[RTTY] CQWW RTTY

[I2UIY]

Hello RTTYers!

This message has been already posted about 3 weeks ago but, sometimes,
a dupe can be of some help.

Despite poor conditions, this year we received over 1,670 logs for
WPX RTTY and - as far as I know - it was the new all time log
submission record for a RTTY contest. I guess I'm not wrong if I
think that this CQWW will set a new record, too.

On my webpage (http://www.i2uiy.it/postcontest.html) as well as on
AA5AU's page (http://www.rttycontesting.com/AfterTheContest.html) is
available the report I wrote after the 2005 CQWW RTTY. Please find
few minutes to read it before the contest.

Advice #1: please read the Rules.
I mean the OFFICIAL Rules
(http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/RTTYDXContest.html) that are the
only set of Rules you can trust 100%. There are NO changes from the
previous years but reading them once more will not be bad.

Here are just few extra suggestions that will make the log-checker's
life much easier:

- there are no trophy and/or certificates for who sends his log one
hour or less after the end of the contest: take your time, the
deadline is October 26 so there is no reason to post your log immediately.

- if you'll get your log returned by the robot, please remember that
the robot always tells the reason why that log has not been accepted.
If that is not clear, just send me an e-mail and I'll find out what
was wrong in your log. If the robot returns your log once... it makes
no sense submitting it again "as it is" hoping that the robot will
change his mind, it never happens. So it's much better try
understanding what's wrong in your submission.
Remember: the robot is not there to make your life more difficult but
to make our life easier. If you'll feed him a log done in the right format,
he could even kiss you!

- please do NOT submit .ZIP, .RAR, .LHA, .EXE, .DOC files. The robot
will accept ONLY plain ASCII files. If you need - somehow - to edit
your log, please use only NOTEPAD and/or any other ASCII editor that
will not add junk characters to your file.

- if you submit your log correctly, you will receive a message from
our robot within few minutes. Please be sure that the message from
our robot will be accepted by your spam filter. Remember: the message
from the robot only means that we have received and stored your log.
It doesn't means that your log is correct. Later, during the log
checking process, we will look at your log and, if we will find any
problem, you'll get a message from us.

- if we are forced to write you because there is something wrong in
your log... we expect to get an answer (a fast one, if possible) so
please do not ignore our requests: 3 or 4 unanswered messages to the
same guy makes me quite nervous.

- please remember that you must log BOTH the SENT and the RECEIVED
data. This means that a sample Cabrillo line will look like this:
QSO: 14075 RY 2006-09-23 0703 I2UIY         599     15 
DX     KL5E          599 01     DX

- if you work a W/VE station, then you must log his State/Province
abbreviation like this:
QSO: 14112 RY 2006-09-23 1259 I2UIY         599     15 
DX     W4UK         599 05     SC

- if you are a W/VE entrant, then your log will look like this:
QSO:  7042 RY 2006-09-23 0006 AA5AU         599      4 
LA     OM8A          599 15     DX
QSO:  7043 RY 2006-09-23 0007 AA5AU         599      4 
LA     K4GMH         599 5      VA

- please don't guess that handling the contest with computer equals
submitting a perfect log. It is NOT true.
We know that there are two VERY popular contest programs that do
not create the proper Cabrillo file unless you (very) carefully 
configure them.
I did never used any of them but I know that this problem exists because in
the past 2 years we got almost 300 (yes, three hundreds) logs that gave
us BIG problems (missing columns, switched columns, merged columns) and
over 90% of them have been done with one of these two programs.
My suggestion is to simulate a contest log: open a new log for CQWW
RTTY, enter 2 or 3 fake QSOs and create the Cabrillo. If it doesn't
looks like the above samples... you better reconfigure your program
BEFORE the contest.

- please read the Rules and learn what are the available categories.
Please DO NOT enter a non existing category: it would be a waste of
time. These (and ONLY these) are the available categories:
Single Operator - Assisted
Single Operator - All Band - Low Power
Single Operator - All Band - High Power
Single Operator - 80 Meters
Single Operator - 40 Meters
Single Operator - 20 Meters
Single Operator - 15 Meters
Single Operator - 10 Meters
Multi Operator - Single TX - Low Power
Multi Operator - Single TX - High Power
Multi Operator - Two TX
Multi Operator - Multi TX

- remember: (1) no QRP categories at all; (2) Low Power applies ONLY
to Single Operators ALL Bands (i.e. no SO-20-Low, no SO-40-Low and so
on); (3) Assisted applies ONLY to Single Operators ALL Bands (i.e. no
SO-20-Assisted, no SO-40-Assisted and so on).

- there are NO possible sub-categories (no Rookie, no Expert, no
Over-50, no Triband & Single Element).

- in the header of your Cabrillo log you will find the "OPERATORS:"
line. Fill it ONLY of you were MULTI-OP *or* if you did used a
special callsign different from your home callsign. If not, please
leave it empty.

- remember that since 2006 there is a new "Club Competition"
category. I'm sure that each Club officer will take care to instruct
his Club fellows about how to fill the "CLUB:" line in the Cabrillo
header. Please remember that the World is larger than your own
country... so please write the name of your Club as it is, no
abbreviations, no shortcuts. Remember that a Club must... exist (!)
and that his members must be located within a 275Km radius from
center of Club area. When we are not sure if this limit has been
respected or not, we will contact the Club Secretary to check it with
him.

Please forgive me if these suggestions seems too much for expert
contersters but we expect to get at least 1,700 logs and there is
only 1 log checker...

Have fun in the contest!


73 de Paolo, I2UIY/NH7DX
CQ WWDX RTTY Log Checker
i2uiy at cqww.com
Skype I2-UIY


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