Introduction: WRTC `96 will happen this coming July 10-15 in the
San Francisco Bay Area. This will be a major event in the
unfolding history of amateur radio. We expect that hundreds, if
not thousands, of people will be involved in WRTC in some
capacity. This Q & A has been developed to try to anticipate the
most likely questions people will have about the event. While
this document has been prepared specifically to assist the people
who will be traveling to the San Francisco area for the event,
others who will not be coming may find useful information here as
well. This is being distributed for informational purposes only.
Further information can be obtained from W6OAT, Publicity
Chairman for WRTC '96, at epps@netcom.com.
GENERAL:
Q: What is the calendar of events during this period?
A: Some of the events are still being planned and will depend
at least in part on the level of funding we receive.
Nevertheless, we do have a well-defined outline of events we
can present now that should be a useful guide:
Tuesday, July 9: Judges arrive in San Francisco area and
occupy their living quarters. On Tuesday evening there
will be a dinner for the judges together with the WRTC
organizing committee.
Wednesday, July 10: Competitors arrive during the day and
occupy their living quarters. An informal outdoor
welcoming party/Bar-B-Que beginning at about 6 p.m.
will give the competitors a chance to become acquainted
with each other and with the judges. This party will be
open to all who want to attend.
Thursday, July 11: In addition to socializing around the pool
at our headquarters hotel, there will be several organized
trips to acquaint our visitors with both radio and
nonradio highlights of the San Francisco Bay area. These
will include a bus tour of San Francisco itself, plus a
visit to Ham Radio Outlet, Force 12 Antenna Research and
Design Center and Factory and a computer superstore. In
the evening there will be a dinner in the East Bay open
to all.
Friday, July 12: The day will begin with a breakfast and
discussion period for competitors and judges. This
will be the opportunity for the competitors to ensure
they have a full understanding of the rules of the
event and to ask any questions of the judges. After
the breakfast, the competitors will be assigned to
their host stations and given the callsign they will
use for the contest. The competitors will then move to
their stations. The remainder of the day will be free
to the competitors to set up their equipment and test
their stations. Competitors may want to stay overnight
at the station, since the contest will begin at 5 a.m.
(local time) the next morning.
Saturday, July 13: WRTC Competition begins at 1200Z and
continues until 0600Z. Logs must be submitted within
10 minutes after the conclusion of the contest.
Sunday, July 14: Sunday will be a day of relaxation,
including a long, lazy lunch/afternoon social event to
unwind and swap contest stories. The official awards
banquet will be held Sunday evening at the Stanford
University Faculty Club in Palo Alto, where we have
room for 325 attendees.
Monday, July 15: The Redwood Empire DX Club is organizing a
day-long tour of Napa Valley wine country north of San
Francisco for competitors, judges, and their guests.
This will include a ferry ride across the Golden Gate,
visits to two wineries, and a gourmet outdoor lunch at
which local visitors will also be welcome. Participants
will be returned to our headquarters hotel no later than
7 p.m., and will be free to have dinner as they wish.
This will conclude the scheduled activities for WRTC 96.
Q: I'm a competitor [judge] and just can't take that much time
away from work. When must I be there in order to
participate?
A: Clearly, we would like to have both judges and competitors
here for the whole event. WRTC is much more than just a
contest; it is a rare opportunity to build new relationships
and rekindle old ones. Where this is not possible, though,
we must still require competitors to be here at least from
the Friday morning breakfast through the Sunday evening
awards banquet. Judges should contact K4VX to make
arrangements if they can't be here for the whole event.
Q: What is the cost?
A: One of the guiding principles the organizers have followed
is that expenses of judges or competitors should be minimal
from the time they arrive in the San Francisco area, per the
above schedule of events, through the Monday winery tour and
their return to the airport for the trip home. We can
arrange a host family for each judge and each competitor who
requests this, and the host family will provide living
quarters at no charge. Likewise, we can provide local
transportation for judges and competitors to attend the WRTC
events. Most meals will be provided at no cost for judges
and competitors.
