HQ STATIONS IN IARU TEST

ehayes at VNET.IBM.COM ehayes at VNET.IBM.COM
Wed Jul 17 10:30:49 EDT 1996


Are the HQ stations going to QSL automatically?  If not, where
could one find the correct routes?

Thanks,

Wayne   KC5DVT   ehayes at vnet.ibm.com


>From snace at tdrss.wsc.nasa.gov (Steve Nace)  Wed Jul 17 17:54:01 1996
From: snace at tdrss.wsc.nasa.gov (Steve Nace) (Steve Nace)
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 09:54:01 -0700
Subject: K7UP's WRTC total
Message-ID: <v01510100ae12c48d1114@[192.77.86.212]>

Here's the 1X1 totals for the K7UP CW only effort, in case anyone is
interested.
Excellent job by all, congratulations to all the competitors.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Clean Sweep (10-40CW) 4 Qsos:

K6B,  K6J,  K6N,  K6P,  K6T,  W6A,  W6I,  W6O,  W6P,  W6Q,  W6S,  W6Y,  AH3C


3 out of 4 bands:

K6C,  K6D,  K6F,  K6G,  K6H,  K6K,  K6O,  K6Q,  K6R,  K6S,  K6V,  K6W,
K6X,  K6Y,  K6Z,  W6C,  W6F,  W6J,  W6K,  W6N,  W6R,  W6T,  W6U,  W6V,  W6X


2 out of 4:

K6A,  K6E,  K6L,  K6M,  K6U,  W6B,  W6D,  W6E,  W6H,  W6M,  AH3D


Only once:

K6I,  W6G,  W6L,  W6Z


ZERO!!!

W6W

<><><><><><><><>

Yup, missed W6W, nuts. Also kept waiting for the 80 meter CW blast at end
of contest. K7UP, John says 'they arent gonna be on 80- not in the rules.'
Duh.

So, the FB efforts by the gang netted me 153 QSOs (459 QSO points) equaling
over 48K towards my score. Thats about 10% of the total score.

Thanks again,

73 de Hose  KN5H


                              \\\|///
                              ( O O )
 _______________________________( )___oOO____________________________
| Steven K. Nace     KN5H           Phone: 505-525-6205              |
| AlliedSignal Technical Svcs       E-Mail: Snace at tdrss.wsc.nasa.gov |
| Spacecraft Engineering Group      Alt E-mail:steven at zianet.com     |
| White Sands Complex               Fax: 505-525-6229                |
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>From okanep at iol.ie (Paul O'Kane EI5DI)  Wed Jul 17 17:28:23 1996
From: okanep at iol.ie (Paul O'Kane EI5DI) (Paul O'Kane EI5DI)
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 17:28:23 +0100 (BST)
Subject: WRTC is dead, long live IOTA.
Message-ID: <199607171628.RAA18089 at GPO.iol.ie>

If you enjoyed WRTC/IARU, you'll probably like the
Islands On The Air contest on July 27/28.  It's a 24
hour event with SSB, CW and mixed-mode categories.
Multipliers are IOTA Island Groups.

Full rules, IOTA island references (used with permission)
and dedicated freeware logging software is available from
http://www.iol.ie/~okanep

With anonymous ftp you can choose between 
ftp://ftp.iol.ie/users/okanep/sd/sdi.zip  and
ftp://ve7tcp.ampr.org/software/sd/sdi.zip

Hope to see you all from EJ1D on Bere Island (EU121).

73,
Paul EI5DI


>From DKMC at chevron.com (McCarty, DK 'Dav)  Wed Jul 17 18:15:10 1996
From: DKMC at chevron.com (McCarty, DK 'Dav) (McCarty, DK 'Dav)
Date: 17 Jul 1996 10:15:10 PDT
Subject: K5GN IARU HF + WRTC (long)
Message-ID: <CPLAN065.DKMC.065715100096199FCPLAN065 at ION.CHEVRON.COM>


From: McCarty, DK 'David'
To:  OPEN ADDRESSING SERVI-OPENADDR
Subject:  K5GN IARU HF + WRTC (long)
Date: 1996-07-17 12:07
Priority:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------


WRTC score (secondary to IARU HF effort):
4 bands: K6CMQXZ W6IOPQ (9) + AH3D
3 bands: K6AEGIJKNOPSV W6DJKRTW (17)
2 bands: K6BFLRTUWY W6ABCFGHNSVXYZ (20) + AH3C
1 bands: K6DH W6ELM (5)
0 bands: W6U  (Ouch!)
Breakdown: 40/37/16/41+ 1/2/1/2
Total 134 + 6 contacts.

