Broken Cluster Spots

ka9fox at aol.com ka9fox at aol.com
Fri Apr 1 21:50:07 EST 1994


Being April Fools Day, I thought I'd share with you a list of broken cluster
spots given out during ARRL DX CW weekend.  Some were so bad (and funny) that
I started keeping a list while operating 15m at W0AIH.  Here you go... enjoy!

Busted   Correct
------   -------
A59F     AH8F
BE2T     6E2T
DL1IA    DL1IAO
EA8AS    EA8ZS
G4CMY    G4CNY
HH3PK    HH2PK
JA1YBA   JA1YDU
PJ8S     PJ8H
SH1QZ    S51QZ
SH9A     S59A
SH0K     S50K
V2BAS    V26AS
V31JJ    V31WW
V7R      V7A
Z6LWZ    UZ6LWZ
ZF8BI    ZF8BS
ZF2BS    ZF8BS (was ZF2 before test)
5H2PK    HH2PK
5T1T     HT1T
6E2A     6E2T

...and I thought my code was bad!

73 Scott KA9FOX at AOL.COM

>From Eugene Walsh <0004504465 at mcimail.com>  Sat Apr  2 05:18:00 1994
From: Eugene Walsh <0004504465 at mcimail.com> (Eugene Walsh)
Date: Sat, 2 Apr 94 00:18 EST
Subject: S & M
Message-ID: <33940402051833/0004504465PK3EM at mcimail.com>

A most profound entry by WM2C!  Read the rules for any test u wanna
enter; follow the rules and have fun.  If you want to win, put in
the effort to learn how (For each particular event) and, if you
keep at it and do what u gotta sooner or later it works.

If you aint doin it cuz you love it, you should be doin sump'n
else.

My hat is off to those who push the limits of what can be done.
That, for sure, is what its all about.  

73, Geez N2AA

>From AGDM25A at prodigy.com ( KEVIN -   WA8ZDT)  Sat Apr  2 07:15:48 1994
From: AGDM25A at prodigy.com ( KEVIN -   WA8ZDT) ( KEVIN -   WA8ZDT)
Date: Sat, 02 Apr 1994 02:15:48 EST
Subject: SOA = 2nd CLASS?
Message-ID: <013.00537886.AGDM25A at prodigy.com>

WHY are there two separate single op categories?  Almost every year the top
single ops clobber the SOA's.  Someone will probably post a note here
xplaining how its easier to run up a huge score running Q's instead of
chasing mults.  But it seems to me that if some of the "superstar
single-ops" entered SOA, they'd make astronomical scores.

So why don't they?  Is SOA 2nd class?  Is there some kinda stigma against
accepting help from a packett network?  Are you perceived as a whimp for
not "going alone"?

Look at SOA entries in ARRL DX.  Most of them are just guys trying to make
some points for their club.  Very few "serious" entries.

SOA's scores are listed separate, after the state scores.  Why not simply
print them in the normal state/call district listing and mark them with an
asterisk if you like.

Please spare the argument about equipment burdens for a packett setup.
Dust off your Commodore 64, pickup a AEA PK64 at the local swap for 50 bux
and feed it with your scanner.   No PACKETT CLUSTER in your remote QTH? Use
one of the 30m HF backbones.


SOA is FUN!  It removes some of the boring loneliness of Single-OP.  Put
out some spots, chase some down.  Read the WWV numbers each hour.  Ask ur
buddy across town how many he has on 20.

Stop segregating the single-op who uses packett.  He's just trying to have
a little fun!

                     73  Kevin ... WA8ZDT


>From XMSJ29A at prodigy.com (MR JAMES A WHITE)  Sat Apr  2 16:48:18 1994
From: XMSJ29A at prodigy.com (MR JAMES A WHITE) (MR JAMES A WHITE)
Date: Sat, 02 Apr 1994 11:48:18 EST
Subject: I've solved it!
Message-ID: <013.00538672.XMSJ29A at prodigy.com>

Joe Walsh, famous rock musician of the seventies and wellknown (except for
N1EE) ham...is he really better known to us in the contest committee as:



                SON OF N2AA ????????????


                        conincidence?  I think not!


                                        Inquiring hams want to know!


                                                 de K1ZX


>From XMSJ29A at prodigy.com (MR JAMES A WHITE)  Sat Apr  2 16:48:27 1994
From: XMSJ29A at prodigy.com (MR JAMES A WHITE) (MR JAMES A WHITE)
Date: Sat, 02 Apr 1994 11:48:27 EST
Subject: Will I see you in the lobby?
Message-ID: <013.00538673.XMSJ29A at prodigy.com>

..what is it with all these guys...do they forget how much fun they have
during contest weekends or what? For me it is such fun that I wanna have
more of it, so I work on my station, and TRY to listen to multiple radios
at once...(emphasis on try added)...Perhaps this is just the internet
version of the 3830 excuse league...

