[CQ-Contest] IARU

[Kenneth E. Harker]

    I hope everyone is getting excited about the upcoming IARU HF World 
Championship contest.  This is a fun 24-hour-long contest in which you
can work everyone and have a blast on the air.  Here are some things to 
remember about this contest:

* There is no "assisted" category for single-operators in the IARU.  This 
  means that if you use packet, you are a multi-single, mixed-mode entry.  
  If you are used to using packet, maybe consider trying this contest without 
  packet just to see what it's like.

* The IARU contest uses ITU zones (not the same as CQ zones!) for the 
  exchange.  (Map: http://www4.plala.or.jp/nomrax/ITU/)  At least figure
  out your own zone before the contest :-)  Keeping an ITU zone map handy
  during the contest is a good idea as well.

* A big feature of this contest is IARU HQ stations.  They send their 
  society abbreviation (i.e. DARC, ARRL, JARL, VERONA, NZARTS, etc.) instead 
  of a zone.  Each counts as a multiplier, so work as many as you can.

* This year, the World Radiosport Team Championship is going on at the 
  same time as the IARU, so there will be plenty of loud stations to work
  in zone 15 - you may be able to work five or six times as many zone 15 
  stations as in years past.  Look for WRTC teams to be especially loud on
  40 meters, as they will have 400 watts into two-element yagis.

* Send in your logs early this year (to help the WRTC log checkers declare a 
  winner) and you might win a prize: http://www.wrtc2006.com/release52.html
  Prizes are also available for working 25 or all 47 WRTC 2006 teams.

-- 
Kenneth E. Harker WM5R
kenharker at kenharker.com
http://www.kenharker.com/