I missed W6U, somehow.  Didn't notice until about 0700Z.  I was
concentrating on the IARU HF score, and didn't think there would be any
problem getting at least an all-band sweep.  Oh, well.  Look forward to the
awards, etc.

                               IARU SUMMARY SHEET


    Contest Dates : 13-Jul-96, 14-Jul-96


    Callsign Used : K5GN
         Operator : K5GN
    QTH: K2UA/5, Sealy, TX
         Category : S.O. CW Only

 Default Exchange : 599 07

             Name : David K. McCarty
         Team/Club : Texas DX Society


   BAND   Raw QSOs   Valid QSOs   Points   Mults   Zones  Points/QSO
 ___________________________________________________________________

  160CW       25          24         64       1         5        2.7
   80CW       88          87        246       8        15        2.8
   40CW      437         432       1463      12        31        3.4
   20CW      698         683       2457      14        34        3.6
   15CW      394         386       1240      10        20        3.2
   10CW      111         109        317       3        13        2.9
 ___________________________________________________________________

 Totals     1753        1721       5787      48       118       3.36


    Final Score = 960642 points.


 Soapbox Comments
 ________________

 Amazing how much better the bands sound during a contest!  Really
 enjoyed the subcontest of working the WRTC boys.  Best thrill: EM1KA
 in Zone 73 on 80.  Second best: 3V8BB on 80!

160/20: TS930, 1200W Alpha 76, Sloper, 3 beverages (shared with 80); 4/4
80/15: FT-1000, 1500W Henry 3K, Wire Beam/Inverted Vee; 6/6
40/10: TS830, 1000W Alpha 78, Wire Beam/Delta loop; 6el

10M: Wow, what an opening to WRTC-land!  Three big disappointments: the West
coast was where propagation seemed to stop (no Pacific, no Asians);
listening to N6BV/1 and others working Europeans on E-scatter during what
for me was a very spotty opening; an unusual dearth of South Americans.

15M: Why weren't the W6's as loud on 15 as they were on 10?  This was hard
to believe.  Propagation to Europe: barely open all day, never really got
anything going, just the big guns and the odd spot.  Two JAs.  Never open
over the pole and very few South Americans, again.  I didn't expect night
time openings at this time of the cycle, fooled again!

20M: The place to be!  Failed to get all the HQ boys available.  Probably
due to operator failure.  I think I may have tended to S&P with the beam
west too much (to get the WRTC guys).  It was open all night, but not wide
open.

40M: Took down what was left of the 40M beam two weeks ago; relied on the
backup wire beam and a new delta loop for the NW/SE.  Just wasn't the same:
every European seemed to be down in the QRN and the JA rate was real slow.
 The WRTC gang sure made it a fast start here!

80M: Terrific opening at sunset, working 7 HQ stations in Europe.  It is
always a thrill to work anybody outside of the lower 48 on 80 and 160, and
this time it was very good to Europe.  The flip side is how bad it was to
the west.  Other than KL7Y and ZK1AAU, nada.  Need to check the NW beverage,
I guess.  Nice to work so many W's this year even though the WRTC guys
weren't on 80.

160M: S-meter never went below S9+20, and beverages can only do so much.
Heard rumors of signals outside North America, but just never could pull
them out.

Every year I am reminded of just how much fun this contest is.  Four to six
bands open somewhere useful for the entire 24 hours, not a 48 hour head
banger, phone and/or CW, and any level of station can get on and have fun.
 I hope more than a few people who got on for the WRTC also found out about
IARU HF and will be back next year.

73
Dave K5GN


>From k7fr at ncw.net (Gary Nieborsky)  Wed Jul 17 18:29:55 1996
From: k7fr at ncw.net (Gary Nieborsky) (Gary Nieborsky)
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 10:29:55 -0700
Subject: wrtc comments
Message-ID: <199607171729.KAA14988 at bing.ncw.net>

Dave,

I'm hoping that the comments regarding signal level differences aren't being
sent as grousing.  I observed the same thing but have been around the block
enough times to know that 20 - 30 miles seperation in QTH can make a world
of difference.  I think you all did a heck of a job down there; participants
and organizers.