"well we had a cold and the dog pulled the rig off the table when he bit
through the coax and got that RF burn that forced me to take him to the vet
during the European opening and my vox was broke so we had to operate PTT
which was a bear because the only switch we had to do that with was the
hand held mike switch so we had that on the operating table next to the
keyboard and since it was code we had to squeeze the mike button when we
were sending with our dominant hand so guess that helps explain why we only
made _____ this weekend."

...if you have to justify your performance to someone else after the
contest you may need to analyze who or why your doin this for! A lot of
guys have found their best contest adversary is themselves and by competing
against him gained great satisfaction-pushing their own envelope so to
speak...try it - you'll like it....oh yeah, after you have beat urself
enough times, you start beating other guys, and when when you really kick
the sh** out of yourself, you win...cool........guess that means winning
contesters are really masoquists.........surprise surprise, knew that all
along! Anyone ever take your picture at 0001 Sunday night after its
over-bet you really look like hell...but your smiling, what a sick bunch!

...personally, my goal is to close down the lobby at Dayton everynight and
still make the forums!       de  K1ZX


>From oo7 at astro.as.utexas.edu (Derek Wills)  Sat Apr  2 23:03:04 1994
From: oo7 at astro.as.utexas.edu (Derek Wills) (Derek Wills)
Date: Sat, 2 Apr 94 17:03:04 CST
Subject: EME contests
Message-ID: <9404022303.AA03446 at astro.as.utexas.edu>

Following on George III WB5VZL's comments about the ARRL EME contests 
conflicting with the CQWW phone and CW contests this year - can someone 
tell me what dictates the choice of the weekend for the EME contests?

Things that occur to one include the desire to have the moon up all day 
rather than all night, so as not to inconvenience people's sleep schedules 
(but that means new moon, and thus perhaps significant solar noise?).  This 
is obviously not right anyway, as the EME contest dates this year are closer 
to full moon, and thus dictate nocturnal activity by particpants.

So is it the moon's declination? - full moon would give the longest time 
above the horizon in a 24-hour period during the winter, for those in the 
northern hemisphere (and contests mainly favor the northern hemisphere hams, 
witness the dates of the CQWW and ARRL world-wide contests).  The restriction 
to a weekend is of course understandable, but there is always a weekend 
within 3-4 days of a full (or new) moon, in any month.   And the declination 
of the moon reaches roughly the same maximum once a month. so there must be 
more to it.    The constraints must be pretty severe, as I'm sure the EME
contest organizers are aware of the clashes with the biggest phone and CW 
contests of the year. 

I hope the answer is not so obvious that I'll be ashamed to admit to being 
an astronomer....  if is is - well - I don't usually bother with nearby 
things like the solar system, that's just stuff that gets in the way of the 
more interesting things.

Derek AA5BT

>From Randy A Thompson <K5ZD at world.std.com>  Sat Apr  2 23:49:02 1994
From: Randy A Thompson <K5ZD at world.std.com> (Randy A Thompson)
Date: Sat, 2 Apr 1994 18:49:02 -0500 (EST)
Subject: single/multi
Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9404021826.A28892-0100000 at world.std.com>



On Thu, 31 Mar 1994, j.p. kleinhaus wrote:

> I suppose part of the confusion comes from the fact that different contests
> have different rules. In the ARRL SS you *are* allowed to transmit a CQ
> on two bands at once. In the CQWW DX and the ARRL DX contests, the second
> radio is used basically to S&P because the rules sya no more than one
> band may be used at a time or something like that. It is dangerous

Wow!  I never realised that the SS rules allow a single op to use 
multiple transmitted signals at the same time.  All this time I have been 
careful to only transmit on one band at a time.  Look out next year.  I 
am confident that it would be possible to keep up with CQing on 3 bands 
on Sunday afternoon.  I can't wait!

Randy, K5ZD


>From Randy A Thompson <K5ZD at world.std.com>  Sun Apr  3 00:14:08 1994
From: Randy A Thompson <K5ZD at world.std.com> (Randy A Thompson)
Date: Sat, 2 Apr 1994 19:14:08 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Help
Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9404021958.A28892-0100000 at world.std.com>

I am looking for a good off-line Internet mail reader program.  You know, 
the kind that downloads all your messages so you can read/reply to them 
off-line.  I can't afford all the connect time to read all this mail!

Send responses direct and I will summarize for the reflector.

