[SECC] ARRL 10M Contest: Rule Changes This Year

[John Laney]

      The ARRL 10 Meter Contest is just two weekends away.  There are some
major rules changes for the contest this year.  For the first time, the
32 states of Mexico will count as multipliers.  What can you do to get 
ready?

* Read the rules: if you haven't read the rules in a while, it's a good
   idea to go through them again.  (Do KL7 and KH6 count as W/VE mults?
   Are YT/NWT/NU three separate multipliers or one?  What about the 
District
   of Columbia?  Are novice stations still worth extra points?  Read the
   rules to find out!)
   http://www.arrl.org/10-meter

* Download the Grupo DXXE's reference sheet for Mexican multipliers in the
   contest.  This is especially useful for phone ops to have handy for 
looking
   up the correct state abbreviations.  It's useful for everyone to know
   which states are in which of the three call areas, and which states are
   likely to be the most active:
   http://www.dxxe.org/concurso/xe-mults.pdf

* Make sure your logging software supports the new multipliers.  Upgrade to
   the latest version and try it out.  Some logging software programs can
   be configured with custom multiplier lists, so support for the new
   multipliers may require special configuration files.  Most logging 
programs
   have email support reflectors if you need additional help.

* For those with directional antennas, make a note of the beam headings to
   Mexico City, Baja California in the west, and the Yucatan peninsula 
in the
   east, just to get a sense in advance of where you will want to point your
   antennas.

* Remember that in addition to the XA-XI prefix block, Mexico is also 
assigned
   prefixes in the ranges 4A-4C and 6D-6J.

* Talk up the contest with your friends.  Not everyone is on CQ-Contest or
   pays really close attention to the rules in QST every year.  Post 
something
   to your contest club or local club discussion forums and mention the
   new multipliers in the contest and how to get ready for them.

* Good luck!


-- Kenneth E. Harker WM5R kenharker at kenharker.com 
http://www.kenharker.com/ 
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