My tongue in cheek comment:

Will the boys from the EAST  COAST have to seek therapy after experiencing
WEST COAST propagation from less than KILLER stations?  The comment
attributed to W6UM was a real hoot.....welcome to the west coast......what a
riot!  I can see the stewardess saying "what's wrong with those guys?  They
just sit there and stare out the windows and repeat over and over....where
was europe....where was europe....where was europe?"

Un-tongue in cheek comment:

It would be interesting to be able to get a copy of the logs and do some
analysis of the operating strategies used (eg band switches, running vs s&p,
distribution of stateside contacts, etc.).  Might be able to learn something
from the pros........

73 Gary K7FR


>From jfunk at adams.net (jim funk)  Wed Jul 17 19:16:04 1996
From: jfunk at adams.net (jim funk) (jim funk)
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 13:16:04 -0500
Subject: NCJ
Message-ID: <9607171816.AA12407 at golden.adams.net>

Hey Troops,
        Heard glowing reports on the new NCJ format...but none in my mailbox 
yet.  Anybody else still waiting?  If no replies (direct please) I'll bug ARRL.
        Also, I forgot my other WRTC excuse: computer logging and packet?
In the bush?  You gotta be kidding.
        Congrats to all.  K4VX gotta be pretty proud of his proteges.
                                        73, Jim N9JF                         
                       
Jim Funk - Amateur Radio N9JF 
Where the 160 antennas have Jersey "Cownterpoises"
"Cowpies happen.  What you do with them determines whether you have a 
renewable resource or an environmental hazard." -- Cownfucious


>From norf at euronet.nl (Rob Snieder PA3ERC)  Wed Jul 17 23:18:23 1996
From: norf at euronet.nl (Rob Snieder PA3ERC) (Rob Snieder PA3ERC)
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 18:18:23 -0400
Subject: HQ STATIONS IN IARU TEST
References: <199607171505.RAA08681 at mail.euronet.nl>
Message-ID: <31ED66AF.1C6D at euronet.nl>

> Are the HQ stations going to QSL automatically?  If not, where
> could one find the correct routes?I was operating at PI4AA, just send the QSL to the PA buro
and you will get 100% a QSL card in return.

Rob Snieder PA3ERC 

member of Contestgroup Oude Maas PI4COM/PA6WPX

Homepage PI4COM : http://www.euronet.nl/users/norf/pi4com.html
                  Now with lots of picture of the station !

WF1B FRIEND.INI : http://ids.net/~wf1b/updates.html

Internet e-mail : norf at euronet.nl
Packet Radio    : PA3ERC at PI8MBQ
PacketCluster   : PA3ERC > PI8DXC




>From w7ni at teleport.com (Stan Griffiths)  Wed Jul 17 21:07:30 1996
From: w7ni at teleport.com (Stan Griffiths) (Stan Griffiths)
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 13:07:30 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: WRTC Kudos
Message-ID: <199607172007.NAA11225 at desiree.teleport.com>

>As everyone has said: a FANTASTIC job, and congratulations to Jeff and Dan.
>Of course, Jeff's real callsign is KR0Y/5 - we would expect a Texan to win
>it.
>
>Seriously - I think the W6Q team of 9A3A/S53R deserve special
>congratulations. In a contest like this, despite major efforts to equalize
>the stations, etc,  it's inevitable that the "home teams" (this time the
>North Americans) will have at least a slight advantage. That doesn't spoil
>the fun. 9A3A and S53R in 8th place were the only "visiting team", whose
>native language isn't English, to crack the top 13. Great performance!
>
>John, NT5C.


Right on, John.  I was lucky enough to be their Ref so I got to watch their
performance first hand.  Two very excellent ops but they received no special
attention at all at the awards banquet.  I was disappointed in that since I
beleive if this contest was held in Europe, they would have been in FIRST
place instead of Eighth place . . .

Stan  w7ni at teleport.com


>From kg4w at juno.com (Ed J Hughes)  Wed Jul 17 21:17:47 1996
From: kg4w at juno.com (Ed J Hughes) (Ed J Hughes)
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 16:17:47 EDT
Subject: 1x1's worked
Message-ID: <19960717.201547.4519.0.kg4w at juno.com>

Congratulations to all involved with WRTC-96.
What a chore it must have been to stage such 
an event. It was much fun searching for the short
calls & I hope i'm able to chase um again next 
time. My qso numbers with the 1x1's are reflected
below. I had no 10 meter qsos but did have 15,20
& 40 contacts. Was not able to start till 1430z due
to Packetcluster sysop duties !@#$%^.