Q: I'm a competitor [judge] and I want to bring my family or
friends with me. What is the cost for them?
A: We are still in the planning stage on this issue and our
final plans will depend largely on the level of funding the
organizers can obtain. It is probable, though, that we will
charge an amount equal to our costs for guests of judges and
competitors and for all other visitors to at least some of
the events. For example, we expect to charge $30 for each
person attending the awards banquet who is not a judge, a
competitor, or a member of the organizing committee. The
major costs for judges and competitors in bringing guests
with them will be in housing and transportation.
Unfortunately, we will not be able to provide housing and
cannot guarantee that we can provide local transportation
for those judges and competitors traveling with family or
friends.
Q: If the WRTC Committee can't provide housing or if I prefer
to stay in a hotel, then where should I stay?
A: We have made arrangements with a centrally-located hotel to
set aside a large block of rooms for WRTC attendees and to
guarantee a favorable rate. We expect this hotel will
become the central site for many of the informal gatherings
during WRTC. The hotel was recently refurbished, has a
brand new restaurant and bar, and has a beautiful swimming
pool and patio area. The guaranteed rate is $42.95 + tax
for one person or $48.95 + tax for two persons. This hotel
is the Motel 6 at 1101 Shoreline Rd., Belmont CA 94002. For
reservations, call 415-591-1471 or FAX 415-593-6415. When
you call, be sure to identify yourself as a WRTC attendee.
The block of rooms they have set aside for WRTC will only be
held until May 15, so be sure to make your reservations
before then. July is the height of tourist season in San
Francisco, so hotel rooms will be at a premium at that time.
Q: When I make airline reservations, do I have to fly into San
Francisco?
A: There are three major airports in the San Francisco bay area
and all are within reasonable commuting distance. Besides
the San Francisco International Airport (approximately 15
minutes drive from the WRTC hotel), there is also the San
Jose Airport (about 25 minutes drive) and the Oakland
Airport (about 40 minutes drive).
Q: What kinds of problems with my equipment can I expect when I
pass through U.S. Customs.
A: There is no restriction in the United States on possession
of radio equipment or computers. If your equipment
accompanies you on your travel, then it will simply be
treated the same as your other personal gear. You will have
to contact U.S. Customs for further information, though, if
you intend to ship your equipment separately.
Q: I'm a competitor [judge], flying by myself, and will need
somebody to pick me up at the airport. Whom do I contact?
A: The chairman of the Housing and Transportation Committee is
Dick Dievendorff, AA6MC (email at dieven@almaden.ibm.com or
U.S. Mail at 1211 Janis Way; San Jose, CA 95125-4050).
Dick's group is coordinating all volunteer housing and local
transportation assistance.
Q: I'm a competitor [judge]. What information do you need from
me?
A: The most important piece of information we need is how to
contact you most efficiently! If you have an email address,
please make sure we have it on file. As we proceed with our
planning there will inevitably arise more questions we will
need to ask. Likewise, we will want to keep you updated on
any changes. The information we most need from you right
now is related to capacity planning. Will you be here for
the whole event, or just a part? Are you bringing guests
with you, and will they be attending the events? Do you need
us to provide housing and local transportation for you? Do
you have any special needs we should know about to help us
better plan your stay? Please let us know your plans. You
can send this data to Dick Dievendorff, AA6MC, at the
address listed above.
Q: I'm neither a judge nor a competitor. What do I do when I
get to the airport?
A: First of all, we may still be able to help. Check with
AA6MC. You may wish to consider obtaining a rental car;
there are several agencies at each the airport. If you
know where you're going (e.g. the WRTC motel), you may wish
to take one of the group limousines. These are minivans
which carry up to 10 people and will take each person to his
destination. These vans pass regularly through the airport
drop-off area and can be identified by their distinctive
signage. At the San Francisco airport, look for Blue and
Gold Line. The cost is only a fraction of the cost of
taking a taxi cab.
Q: What kind of weather should I expect? What kind of clothing
should I bring?