Randy, K5ZD


>From Randy A Thompson <K5ZD at world.std.com>  Sun Apr  3 00:15:56 1994
From: Randy A Thompson <K5ZD at world.std.com> (Randy A Thompson)
Date: Sat, 2 Apr 1994 19:15:56 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Future of Single Op? (fwd)
Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9404021912.A28892-0100000 at world.std.com>

Following is forwarded for K1VR.

On Thu, 31 Mar 1994 21:31:06 -0500 (EST), "Randy A Thompson"
<K5ZD at world.std.com> wrote:
 why do we need two categories?

K1VR:  For a techno reason, I am unable to respond to the
reflector, as it won't reprint and distribute remarks which
come through a relay.  (Take a look at my internet address
and my return address.)  You may excerpt and relay this
response.

K1VR:     We need two categories because they create 20
slots in the top ten, doubling my chances.  I need all the
help I can get.
-- 
                      Fred Hopengarten K1VR
           Six Willarch Road * Lincoln, MA 01773-5105
     home + office telephone:  617/259-0088 (FAX on demand)
             internet:  k1vr!k1vr.UUCP at uunet.uu.net
"Big antennas, high in the sky, are better than small ones, low."


>From Randy A Thompson <K5ZD at world.std.com>  Sun Apr  3 00:22:41 1994
From: Randy A Thompson <K5ZD at world.std.com> (Randy A Thompson)
Date: Sat, 2 Apr 1994 19:22:41 -0500 (EST)
Subject: QSLs, QSLs and more QSLs
Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9404021954.A28892-0100000 at world.std.com>

I have the contesters problem of dealing with mass quantity of QSL 
cards.  To which I see two basic solutions:

- Take the offensive and just have the computer send a card to everyone 
(possible expensive).

- Be reactive and only answer QSLs that come in (time consuming).

I am leaning toward trying solution #2 for my W1 operations.  Can anyone 
suggest a computer logging software package that will accept import from 
CT/NA and has very good QSLing capability.  I am not ready to convert 
from my had written casual operating logs, but I see it in the future.  
So real-time logging functions are important too.

Another feature that would appeal to me is the ability to export to a 
database application such as Paradox.

Responses direct please.  Thanks for any suggestions or recommendations!

Randy
K5ZD at World.std.com



>From oo7 at astro.as.utexas.edu (Derek Wills)  Sat Apr  2 20:53:26 1994
From: oo7 at astro.as.utexas.edu (Derek Wills) (Derek Wills)
Date: Sat, 2 Apr 94 20:53:26 GMT
Subject: SprINT
Message-ID: <9404030253.AA06625 at astro.as.utexas.edu>

117 Qs, worse than last time and more people ahead of me.
People are taking this thing more seriously so it's becoming
less fun.   Changed all the Buttheads to Ed.  With a Derek
and a Derrick in there, all I heard after a few minutes was
a Derk and a Dirk now and then, although one of them seemed
to revert Derek later.   Must have been a Steve in there
sending Steve to everyone for a while, lot of those around.

One man, one radio and four pencils - thanks to all for the 
fun.   I think.

Derek aa5bt

>From Ed Gilbert <eyg at hpnjlc.njd.hp.com>  Sun Apr  3 04:32:04 1994
From: Ed Gilbert <eyg at hpnjlc.njd.hp.com> (Ed Gilbert)
Date: Sat, 2 Apr 1994 22:32:04 -0500
Subject: Internet sprint
Message-ID: <9404030335.AA12815 at hp.com>

44 qsos, 1 hour.

Terrible conditions on 20m.  I qrt after the first hour to watch
Duke/Florida game so didn't make it to 40m.  Good signals from
k6ll, ab6fo, w5asp, and aa5bt.  Everyone else was weak and
fluttery, and strong qrn made it even worse.  

Didn't hear any obvious name mangling this time.  

Anyone else notice that the stations with the highest numbers
were the ones heard the least often?  

73,

Ed Gilbert, WA2SRQ

>From oo7 at astro.as.utexas.edu (Derek Wills)  Sat Apr  2 21:55:44 1994
From: oo7 at astro.as.utexas.edu (Derek Wills) (Derek Wills)
Date: Sat, 2 Apr 94 21:55:44 GMT
Subject: Internet sprint
Message-ID: <9404030355.AA07461 at astro.as.utexas.edu>

	Anyone else notice that the stations with the highest numbers
	were the ones heard the least often?  

	73, Ed Gilbert, WA2SRQ

Can't say I noticed this, that N6TR fellow was everywhere...   I tended 
to get called by the Big Guys more often than I called them so I guess 
they cruise around pretty fast.    

Interesting that Ed classed me among the loudest people - someone in a
previous SprINT told me that I was louder than they had ever heard me.
I guess the SB-220 must be a de-amplifier and I'm gonna run all the 
big contests without it now!