5 QSO's each with  W6J,K,L,O,X,     
                                  K6F,G,H,T.X.Z                   55 Q'S

4 QSO'S each with W6A,F,H,Q,R,T,V              84 Q'S
        K6A,C,D,E,J,L,N,O,P,R,S,U,V,W

3 QSO'S ea  W6B,D,E,I,M,N,P,S,U,W,Y,Z       45 Q'S
                       K6I,K,Y

2 QSO'S each with  W6C,G     K6B,Q                8 Q'S

1 QSO  with   K6M                                                 1 Q
                                                                         
    ------------
                                   TOTAL 1X1 Q'S                193

Worked AH3C   3 times   &  AH3D   4 times

Look forward to seeing the top 300 listing etc
& again congrats to all,, much fun.
Ed  KG4W








      





































>From k0rc at pclink.com (Robert Chudek)  Wed Jul 17 20:48:29 1996
From: k0rc at pclink.com (Robert Chudek) (Robert Chudek)
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 20:48:29 +0100
Subject: A3S and Beam Balun
Message-ID: <2.2.16.19960717194829.3ec7bf30 at pclink.com>

Hello Wayne,

   I would recommend you invest in the HyGain BN4000 high
power balun.  I have used this balun for years without a
failure.  I have blown numerous HyGain BN86 "fuseable
links", even running modest power.

   Any balun will work fine as long as you have a low VSWR
at the operating frequency.  But the probability of blowing
the balun increases as you approach the band edges, where
typically the VSWR shoots up over 2:1.  This is where you
run into trouble with the low power baluns.  They can't take
the stress of the high voltages developed and arc/short out.

   73 de Bob - K0RC
   k0rc at pclink.com


At 08:48 AM 7/11/96 CDT, you wrote:
>Recently, I purchased a used A3S and am now about ready to put
>it together and stick it up in the air.  I would like to use
>something other than the 8 turns of coax that is recommended by
>Cushcraft.  I spoke to them yesterday and they advised me that
>it is ok to use a beam balun.  I have found a couple of types
>listed in the catalogs but wondered what baluns others had used
>for this application.  I don't necessarily need to go to a 1.5kw
>model but will run up to about 800w from time to time.  Any and
>all ideas appreciated.
>
>Thanks,
>
>73   Wayne   KC5DVT   ehayes at vnet.ibm.com
>
>


>From floydjr at Interpath.com (Jimmy R. Floyd)  Wed Jul 17 19:54:31 1996
From: floydjr at Interpath.com (Jimmy R. Floyd) (Jimmy R. Floyd)
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 15:54:31 -0300
Subject: IARU 96 Scores III
Message-ID: <2.2.16.19960717185431.2357e9e0 at interpath.com>

IARU 1996 RAW SCORES

Compiled by
>>WA4ZXA<<  (floydjr at interpath.com)

Date Posted: 07/17/96


CALL             PWR       SCORE      QSO's      PTS     ZONES     HQ
________________________________________________________________________


SINGLE OPERATOR - PHONE

TM1C  (F5MZN)    HP       853,649     1579                88       43
DL1FY            HP       103,008      367      1073           96

WB5VZL           HP       625,416     1604      4738     101       31 
VE6JY            HP       619,780     1403      4660      98       35
K4VUD            HP       376,124     1332                77       24
WB1GQR  (WB2JSJ) HP       350,208     1334      3072      77       37
WA4ZXA           LP       181,480      759      1745      66       38
VA3WTO           LP       129,350      783      2587      39       11
W7LZP            HP       116,795      507      1645      57       14
K3IXD            HP        84,854      456                52       25
KB1GW            LP        78,975      435       975      47       34
KS4XG            LP        77,841      343       961      50       31
NZ3I             LP        31,610      211       545      40       18
KF9YH            LP        16,606      193       437      25       13


SINGLE OPERATOR - CW

LY4AA            HP       833,301     1393                    189
IK0HBN           HP       443,360      861      2771      76       84
PA0RCT           LP       265,356      698      2106      56       70

