[NCC] The Sprint Survival Web Page
Tim Duffy
tduffy@sygnet.com
Sun, 03 Sep 2000 08:28:44 -0500
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This is a great page for getting started in the Sprint or polishing your
Sprint skills.
73,
Tim K3LR
http://jzap.com/n6tr/sprint.html
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<title>The Sprint Survival Web Page</title>
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<p align="left"><a href="http://www.waterw.com/~ncj/"><img
src="http://web.jzap.com/n6tr/ncjhead.jpg" border="0" width="315"
height="105"></a><font size="5"><strong> </strong></font></p>
<p align="center"><font size="5"><strong>The Sprint Survival Web
Page</strong></font></p>
<p align="center"><em>"The Sprint - the most fun you can
have in 4 hours with your clothes on." - N6TR</em></p>
<hr>
<p>This page was put together by some of the sprint veterans as
an introduction to this very unique contest. The intent is to let
you engage at a level you are comfortable with - and teach you
some of the tricks and techniques that will allow you to increase
both your score and enjoyment.</p>
<p>The Sprints are held in February and September. For exact
dates and full rules - check out the NCJ web page by clicking on
the NCJ logo at the top of this page or one of the specific links
as shown:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.ncjweb.com/sprintrules.html">Sprint
Rules</a> - Note that they have not updated the dates for
2000. The next CW Sprint should be on September 9th (10th
UTC) and the next SSB Sprint should be the following Saturday
(16th local / 17th UTC). </p>
<p><a href="http://www.ncjweb.com/index.php3?leftcol=contestmenu&rightcol=contests">Official
NCJ Contest Web Page</a> - includes records and e-mail
addresses of the editors.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The sprints are held on 20, 40 and 80 meters. The contest
starts at 00Z and runs for 4 hours. Most stations start on 20,
but in recent sprints, some of the midwest and east coast
stations spend the first fifteen or twenty minutes on 40 meters,
and then QSY up to 20 meters. This is done to allow them to work
each other before the skip gets too long later in the contest.
The only risk to this is that their 20 meter QSO total might
suffer. By 0130Z, most of the activity has moved to 40 meters,
but you will still find some activity on 20 as late as 0230. It
is sometimes a good strategy to QSY back to 20 for a few minutes
around 0200 to pick up some potential multipliers. Most stations
spend the last hour on 80 meters. </p>
<p>The frequencies typically used on CW are 14025-14060,
7025-7060 and 3525-3560. The top ten kHz is where the slower
stations tend to hang out (above the fray). If you are not
comfortable at the blazing speeds many of the sprint operatiors
use on CW, your best bet is to go to the top ten kHz and call CQ
at a comfortable speed. The good sprint operators will call you
at your speed. On SSB, the typical frequencies are 14235-14300,
7190-7250 and 3800-3850. </p>
<hr>
<p><font size="4"><strong>The Exchange</strong></font></p>
<p>The exchange is both calls (more about this later), a QSO
number, your name and your QTH (state/province/DXCC country). If
this was the end of the rules - we would have just another
average contest.</p>
<p>The one rule that makes the sprint a whole new experience is
the QSY rule. The QSY rule has two parts:</p>
<ol>
<li>If you are the initiating party of a QSO (i.e., you
called CQ) - when you are done with the QSO, you must QSY
at least five KHz before you can initiate another QSO.</li>
<li>If you are the initiating party of a QSO, you must QSY at
least 1 KHz before you can respond to someone else
initiating a QSO.</li>
</ol>
<p>Initiating a QSO can be done by any of the following means:</p>
<ul>
<li>Calling CQ - sending QRZ - any action that initiates
communication that leads to a QSO.</li>
<li>Finishing a QSO where you inherit the frequency. This
happens if the QSO you are finishing was initiated by the
other person either by them calling CQ or finishing a QSO
where they inherited the frequency.</li>
</ul>
<p>This sounds a lot more complicated than it is. Essentially,
think of it this way - if you "own" the frequency,
after making a QSO, the person you worked now owns the frequency
and you have to go find a new one. You can either move 1 KHz and
answer someone and then inherit their frequency - or move 5 KHz
and call CQ yourself. </p>
<p>This is obviously a lot different than just CQing away on one
frequency. I like to think of it is as rewarding the act of
searching and pouncing. If you find someone CQing and call them -
you get rewarded by working them - and then having your own
frequency for another QSO. Many times, people will call you
before you even have a chance to CQ. Sprint champions have
figured out that getting two QSOs per frequency is much better
than one - and are eager to find stations they can call as they
are finishing up a QSO.</p>
<p>To help illustrate how this all works, we have some WAV files
that will step you through the process. First, we will do it on
phone - and then on CW.</p>
<hr>
<p align="left"><font size="4"><strong>SSB Sprint QSO Example</strong></font></p>
<p>The first WAV file shows a complete QSO on SSB in the sprint.
