[CQ-Contest] The 2000 Stew Perry TopBand DX Challenge

[lew at teleport.com]

     Less than 2 weeks before the starting pop of the voltage supply that
signifies the start of The Stew Perry TopBand DX Challenge. The Contest
runs from Dec 30, 1500Z to Dec 31, 1500Z. There are other rules,
obligations and nuances pertaining to the Contest which may be perused at:
      http://jzap.com/k7rat/stew.html
or written up in the Dec, 2000 issue of CQ Contest- The Magazine. The
Boring Amateur Radio Club sponsors this 160M CW contest and has been
deluged with many plaque sponsorships by the TopBand stalwarts. Listed
below are these Stalwarts and the categories they feel are important to
recognize.

Plaque donor                   Category
N5UL-Charles           Top Score, S/O, 100 Watts
K1FK-Dave              Acadia Award- Top Score, S/O-Maine
K1PX-Jim               Top European 100 Watt Score
AA8U-Bruce             Top Score W8 QRP
KJ9C-Mel               Top Score Black Hole
K7JA-Al                Top Score South America
N7JW-Jim               Top Score Japan
AA4NN-Joe              Top EU, S/O, Hi-Power Score
KQ6ES-John             Top Score,100W, ant radiator < 46'
N5IA-Milt              Most Grid Squares Worked
QSL's by N0TT-Charlie  Top Score,S/O,age<21 wid >50 Q's
WA2DFI-Scotty          Top Score Canada
KQ6ES-John             Top Score, 100W,S/O, West Coast
N5OT-Mark              Top Score, S/O, Hi-Power
G4VGO-Bob              Most S. American Stations worked
N7GC-George            Top Score WVDXC vs WWDXC
ND3A-Rob               Top Club Score- World
ND3A-Rob               Top Score, Hi-Power Oceania
W7GG-Bob               Top Score by Op > 60 years old
KI7Y-Jim               Top Score by Op > 50 years old
      If You have a category that you'd like to see in lights, then simply
do what these 160M masters have done: e-mail me with the category followed
by a check for $50.00. The Boring Amateur Radio Club reserves the right to
discourage certain categories involving body parts or immoral acts or
egregious, offensive ideas...although we're tough to be offended. Last
Year's winners have already received this year's plaques, so anything may
be possible. 
    So....do your part to arrange participation in this stellar event, by
depositing favors in the family's favor bank now, grease up your paddles
or wash the crud off of your keyboard and plan to get on 160M to exchange
nocturnal niceties Dec.30-31. The Boring Amateur Radio Club will have its
secret seance soon to attempt to arrange appropriate propagation for the
Stew Perry TopBand DX Challenge.
   73 and I remain,
      Lew

         Lew  Sayre   W7EW/W7AT           lew at teleport.com
         P.O.Box  3110                    Fax 503-391-2258
         Salem, Oregon 97302              160M thru 1296MHz



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>From Michael Tope" <W4EF at dellroy.com  Mon Dec 18 06:05:49 2000
From: Michael Tope" <W4EF at dellroy.com (Michael Tope)
Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 22:05:49 -0800
Subject: [CQ-Contest] Band edges?
References: <125490A005E3D3118C9C00805FC743CC0112045A at kahless.arrl.org>
Message-ID: <00bb01c068b8$92308b60$6401a8c0 at neptune>


I believe the operative criteria for being "out of band" should be
based upon -XX dB bandwidth of the transmitted signal, where the -XX
dB points would be chosen to be compatible with other FCC
specifications on spurious emissions (probably around -60 dBc).

As far as readout frequency goes, it shouldn't matter whether your rig
demodulates the CW signal on the low or high side of the carrier. The
frequency readout of the rig should read the carrier frequency in
either case with the receiver BFO being offset in appropriate
direction in an amount equal to the received tone. In fact if you look
at any modern transceiver with a pitch control, you will notice that
the frequency readout doesn't change when you vary the pitch even
though the CW note is varying. The frequency readout displays the
carrier frequency of the transmitter. The display frequency only reads
out the correct received frequency when the CW signal is tuned to a
pitch exactly equal to the BFO offset of the receiver. Thus, if your
modern rig says 21000.080, that is where your carrier should appear on
a calibrated spectrum analyzer. If you are going 30 WPM per one of the
previous posts, the majority of your transmit spectral energy will not
fall outside the band (some of your phase noise pedestal will
invariably end up out of band, but if your PLL's are reasonably quiet
this noise will be at a level well below FCC requirements for spurious
emissions).

If you are running SSB, then I would argue that should be able to get
within the upper 60 dB point of your transmit SSB IF filter. In other
words if your transceiver has a tight transmit filter with a uppper 60
dB point of say 2.5 KHz, then you should be able to operate SSB at
7152.5 or 14347.5 KHz.

The waters invariably get muddied as our receivers have non-zero
bandwidth. When my rig is tuned to 20.999.990, I may still hear W3XXX
calling CQ contest, but its not because W3XXX is out of band, it is
because my rig has a CW filter that is roughly 9 times wider than
W3XXX transmitted spectrum (if his carrier is at 21000.080, I will
hear a 890 Hz note on my rig with an 800 Hz USB BFO offset. OOs need
to understand these concepts, otherwise they will be handing out
notices when they shouldn't.

73 de Mike, W4EF...........................



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