K5GN             HP       960,642     1721      5787     118       48
K4PQL            HP       877,600     1614      5485     102       58
K1VUT            HP       645,120     1390      4480      81       63
K7UP             HP       488,355     1437      4651          105
AA8AV            LP       407,445     1213                    115
N4BP             HP       357,312     1406      3722           96
KB1H  (K1EBY)    HP       304,220      828      2870      65       41
N6KI             HP       293,328     1018      3024      77       20
N0DH/7           HP       287,823      837      2593      90       21
W1IHN            HP       277,112     1004      2948      61       33
WV5S             HP       208,505      717                61       24
WD4AHZ           LP       204,300      715                    100
W7ZRC            HP       202,440      884      2892      55       15
K3JT             HP       152,457      607      1713      61       28
W2UP             HP       129,808      476                45       31
K1EPJ            LP       108,697      525      1489      46       27
KM0L             HP        85,302      470      1354           63  
WB0OLA           LP        60,966      365      1129      39       15
AA8SM                      51,362      356       842      42       19
WA7UVJ           LP        39,100      402       850      38        8
KB0IHM           LP        36,518      446      1178      25        6
W3CPB            LP        28,000      208       508      32       24
VK1FF            LP        13,892      130       604      17        6


SINGLE OPERATOR - MIXED

SN2B  (SP2FAX)          1,457,652     2100               110       91
SM5IMO                    783,364     1553      5293      84       64
IK2VJF                    197,784      574      1476      66       68
YB1AQS                    169,454      355      1569      74       34
PA0COE                     74,880      320       960           78

W9RE             HP     1,027,952     2082      6268     110       54 
K8AZ  (K8NZ)            1,003,392     2030      6432     108       48
AA4NC                     707,427     1625      5319      90       43
WZ4F                      594,270     1622      4402      98       37
W6XR/2                    531,320     1590                71       41
W1GD             HP       272,136      581      2001      79       57
AA4GA            LP       252,450      909      2475      71       31
K0DI                      207,759     1025      3011      60        9
NS0B             HP       159,422      656      2018      57       22
WB5B             HP       152,412      626      1954      60       18
K3CR  (KB3AFT)   LP       143,980      697                60       32
K8JLF            LP       101,371      365      1139      50       39
KG5U            QRP        88,576      454      1384      46       18
N3BDA            LP        82,810      318       910      56       35
WA8YRS           LP        76,711      609      1871           41  
NI8L             HP        23,560      294       760      21       10
K7FR                       22,607      201       611      29        8


MULITOPERATOR

PI4AA                   3,559,710     4315     15477     134       96 
IQ4T                    1,046,640     1756      5880     106       72
HG5C                      831,552     1244      5856      78       64

W1AW/3  (@W3LPL)        5,139,207     8017     21147     166       77
W7OM                      793,800     1526      4536     112       63
N3BB                      705,500     1894      5644      95       30
NC0P                      685,446     1575                    138
KA4RRU                    531,069     1383                    133
N4TO             HP       453,096     1314      3596      82       44
KJ6HO            HP       376,225     1291      3725      87       14
K6XO/7                    359,450     1445                74       17
KX8D                      201,465      893      2035      69       30
VE7CFD           LP       191,828      915      2821      60        8
AC5CT                      56,180      359      1060      41       12
KEWW                       45,270      189                30       15


OPREATOR LIST MULIT

NC0P     NC0P,WA0ETC,WD0GVY,WA0FLS,WR0G
K6XO/7   N5CT,KG7TE,KI7WX,AB7GM,K6XO
KX8D     N9DHN,N9WHG
VE7CFD   VE7CFD,VE7CQK
W7OM     W7OM,W1NG
KJ6HO    KJ6HO,AG8L,KC6CEX
N4TO     N4TO,WB4EYX,WB4MAI,WB4OSN
W1AW/3   AA3NM,K3DI,K3NA,K3RA,KA2AEV,KJ4VG,N3ADL,N3QYA,N5OKR,ND3A,ND3F,
         W3LPL,W3MR,WA3WJD,WB4NFS,WM2H,WN3K,WR3R,WR3Z
IQ4T     IK4HVR,IK4SXJ,I4IFL
HG5C     HA1AG,HA5LV,HA5MO,HA5WE,N9NC,W0YR

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

REMEMBER THESE ARE NOT OFFICIAL AND DO NOT SEND ME ANY LOGS OR ATTACHED
FILES!!

I placed all the HP and LP together so no one would get mislead into 
thinking they have won something they did not. The scores are still marked
HP and LP so you can tell how you did against your own power.

If you send me a score with only single op on it and no phone, cw, or 
mixed on it, I will put you in the mixed section. Send me a correction 
and I will move you.

I assumed from reading the Rules that there is no High and Low Power 
Classes. Most people are sending in whether they used HP or LP. Since
they are taking the time to do this I will break them down for them. 