You will hear the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>K7RAT calling CQ sprint.</li>
<li>N6TR answering his CQ.</li>
<li>K7RAT responding to N6TR and sending his exchange.</li>
<li>N6TR coming back with his exchange.</li>
<li>K7RAT confirming the QSO ("QSL")</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://web.jzap.com/n6tr/k7rat.wav">Click here to
hear this QSO</a></p>
<p>Now - the Sprint QSY rule comes into play. Since K7RAT
"owned" the frequency before the QSO with N6TR - he
must now QSY to another frequency and N6TR "owns" the
frequency. N6TR can now call CQ on this frequency.</p>
<p><a href="http://web.jzap.com/n6tr/k7rat1.wav">Hear K7RAT QSL
the QSO and then N6TR calling CQ</a></p>
<p>Note that N6TR paused between the time he heard K7RAT say
"QSL" and when he started calling CQ. Often, someone
else will be listening in on the QSO, and as soon as K7RAT
acknowledges the QSO - they will jump in with their callsign to
work N6TR without him even having to call a CQ. We will see this
demonstrated in the CW example.</p>
<p>As soon as someone answers N6TR - N6TR will have to QSY and
the new station will get the frequency.</p>
<p>If K7RAT hung around to work this third person without first
working someone else - he has violated the QSY rule. He must QSY
at least 1 kHz before he can call anyone. He must QSY 5 kHz
before if he wants to CQ again.</p>
<hr>
<p align="left"><font size="4"><strong>CW Sprint QSO Example</strong></font></p>
<p align="left">Fasten your seat belts and listen to two
consecutive CW QSOs in the sprint. These are actual off the air
QSOs. After you have listened to it once, we will break it down
into pieces and explain what is going on. This is a big file - so
it will take a minute or two to download. The rest of the files
are much shorter.</p>
<p align="left"><a href="http://web.jzap.com/n6tr/w4pa0.wav">Click
here to listen to two CW sprint QSOs</a></p>
<p>Okay - hopefully that didn't blow you away too badly. Keep in
mind that you can approach the sprint at a CW speed you are
comfortable with by simply calling CQ at that speed. </p>
<p>Okay - let's listen to this all again - but a small part each
time. </p>
<p>The first thing that happened, is that N6TR is tuning around
the band and hears W4PA sending an exchange. He hears "4GA
60 SCOTT TN W4PA". Note how both calls are sent in the
exchange. The first call is AA4GA, but we don't hear the first
two letters.</p>
<p><a href="http://web.jzap.com/n6tr/w4pa1.wav">Click here to
hear W4PA sending his exchange</a></p>
<p>It is interesting to note that W4PA sent his call at the end
of the exchange, not near the front. This is an indication that
W4PA is about to "own" the frequency. If he had put his
call in the front part of the exchange (i.e., after AA4GA), that
would indicate that the other station has to send their exchange
next and W4PA isn't interested in having someone call him at that
point.</p>
<p>The fact that W4PA sends his call at the end of the exchange
tips N6TR off that he can work W4PA in just a few seconds if he
wants. The sequence of events is W4PA finishing his exchange,
AA4GA acknowledging the exchange (by sending "TU") and
then N6TR dumping in his call to work W4PA.</p>
<p><a href="http://web.jzap.com/n6tr/w4pa2.wav">Click here to
hear all of this take place in 4.58 seconds!</a></p>
<p>W4PA will now send his exchange to N6TR. This time he will put
his call up near the front of the exchange. </p>
<p><a href="http://web.jzap.com/n6tr/w4pa3.wav">Click here to
hear W4PA sending his exchange to N6TR</a></p>
<p><a href="http://web.jzap.com/n6tr/w4pa4.wav">Click here to
hear N6TR sending his exchange to W4PA</a></p>
<p>Note that N6TR has the serial number sent a little slower than
the rest of the exchange. This is done on purpose to help make
the number easier to copy. Also, N6TR sends his call at the end
of the exchange.</p>
<p>When N6TR is done, W4PA will QSL the QSO. N6TR will wait a
half second to see if anyone is going to call. Remember on SSB -
nobody did, and he called CQ.</p>
<p><a href="http://web.jzap.com/n6tr/w4pa5.wav">Listen to N6TR
finish his exchange, W4PA QSLing the QSO with a DAH, and then
K5TR sending his call. </a></p>
<p><a href="http://web.jzap.com/n6tr/k5tr0.wav">Listen to N6TR
sending his exchange to K5TR</a></p>
<p>and finally </p>
<p><a href="http://web.jzap.com/n6tr/k5tr1.wav">Listen to K5TR
sending his exchange to N6TR</a></p>
<p>This whole process - including the last half of the QSO with
AA4GA at the start took a total of only 40 seconds. </p>
<p><a href="http://web.jzap.com/n6tr/w4pa0.wav">Listen one more
time to the whole thing</a> (it won't take any time to download
since it is in your cache now).</p>
<p>Remember, if you are more comfortable operating at 15, 20 or
25 WPM, the best thing to do is call CQ at the speed you want to
send at. The good operators will QRS to your speed and call you.
A good place to do this is above the main activity on
14050-14060, 7050-7060 and 3550-3560. This is where sprint
operators look for the slower stations. You will typically find
less QRM on these frequencies as well.</p>
<p>If you are interested in knowing more - here are some other
places to check out. Most of these are postings that were made to
the CQ CONTEST reflector.</p>
<p><a
href="http://www.contesting.com/_cq-contest/199809/0020.html">How
to finish a QSO in the CW Sprint </a>- N6TR (well, sorry - only
one place to look. If you come across others, please let me
know).</p>
<hr>
<p><font size="3">We hope this introduction will make your sprint
experience more enjoyable. If you have specific questions or
ideas on how to improve this introduction, please send e-mail to </font><a
href="mailto:n6tr@contesting.com"><font size="3">n6tr@contesting.com</font></a><font
size="3"> and we will get right back to you.</font></p>
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