[SECC] This weekend's contests

[John Laney]

Hello all:

Thanks for the interst expressed by voting on the proposed by-laws changes.

This weekend, the big contest in ARRL 10 M.  It runs from 00 UTC 
Saturday (7 PM Friday EDT) until 2359 UTC Sunday.  10 meters, either 
both modes, or a single mode.  QRP, LP, or HP.  There is also a M/S 
competition, mixed mode only.  Packet assisted operators are included in 
M/S.  The exchange is RS/RST and state or province or DC and serial 
numbers for non US/VE stations.  Novice and Technician stations may sign 
/N or /T on CW and count for extra points when worked and logged.  MM 
stations send their Region (log as R1, R2, or R3).  Each phone contact 
is two points; each CW contact is 4 points (except for /N and /T between 
28.1 and 28.3 on CW, whihc count 8 points).

Multipliers are counted once per mode and include US States (excluding 
KH6 and KL7, which count as DX), and Ve mults:  NB, NS, QC, ON, MB, SK, 
AB, BC, NWT, NF, LB, YT, PEI, and NU.  Also DXCC countries and ITU 
regions for MM stations (maximum of 3 per mode, of course).

Your call must indicate your DXCC country if competing as DX, so a 
mainland US station in KP4, etc. must sign portable even if FCC rules do 
not require it.  Apparently the KP4 can operate in the US without 
signing /W4, but I don't think our logging programs will pick up the 
correct points for that.  I remember a lot of guys losing points last 
year for working and logging such stations without a portable 
designator, but I'll leave it to you to determine what to do. 
Apparently the only way to prevent losing points last year was to add 
the /W4 even if it wasn't used.

Email entries to 10meter at arrl.org in Cabrillo format.  I don't see 
anything about club competition in this contest, but it never hurts to 
put down South East Contest Club even if there is no such competition.

Complete info is available at: 
http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2003/10-meters.html.

Propagation forecast for this weekend is terrible for 28 mhz, but let's 
put out a lot of RF and try to make some contacts anyway.  The station I 
visited in Curacao two weekends ago will be QRV as PJ2T and there will 
be other special operations.


Why not turn down your rig to 5 watts or get out your 5 watt rig and do 
a two hour sprint Saturday night if 10 meters is dead?  The 2003 Great
Colorado Snowshoe Run is 0200 to 0359 UTC Sun Dec 14, Sat Dec 13 local 
time 9 to 11 PM.  40 meters only and only CW.  5 watts maximum.  Send 
RST + SPC + Antenna class (w = single element wires, v = single element
verticals, b - multi element antenna and rhombics) + CQC member # or 
power output.   Spot frequency would be around 7040.  complete info at:
http://www.cqc.org/contests/snow2003.htm.

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

73,


John, K4BAI.