Where you see a number between the zones and Hq columns means that the 
person added them together. 

73's Jim

           ********************************************************** 
           * Jimmy R. Floyd  (Jim)   Thomasville, NC                *
           *                                                        *
           * Amateur Call:              >> WA4ZXA <<                *
           * Packet Node:               >> N4ZC <<                  *
           * Internet Address:          >> floydjr at interpath.com << *
           **********************************************************


>From pbarkey at wp.bsu.edu (Patrick Barkey)  Wed Jul 17 22:40:13 1996
From: pbarkey at wp.bsu.edu (Patrick Barkey) (Patrick Barkey)
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 16:40:13 -0500
Subject: W6A WRTC:  Story & Comments (long)
Message-ID: <s1ed1887.072 at wp.bsu.edu>

W6A WRTC  (K3LR and WA8YVR, ops.)

The Story:

Drew our station out of a hat, like everyone else.  We were delighted to
get Marko, AB6NJ, as our referee.  We have worked him many times
from 8R1K, as everyone else has.  It was what Marko had in his #file#
that interested us, though -- the description of our station.  Our hopes fell
when we saw that it was a C3 tribander at 40 feet -- we knew other
guys had KT34's and TH6's.  On the other hand, the location was flat,
and was rated as Grade #A# by the station inspection guys.

[Parenthetical note -- these inspections were amazingly thorough and
accurate!  Hats off to Ken, WM2C, and all of the others who knocked on
all those doors and took all those measurement.  Not to mention all the
dipoles put up].

Our host, Al, KE6OT, was ready to do anything it took to accomodate us. 
After asking him the usual #twenty questions,# Tim, K3LR, got to the meat
of the issue.  What would Al do if his neighbors knocked on the door to
complain about possible TVI?  Al#s answer was reassuring -- his new
deadbolts worked just fine.  This was a host with the right attitude!

[Second parenthetical note -- of course K3LR had to put on a new coax
connector!  Now ask me a tough question ... ]

After setting up, we were surprised to hear 10 meters open to the east
coast.  Made a few quick signal checks with other WRTC stations, and
we were all about equal.  This raised our hopes considerably.  Maybe
the flat QTH was a good one.  I was reminded of what W9RE said after
WRTC-90 -- you never know how a QTH is going to play until you get into
the contest.

One of the high points of the contest was getting the envelope at 4:30
AM -- it was #W6A.#  Couldn#t think of a better call.

The contest itself is now a blur.  Opening on 40 CW was less chaotic
than we feared.  Local WRTC stations were not all loud -- in fact, some
were amazingly weak.  We definitely stood at attention whenever
W6QHS called us.  Dave must be line of sight to everything from his
vantage point.

Hitting virgin bands was really an electric experience.  Piles were
manageable, but intense, at least in the beginning.  Had they been any
bigger it would have probably slowed us down (but it would have been
a bigger ego trip, heh heh).

It began to dawn on us sometime in late afternoon that we weren#t
working any DX.  Beyond the JA#s and UA0's on 40 at the start, little
other than the very occasional Carribean station would call in.  Our
second radio was very effective in spotting new QSOs, but lacked the
antenna to hear much DX.  I had to ask our referee, Marko, at this point
#are we allowed to work DX?#

On the other hand, the activity out of the west coast, and specifically,
the Bay area was incredible.  Never worked so many 6's in my life, not to
mention 7's and VE6/7's.  Hats off to these guys for getting on and
making it happen.

Our strategy was simple -- we would work everything we heard. 
Everything spotted with the second radio was pounced on.  We figured
that if we tuned the band and worked everything in this manner, the
mult#s would come.  They didn#t.  They also didn#t answer our CQ#s, by
and large, until late in the contest on 20 when there wasn#t propagation
on any other bands.  That was pretty much the story for us in the
contest, competition-wise.

Our high QSO rates and our ignorance about how other stations were
doing gave us hope that we would place well when it was all over.  Bad
news came in two waves -- first, when we heard how low our mult
was and how much behind the pack we were as a result, and second,
when our claimed score was reduced by more than the average, costing
us two more mults and any hope at the top ten.  Ouch!

All of the guys in the standings are really a great bunch of guys, though,
and even though we were disappointed to not do better than we did, we
have to admit that it was a hell of a lot of fun.  The whole concept of
WRTC has put an energy and a vigor into international contesting that is
like nothing else I#ve ever seen.