A: The San Francisco bay area is famous for its microclimates.
The temperature in most of the bay area will be in the low
80's F (27-30 C) during the day and down to the low 70's F
(21-23 C) at night. The city of San Francisco is often
windy, foggy, and up to 15 degrees F (8 degrees C) cooler
than the surrounding bay area. An evening temperature of
55F (13C) in downtown San Francisco is very likely, as is a
daytime high of 90F (32C) in the surrounding bay area. You
will need to be prepared for rapid temperature swings like
this as you move from one area to another. The probability
of rain in July is near zero. Expect to see deep blue sky
with very few clouds.
Q: Whom do I contact for further information?
A: Following is a list of the primary organizers together with
their email addresses. All are good in the Call Book. If
you are a competitor or judge and your question pertains to
your own individual situation, you should expect a prompt
response to any question. If your question is regarding a
clarification of the rules of the competition, then we will
not respond to you directly but rather will circulate your
question and our response to all the competitors.
Bruce Sawyer, AA6KX (AA6KX@aol.com) and Bob Ferraro, W6RJ
(rferrero@hooked.net), Co-Chairmen
Rusty Epps, W6OAT (epps@netcom.com), Publicity
Dave Leeson, W6QHS (0005543629@mcimail.com), Finance
Dick Dievendorff, AA6MC (dieven@almaden.ibm.com), Housing &
Transportation
Andy Faber, AE6Y (AE6Y@aol.com), Events & Entertainment
Bob Cox, K3EST (K3EST@netcom.com), Technical (i.e., the
competition itself)
Bob Vallio, W6RGG (wsixrgg@crl.com), Station Selection
STATIONS:
Q: As a competitor, when can I start working on my station and
what can I expect?
A: We plan to assign station sites to competitors by random
drawing at our meeting on Friday morning, July 12. It is
our goal that the stations will be as nearly alike as we can
possibly make them. Each station will have a tribander at
40'-50' and an inverted-V or dipole for 40 meters. You
should expect to find two coax cables terminated with PL259
male connectors waiting for you, one connected to each
antenna. The tribander will have a rotator and the coax
should be in good shape. We do not want the competitors
doing any antenna work. If you detect problems with your
antenna installation during the check-out period on Friday,
you should immediately contact one of the judges rather than
go to work on it yourself. Competitors are specifically
prohibited from going outside and erecting their own
antenna. In addition to the coaxes, you will have 110VAC
outlets with USA-standard plug receptacles. If you plan on
bringing equipment which requires a different voltage, you
should contact the Chairman of the Technical Committee ahead
of time to discuss it. This person is Bob Cox, K3EST. Bob
can be reached at K3EST@netcom.com.
Competitors will bring all of their own rigs and their own
computers. You will be allowed to have one and only one
radio designated as the transmitting radio; a second radio
may be used for listening only. You may not use information
from either VHF or HF spotting networks, so don't plan on
bringing your own packet system. You will probably want to
bring your own paddles and headphones. In addition, you may
wish to have your own antenna switch, but note that you may
use only a single SPDP coax switch. If there is any of this
equipment you would like us to provide you, please contact
K3EST ahead of time with this information. For instance,
you may want to bring your own keyboard but have us supply
the computer and monitor; you may want to bring your own
computer but have us provide the monitor. Many things are
possible, but they will require advance arrangements. In
the absence of any such arrangements, you should expect to
see only two coaxs, the rotator control, and some 110VAC
outlets.
Q: How much variation will there be among the different
stations?
A: The WRTC Station Selection Committee is doing everything it
can to ensure all of the stations are of equal capabilities,
but we do realize the impossibility of having exactly equal
stations. All of the stations will be located on flat
ground, without any topographical advantage. All of them
will be within about 40 miles of each other and all will be
in the bay area. We will test each location beforehand for
line noise and other noise interference.
Q: When will I know the callsign I will use in the competition?
How will that callsign be selected?
A: The callsigns will be assigned at random during the Friday
morning breakfast meeting.
Q: How much power can I run?