Deek aa5bt

>From Jim Reisert AD1C  02-Apr-1994 2323 <reisert at wrksys.enet.dec.com>  Sun Apr  3 05:19:24 1994
From: Jim Reisert AD1C  02-Apr-1994 2323 <reisert at wrksys.enet.dec.com> (Jim Reisert AD1C 02-Apr-1994 2323)
Date: Sat, 2 Apr 94 23:19:24 EST
Subject: EME contests
Message-ID: <9404030419.AA24132 at us4rmc.pko.dec.com>

I think perigee (moon closest to Earth) is the single biggest factor - there
is a several dB gain difference between apogee (moon furtherst from Earth)
and perigee.  When the signals are only several dB out of the noise to begin
with, this can make the difference between whether stations QSO or not.

I think 2nd biggest factor is northerly declination, since the majority of
EME operators tend to be in northern latitudes.

73 - Jim AD1C (47 states confirmed on 432 MHz, many via EME)

>From j.p. kleinhaus" <kleinhaj at mary.iia.org  Sun Apr  3 06:25:17 1994
From: j.p. kleinhaus" <kleinhaj at mary.iia.org (j.p. kleinhaus)
Date: Sun, 3 Apr 1994 00:25:17 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Future of Single Op? (fwd)
Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9404030057.A4585-0100000 at mary>



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 02 Apr 1994 17:28:46 EST
From: Fred Hopengarten <jjmhome!k1vr!k1vr at uunet.uu.net>
To: Randy A Thompson <K5ZD at world.std.com>
Cc: kleinhaj at mary.iia.org, jlgiasi at umassmed.ummed.edu,
    reisert at wrksys.enet.dec.com
Subject: Re: Future of Single Op?

On Thu, 31 Mar 1994 21:31:06 -0500 (EST), "Randy A Thompson"
<K5ZD at world.std.com> wrote:
 why do we need two categories?

K1VR:  For a techno reason, I am unable to respond to the
reflector, as it won't reprint and distribute remarks which
come through a relay.  (Take a look at my internet address
and my return address.)  You may excerpt and relay this
response.

K1VR:     We need two categories because they create 20
slots in the top ten, doubling my chances.  I need all the
help I can get.
-- 
                      Fred Hopengarten K1VR
           Six Willarch Road * Lincoln, MA 01773-5105
     home + office telephone:  617/259-0088 (FAX on demand)
             internet:  k1vr!k1vr.UUCP at uunet.uu.net
"Big antennas, high in the sky, are better than small ones, low."


>From peterj at netcom.com (Peter Jennings)  Sun Apr  3 07:01:50 1994
From: peterj at netcom.com (Peter Jennings) (Peter Jennings)
Date: Sat, 2 Apr 1994 22:01:50 -0800
Subject: Visalia Room available
Message-ID: <199404030601.WAA08928 at mail.netcom.com>


Larry, AA6MV, has decided he would rather be DX than talk about it, so
he is going to VP2M that weekend. So, I have a room available at the
Holiday Inn for Friday and Saturday night.

It's a one bedroom suite at $85 a night.

Anyone not have their room reserved yet?

Peter AB6WM                          peterj at netcom.com
--

>From robert penneys <penneys at freezer.cns.udel.edu>  Sun Apr  3 14:21:50 1994
From: robert penneys <penneys at freezer.cns.udel.edu> (robert penneys)
Date: Sun, 3 Apr 94 09:21:50 EDT
Subject: Skunked big-time on CQ-INT
Message-ID: <9404031321.AA06755 at freezer.cns.udel.edu>


Well, I got up the nerve to use TR log the first time instead of NA and it made me rather crazy. The first time I had a dupe it threw it out and I couldn't find a way to disable whatever did it. So......... 6 Qs.   Will work with this
program before next one.  Sorry to drop out. Bob
Bob Penneys, WN3K   Frankford Radio Club  Internet: penneys at pecan.cns.udel.edu
Work: Ham Radio Outlet (Delaware) (800) 644-4476;  fax (302) 322-8808
Mail at home:  12 East Mill Station Drive   Newark, DE 19711  USA

>From peterj at netcom.com (Peter Jennings)  Sun Apr  3 16:34:21 1994
From: peterj at netcom.com (Peter Jennings) (Peter Jennings)
Date: Sun, 3 Apr 1994 08:34:21 -0700
Subject: Visalia Room available
Message-ID: <199404031534.IAA06956 at mail.netcom.com>


Larry, AA6MV, has decided he would rather be DX than talk about it, so
he is going to VP2M that weekend. So, I have a room available at the
Holiday Inn for Friday and Saturday night.

It's a one bedroom suite at $85 a night.

Anyone not have their room reserved yet?

Peter AB6WM                          peterj at netcom.com
--



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