Comments:

I wouldn#t change a single thing about WRTC-96.  It was a splendidly
conceived, organized event.  It was such a privilege to participate as a
competitor in this that I am at a loss for words.  I feel that all of the
competitors owe everyone else involved a tremendous debt -- one
which I intend to partially repay by being a referee/judge in the next
WRTC, wherever it may be.

[Parenthetical remark number three: I can imagine no worse torture than
to be a WRTC referee.  To sit there and watch these competitors have all
this fun has got to be awfully tough -- especially when you think you can
do a better job yourself].

On the other hand, I would recommend that we tone down the
competitive rhetoric about the WRTC itself.  The stations are not equal. 
This single competition does not determine the #best of the best,#
whatever that means.  Heck, a lot of the world#s best operators were
judges and referees.  The North American guys have a tremendous
advantage.  Its not a level playing field, and probably never could be
(especially for 54 stations).

I would prefer to see the event billed as an #all-star competition.#  To use
the analogy of US baseball, you play in somebody else#s ball park.  You
work hard.  You don#t want to embarrass yourself or your club or
country.  Some guys get #good pitches to hit# and knock them out of the
ball park.  Some guys who are very good get a bunch of tough pitches
and strike out.  In the end, the fun thing is the spectacle of competition,
the sheer joy of sharing a common experience with so many talented
and friendly people.

If there is a desire (and I think there always will be) to see an operating
event that more closely measures pure operating skill, then I think it
would have to be

[1] smaller, so that more equal stations could be constructed;

[2] restricted to contesters in a more homogeneous geographical area
(like a continent), so that knowledge of language, propagation, etc. is not
a factor;

[3] held more often, so that operating skill over the course of several
competitions emerges as the dominant factor;

[4] rotated to different parts of the continent, so that every competitor
must experience new and unknown propagation and plan their strategy
accordingly.

This event I am describing would not be WRTC.  Far from it.  WRTC is all
about international friendship and promoting the spirit of contesting
across continents and cultures.  Like I said, I wouldn#t change it a bit.

Now back to cutting my grass.

   -- Pat
      WA8YVR


>From george at epix.net (AA3JU)  Wed Jul 17 23:26:29 1996
From: george at epix.net (AA3JU) (AA3JU)
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 18:26:29 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: I'm  NOT bummed
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19960717183918.22bf4f28 at mailhost.epix.net>

Now here on the east coast my recation to the signals in WRTC was completely
different.  That being that they sere awefully close in strength.  Actually
learned a little bit about weak signal reception from it in that it really
showed what a difference of 1 or 2 db is!  Some of the sigs were just
slightly louder than others perhaps barely  perceptible on the S meter or if
so by like 1/2 and S unit here but made a world of difference in the
copyabilty to me.

Also got an apreciation for all the stations that picked me out when I first
started contesting using 100 watts and a dipole!  Thanks guys.

George

At 08:13 PM 7/16/96 -0700, you wrote:

> 
>The sigs from the WRTC guys on 40 were
>> hardly equal here, it was not uncommon to find an S7 1x1 next to an S0 1x1.
>> It was also obvious some locations heard much better than others.  Local
>> QRN?  Don't think the WRTC proved anything operator-wise, but it was kind of
>> fun for a change.
>> 
>>                                 Dan KL7Y
>

>
>* Dipoles are indeed directional, and not all were in the same direction.
>
>* Some of the antennas had better SWR's than others. Some competitors 
>could deal with this better than others---e.g. internal ATU's.
>
>* It is difficult to assess whether the stations that were weak in KL7 
>were the same ones weak elsewhere. Probably, some were and some were not. 
>As in most contests, KL7 is not the primary target direction, as you 
>know.
>
>Having said all that, the fact remains that all the competitors were 
>more-or-less in the open, used tribanders at similar heights, and the 
>same power output. All of us, whether at home, guest-opping, or on a 
>Contest Expedition or DXpedition, have to deal with unexpected 
>developments--always a big part of the game. Bottom line: many of the 
>team scores were tightly bunched--a good indication, IMHO, that the 
>playing field was indeed level for many--if not most-- of the 
>competitors.
*********************************************
*George Cook.....AA3JU.....AKA "The Ratman" *
*george at epix.net.....AA3JU@W3PYF            *
*http://www.epix.net/~george                *
*                                           *
*Proudly Frankford Radio Club.........      *
*.......Proficiency Through Competiton.     *
*"Not just words but a way of life"         *
*********************************************