A: Stations will be limited to 100w output (on SSB, PEP) from
the rig. The WRTC Technical Committee reserves the right to
place a power meter in-line in order to monitor the power
level.
Q: Will each station have a judge?
A: We will have a designated station monitor at each station
for the duration of the contest. This person will be an
official judge or referee.
Q: Will the contest be recorded?
A: There will be an audio recorder at each of the stations, and
all 18 hours of the competition will be recorded. The
station monitor will supervise the equipment used for
recording.
Q: Can my team use two radios simultaneously?
A: A maximum of two radios may be used by each team, but one of
the two radios must be designated the transmitting radio.
Thereafter, the second radio may not be used as a
transmitter without the agreement of the station monitor,
and that should happen only as the result of an equipment
failure of the primary transmitter. The second radio may be
used to listen only.
Q: Is computer logging permitted? Is it required?
A: Your team can perform logging on paper or via computer.
This is strictly optional. However, all submissions will be
via computer log. Logs must be turned over to the judges
immediately upon completion of the contest. If your team
has maintained a paper log, then one of the judges will
proceed to enter your log via computer. A member of your
team must be present during this process to answer any
questions which may arise as a result of illegibility.
Q: Can my team use a second computer? Can a second computer be
linked to the computer directly connected to the
transmitter?
A: No, only one computer system serving a single user is
permitted. The reason for this is that we want to minimize
the amount of equipment which participants must bring (from
conceivably long distances) and still be competitive in this
event.
Q: What logging software am I allowed to use?
A: In April, each team will be provided with special versions
of CT, Trlog, and NA. The team can choose among these three
the software that they will use during the contest. There
will be no charge for this software.
Q: What facilities will be provided at the station?
A: We are asking the station hosts to provide some facilities
for sleeping over the Friday night before the contest. This
might range from a simple cot in the operating room to a
separate bedroom. Toilet facilities will be available.
Kitchen facilities are likely to vary widely from station to
station and at some stations the only food available may be
from boxed lunches. Our goal is to equalize the radio
propagation capabilities of the stations; we are not
attempting to equalize the degree of luxury and comfort as
well!
Q: Will there be a problem with smoking during the contest?
A: This is, of course, at the discretion of the station host.
In general, Californians are less tolerant of tobacco smoke
than people in other parts of the U.S. and the U.S. is less
tolerant than most European nations. You should not depend
on being allowed to smoke at your host station. If this
would pose a major problem for you, you should advise us of
this beforehand. We will attempt to make some accommodation
here, but we can make no guarantees that this will be
possible.
RULES:
(Note: The rules of competition are being distributed via a
separate announcement. The following comments are provided only
for further clarification.)
Q: Will all stations be tape recorded?
A: Yes, all 18 hours will be recorded.
Q: Will I be able to use PacketCluster?
A: Packet radio in any form will not be allowed. Competitors
may not use any form of spotting assistance other than their
second (receiving) radio.
Q: Will any type of prearranged schedules be permitted?
A: No.
Q: Will there be any rule dealing with "unique QSOs"?
A: The judges will decide if a unique QSO is real, "padding"
by certain individuals/clubs, or no good. They can decide
OK or not OK. Their decision is final. The judges must
provide a reason for removal of any unique QSOs. There is
no penalty for removal of unique QSOs. A tape recorder will
provide confirmation of unique QSOs.
Q: What is the penalty for a "busted" callsign in my log?
A: For every confirmed bad call removed from a log, a penalty
of 3 more QSOs of similar point value will be removed (total
of 4 QSOs removed).
NON-COMPETITORS:
Q: I'm not a WRTC team member but I want to operate in the
contest. What can I do?
A: You can enter the IARU contest in any category you choose.
During the contest, we encourage you to contact as many of
the WRTC teams as you can on as many band/mode combinations
as possible. Several different categories of awards will be
announced for contacting a defined number of WRTC teams and
for making a defined number of contacts with WRTC teams. We
expect to make this an exciting event for non-WRTC team
members as well as the WRTC competitors themselves.
|