[CQ-Contest] 2011 ARRL CW Sweepstakes

[Larry Hammel]

The 78th annual 2011 ARRL CW Sweepstakes is less than 48 hours away.  If
you are still undecided about your participation, there is plenty of time
to consider a part-time or possibly a full-time entry this year.  Or maybe
you know someone in your area or club that might like to try a Sweepstakes
again after a long hiatus.  Your personal contact via phone or e-mail today
can help get a few more folks on the air this weekend.



Remember last year?  For the first time in the single-op high power
category, the top two finishers ended in a tie!  Pat, N9RV, and NØNI
(piloted by Mark, AG9A) finished with an identical 232,480 points, sharing
the crown.  Third-place finisher Dan, K1TO, had more QSOs than either Pat
or Mark, but he had one fewer section.  There were some close scores in the
other categories and in regional competition too.



More activity means more contacts and more fun for all. What if you can’t
make it full-time?  Get on when you can, but try to work in some contacts
on Sunday afternoon or evening when things start to thin out and new
stations are in great demand.



Here’s the quick overview:



CW Sweepstakes starts this Saturday November 5th at 2100Z

and runs through Monday November 7th at 0259Z



Operate up to 24 out of the 30 hours.

Each off period may not be less than 30 minutes in length.



The 2011 ARRL November Sweepstakes Operating Guide by Sean, KX9X, is a
terrific source of information on the rules, entry categories, exchange
sequence, how to submit your log electronically, etc.  Go to
www.arrl.org/sweepstakes for a link to the Guide as well as access to
plenty of other good-to-know information, like how to get a Participation
Pin for making over 100 QSOs or how to earn a popular Clean Sweep mug for
working all 80 sections.



Something new this year!



Beginning with the 2011 SS, the Single Operator Unlimited (U) and
Multioperator (M) categories have been split into High Power and Low
Power. Entrants
still send the U or M precedence as part of the contest exchange but can
now compete with others in a comparable power category.  See the rules for
more information.



It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. New categories create a LOT
of new records that will be up for grabs.  Consider a low power entry in
one of these two categories and maybe you will see your call on the record
list after log-checking this year.



Finally –



Log submission deadline is 0300Z on Tuesday, November 22, 2011.



This year, Daylight Savings Time ends in the midst of SS-CW for most ops in
the US and Canada.  Your logging program and PC should handle the change
seamlessly (just like it did last year) but it’s worth noting.



And don’t overlook 10 meters.  The 28 MHz band wasn’t much of a factor last
year – but it’s a good bet that things might be very different this time
around with the recent improvement in solar conditions.



SS!





73,

Larry Hammel K5OT

ARRL Sweepstakes Contest Manager