[CQ-Contest] contests and participation on air

[VE5ZX]

>I think what we need is a way to get the word out about what times of day 
>and on what bands hams in the rest of the world can expect to hear (and 
>maybe even work!) Southeast Asian stations like yours.  I know that

One could also check Zoneprop ( http://www.radiosport.ca/zoneprop/ ).

ZoneProp uses a widely accepted propagation engine to determine the band on 
which a contestant in one CQ DX zone is likely to be able to contact a 
contestant in another CQ DX zone taking into account the current geomagnetic 
activity.

ZoneProp produces a 40 zone by 40 zone matrix that is updated hourly at 
approximately 20 minutes past the hour. The intersection between a row and 
column gives the band on which a contestant in the zone represented by the 
row is mostly likely able to contact an contestant in the zone represented 
by the column. The zone numbers in the left hand column are clickable. Once 
clicked the information for that zone is displayed in isolation above a map 
of CQ DX zones. The pages are refreshed every 10 minutes in order to capture 
hourly updates of the matrix

Technical details

At the heart of the ZoneProp program is REC533, an NTIA/ITS rendering of the 
ITU-R P.533 package. It was chosen following many years of NCDXF Beacon 
Chain monitoring results from various sources, and comparisons with actual 
ionosonde data. As with any propagation predictions program the input 
parameters require careful consideration and calibration. The results from 
the above mentioned studies contributed to the monthly publication of 
various predictions tables, in the RSGB’s - RadCom and the Italian - Radio 
Rivista magazines to name but two. This continuing experience has been 
applied to the production of ZoneProp.

The web output of the model first queries the WWW for the relevant SSN and 
an up-to-date K-index figure. These are used to build an input file that is 
then passed to the prediction program for the required results, FOT 
(Frequence Optimum de Travail), or Optimum Working Frequency. Unlike the 
vast majority of predictions programs the K-index is utilized to adjust the 
FOT as it rises and falls. The International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) and 
actual ionosonde outputs were used to determine the variations in FOT.

The other input variances are the co-ordinates for the zones, which are the 
CQ-WW zones. The zone co-ordinates were chosen to be either in the center of 
the zone or at the highest population density that is nearest to the center. 
The correct method of reading the matrix is to use the left hand list of 
zones as the starting point and then to take the destination zone from along 
the top. This will show the correct FOT for the time of day, propagation is 
not always reciprocal. An example of this is on an East/West path when one 
end of the path is in darkness and the other in daylight. During the morning 
between W1 and W6, is a good example.

Syl -VE5ZX