[CQ-Contest] WRTC News #25 - Participation Awards for WRTC2014 Announced

[Randy Thompson K5ZD]

WRTC-2014 PRESS RELEASE #25
http://www.wrtc2014.org/participation-awards-for-wrtc2014-announced/ 


WINDHAM, NH Issued May 8, 2014. WRTC 2014, Inc., host of the 2014 World
Radiosport Team Championship competition, is pleased to announce the awards
that will be available for stations that work the WRTC teams during the
competition.

The "WRTC2014 Chase" will run concurrently with the IARU HF Championship
beginning on July 12 at 1200Z. The fifty nine WRTC2014 stations will have
distinctive callsigns that will be easy to recognize (calls to be announced
at a later date).

Activity Awards

Andy Blank, N2NT, director of the WRTC2014 competition committee stressed
the importance of off-site participants as part of the competition. "The
WRTC teams will be using 100 watts to simple antennas. High activity will
make the competition more exciting and help identify the more skilled
operating teams. In what other sport can you stay home and still be on the
field of play?"

Everyone is encouraged to work the WRTC teams on as many bands and modes as
possible. All contacts with WRTC2014 stations will be confirmed by QSL card
via the bureau for DX stations and direct to US stations. All contacts will
also be confirmed through ARRL's Logbook of the World. As an added
incentive, each QSO with a WRTC team counts 5 points for the ARRL Centennial
QSO Party.

Any station that appears in all 59 WRTC team logs will be able to download a
certificate from the WRTC2014 Web site after the contest. No additional
application is necessary.

"Assistant Judge" Award

Scores are expected to be very close among the top teams. Log checking will
be an important element of certifying the order of finish for all teams. The
WRTC2014 Judging Committee needs as many logs as quickly as possible to
assist with the log checking process.

Everyone who submits a log within six hours after the end of the contest
will be given the title of "Assistant Judge of WRTC2014." All logs received
will be entered into a drawing for one of 25 "WRTC2014 Assistant Judge"
hats.

Bronze Awards

Every station that submits a log containing confirmed contacts with the WRTC
teams on 30 or more band/modes will be eligible for the Bronze level award.
These logs will be entered into a drawing to win one of 10 WRTC2014 bronze
medals or one of 50 WRTC2014 mouse pads.

Silver Awards

A Silver medal will be awarded to the first 5 stations from each continent
and W1 that have confirmed contacts with all 59 teams regardless of mode.
Any other stations that work all 59 teams will be entered into a drawing to
win one of 25 WRTC2014 caps.

Gold Awards

Gold medals recognize the highest level of achievement - contacting the WRTC
teams on the most band/modes. With 59 teams, 5 bands, and 2 modes, there are
590 possible band/modes available. Gold medals will be awarded to the top 5
band/mode leaders in each continent and W1. In the event of a tie, the order
will be determined by earliest completion time.

Eligibility

To earn any of the Bronze, Silver, and Gold awards, participants will be
required to submit their contest log within six hours after the end of the
contest (by 1800z July 13, 2014). Logs in Cabrillo format meeting the
requirements of the IARU HF Championship must be submitted by email to
iaruhf at arrl.org and must be acknowledged by the robot. Entrants are
encouraged to submit their log immediately after the contest.

Larry Tyree, N6TR, is responsible for managing the WRTC2014 log checking
process. "We have less than 24 hours to process and cross-check the logs in
order to announce the winners at the Award Ceremony on Monday evening.
Receiving as many logs as possible shortly after the end of the contest will
help improve the quality of the log checking."

Complete rules for the WRTC2014 activity award program are available at
http://www.wrtc2014.org/competition/participation-awards/

To help determine the best times to work the WRTC teams, Stu Phillips, K6TU,
has made his propagation prediction service available for WRTC2014. Enter
your callsign, grid square, and type of antenna system and the service will
provide a table of expected band openings from your location to the WRTC2014
area. See
http://www.wrtc2014.org/k6tu-provides-propagation-forecast-service-for-wrtc2
014/ for more details.

Questions about WRTC2014 and the awards program can be sent to
info at wrtc2014.org.

About WRTC2014

The World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC) is held every four years and
consists of 50+ two-person teams of amateur radio operators from around the
world competing in a test of operating skill.  Unlike most on-the-air
competitions, all stations are required to use identical antennas from the
same geographic region, eliminating all variables except operating ability.
Previous WRTCs have been held in Seattle (1990), San Francisco (1996),
Slovenia (2000), Finland (2002), Brazil (2006), and Russia (2010).  More
information is available at www.wrtc2014.org or contact WRTC Chairman Doug
Grant, K1DG, via e-mail at k1dg at wrtc2014.org.