>From jreid at aloha.net (Jim Reid)  Thu Jul 18 00:38:16 1996
From: jreid at aloha.net (Jim Reid) (Jim Reid)
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 13:38:16 -1000
Subject: OklaComm (AH9B)& Tucker Elect (WM5G)Merge
Message-ID: <1.5.4.32.19960717233816.006a8d08 at aloha.net>

At 06:27 AM 7/17/96 -0500, you wrote:

>DALLAS July 16-Tucker Electronics Company, a distributor
>of new and reconditioned test and measurement equipment, 
>amateur and shortwave radios, and electronic hobbyist 
>products announced today it had agreed to purchase 
>substantially all of the assets and the trademark 
>Okla Comm Center from an Oklahom Corporation owned and
>operated by D. Craig Boyer AH9B.
>
>Tucker plans to consolidate Okla Comm with its retail and
>mail order operation in Garland, Texas.  

It would seem the retail buz of selling to amateurs interested
in commercial ham gear is not so bad after all!

73, Jim, AH6NB


>From wb2nqt at usa.pipeline.com (Mark Sihlanick)  Thu Jul 18 00:41:17 1996
From: wb2nqt at usa.pipeline.com (Mark Sihlanick) (Mark Sihlanick)
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 23:41:17 GMT
Subject: IARU 96 Scores III
Message-ID: <199607172341.XAA20620 at pipe18.h1.usa.pipeline.com>

Have sure appreciated the score postings you have been doing, 
so figured I'd better send mine in. 
 
                      IARU HF Championship    1996 
   Call: WB2NQT                   Country:  United States 
   Mode: SSB                      Category: Single Operator 
 
   BAND      QSO   QSO-PTS   PTS/Q    ZONES  HQ STNS 
   160        7       11     1.57      3      1 
    80       50      110     2.20     12      3 
    40       89      261     2.93     16     12 
    20      459     1491     3.25     34     22 
    15      346     1032     2.98     19     14 
    10      128      234     1.83     10      2 
  --------------------------------------------------- 
  Totals   1079     3139     2.91     94     54 
 
                 Score: 464,572 points 
 
For the 1x1 part of the contest... 
Single op, high power, no packet (of course!)  Only 37 of the 
1X1's (plus ah3c and ahh3d), all on 20 SSB. 
 
73, Mark  
wb2nqt at usa.pipeline.com 
 

>From bernie.mcclenny at mail.wdn.com (Bernie McClenny, WR3E)  Thu Jul 18 08:54:56 1996
From: bernie.mcclenny at mail.wdn.com (Bernie McClenny, WR3E) (Bernie McClenny, WR3E)
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 1996 00:54:56 -0700
Subject: HQ STATIONS IN IARU TEST
References: <133542 at mail.wdn.com>
Message-ID: <31EDEDD0.6CC5 at mail.wdn.com>

ehayes at VNET.IBM.COM wrote:
> 
> Are the HQ stations going to QSL automatically?  If not, where
> could one find the correct routes?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Wayne   KC5DVT   ehayes at vnet.ibm.com

Wayne, I operated @ W1AW/# (QTH W3LPL).  The ARRL will automaticallly 
send QSL's to everyone we worked.  Do not send a card.  de Bernie, WR3E



>From shell at callamer.com (Chris & Bill Shell)  Thu Jul 18 01:48:02 1996
From: shell at callamer.com (Chris & Bill Shell) (Chris & Bill Shell)
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 17:48:02 -0700
Subject: NCJ
Message-ID: <01BB740A.98888780 at antares-1>

Jim,
I am also waiting for my copy.  I was just about to send NCJ a message to ask about my copy.
73, Bill
WA6IET
shell at callamer.com

----------
From:  jim funk[SMTP:jfunk at adams.net]
Sent:  Wednesday, July 17, 1996 11:16 AM
To:  cq-contest at tgv.com
Subject:  NCJ

Hey Troops,
        Heard glowing reports on the new NCJ format...but none in my mailbox 
yet.  Anybody else still waiting?  If no replies (direct please) I'll bug ARRL.
        Also, I forgot my other WRTC excuse: computer logging and packet?
In the bush?  You gotta be kidding.
        Congrats to all.  K4VX gotta be pretty proud of his proteges.
                                        73, Jim N9JF                         
                       
Jim Funk - Amateur Radio N9JF 
Where the 160 antennas have Jersey "Cownterpoises"
"Cowpies happen.  What you do with them determines whether you have a 
renewable resource or an environmental hazard." -- Cownfucious






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