member No./power); Logs due: Mar 26. K1USN Slow Speed Test, Mar 20, 0000z to Mar 20, 0100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 22. ICWC Medium Speed Test, Mar 20, 1300z to Mar 20, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Mar 23. OK1WC Memorial (MWC), Mar 20, 1630z to Mar 20, 1729z; CW; Bands: 80, 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Mar 24. Bucharest Digital Contest, Mar 20, 1800z to Mar 20, 2059z; FT4; Bands: 80, 40; RST + QSO No.; Logs due: Mar 27. ICWC Medium Speed Test, Mar 20, 1900z to Mar 20, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Mar 23. Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest, Mar 21, 0100z to Mar 21, 0159z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RS + age group (OM, YL, Youth YL or Youth); Logs due: Mar 22. ICWC Medium Speed Test, Mar 21, 0300z to Mar 21, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Mar 23. SKCC Sprint, Mar 22, 0000z to Mar 22, 0200z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (SKCC No./"NONE"); Logs due: Mar 26. QRP Fox Hunt, Mar 22, 0100z to Mar 22, 0230z; CW; Bands: 20; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: Mar 23. Phone Weekly Test, Mar 22, 0230z to Mar 22, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15; NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: Mar 24. A1Club AWT, Mar 22, 1200z to Mar 22, 1300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: RST + Name; Logs due: Mar 27. CWops Test (CWT), Mar 22, 1300z to Mar 22, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 25. Mini-Test 40, Mar 22, 1700z to Mar 22, 1759z; CW; Bands: 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Mar 24. Mini-Test 80, Mar 22, 1800z to Mar 22, 1859z; CW; Bands: 80; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Mar 24. CWops Test (CWT), Mar 22, 1900z to Mar 22, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 25. CWops Test (CWT), Mar 23, 0300z to Mar 23, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 25. CWops Test (CWT), Mar 23, 0700z to Mar 23, 0800z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 25. RSGB 80m Club Championship, SSB, Mar 23, 2000z to Mar 23, 2130z; SSB; Bands: 80; RS + Serial No.; Logs due: Mar 24. QRP Fox Hunt, Mar 24, 0100z to Mar 24, 0230z; CW; Bands: 20; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: Mar 25. NCCC RTTY Sprint, Mar 24, 0145z to Mar 24, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: Mar 26. NCCC Sprint, Mar 24, 0230z to Mar 24, 0300z; CW; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: Mar 26. K1USN Slow Speed Test, Mar 24, 2000z to Mar 24, 2100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 26. CQ WW WPX Contest, SSB, Mar 25, 0000z to Mar 26, 2359z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RS + Serial No.; Logs due: Mar 31. FOC QSO Party, Mar 25, 0000z to Mar 25, 2359z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, VHF; FOC-Member: RST + Name + Member No., non-Members: RST + Name; Logs due: Apr 1. K1USN Slow Speed Test, Mar 27, 0000z to Mar 27, 0100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Mar 29. QCX Challenge, Mar 27, 1300z to Mar 27, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + Name + (state/province/country) + Rig; Logs due: Apr 2. ICWC Medium Speed Test, Mar 27, 1300z to Mar 27, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Mar 30. OK1WC Memorial (MWC), Mar 27, 1630z to Mar 27, 1729z; CW; Bands: 80, 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Mar 31. QCX Challenge, Mar 27, 1900z to Mar 27, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + Name + (state/province/country) + Rig; Logs due: Apr 2. ICWC Medium Speed Test, Mar 27, 1900z to Mar 27, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Mar 30. RSGB FT4 Contest, Mar 27, 2000z to Mar 27, 2130z; FT4; Bands: 80, 40, 20; Signal report; Logs due: Mar 28. Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest, Mar 28, 0100z to Mar 28, 0159z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RS + age group (OM, YL, Youth YL or Youth); Logs due: Mar 29. QCX Challenge, Mar 28, 0300z to Mar 28, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + Name + (state/province/country) + Rig; Logs due: Apr 2. ICWC Medium Speed Test, Mar 28, 0300z to Mar 28, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Mar 30. QRP Fox Hunt, Mar 29, 0100z to Mar 29, 0230z; CW; Bands: 20; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: Mar 30. Phone Weekly Test, Mar 29, 0230z to Mar 29, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15; NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: Mar 31. A1Club AWT, Mar 29, 1200z to Mar 29, 1300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: RST + Name; Logs due: Apr 3. CWops Test (CWT), Mar 29, 1300z to Mar 29, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Apr 1. Mini-Test 40, Mar 29, 1700z to Mar 29, 1759z; CW; Bands: 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Mar 31. Mini-Test 80, Mar 29, 1800z to Mar 29, 1859z; CW; Bands: 80; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Mar 31. CWops Test (CWT), Mar 29, 1900z to Mar 29, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Apr 1. UKEICC 80m Contest, Mar 29, 2000z to Mar 29, 2100z; CW; Bands: 80; 6-Character grid square; Logs due: Mar 29. VHF+ CONTESTS SARL VHF/UHF Analogue Contest, Mar 18, 0300z to Mar 19, 0900z; SSB; Bands: 50 MHz, 70 MHz, 144 MHz, 432 MHz, 1296 MHz; RS(T) + 6-character grid locator; Logs due: Mar 26. AGCW VHF/UHF Contest, Mar 18, 1400z to Mar 18, 1800z; CW; Bands: 144 MHz, 432 MHz; RST + "/" + Serial No. + "/" Power class + "/" + 6-character grid locator; Logs due: Mar 26. UBA Spring Contest, 6m, Mar 26, 0600z to Mar 26, 1000z; CW, Phone; Bands: 6; ON: RS(T) + Serial No. + UBA Section, non-ON: RS(T) + Serial No.; Logs due: Apr 9. SEE ALSO: F9AA Cup, SSB, Classic Exchange, Phone, SKCC Sprint, FOC QSO Party, Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest Log Due Dates March 16
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March 28 March 29 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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A new 500 W peak envelope power (PEP) transmitter output category has been introduced for Class A, B, and C stations only. Changes to the Get on the Air (GOTA) station scoring have also been made this year. Contacts made from the GOTA station are worth 5 points, regardless of mode, with no limit to the number of contacts that can be made. Stations can earn a GOTA Coach bonus of 100 points for having a coach supervise at least 10 of the contacts made and logged at the GOTA station.
