Topband: The 12th Running of The Stew Perry TopBand DX Challenge

[Lew Sayre]

Yo to the TopBand Yo-Yo's,
      The 12th running of The Stew Perry TopBand DX Challenge is just about
here.  In about a week, give or take a time zone or two, the 160M
enthusiasts from all around our own solar system will take to the air in a
clever contesting format to compete for fame, glory, and beautiful wooden
plaques. This ethereal RF slugfest runs from 1500Z Dec 29 to 1500Z Dec 30,
2007.
     Digitate your browser to   http://www.jzap.com/k7rat/stew.html to read
the eloquent rules and find a lot of other interesting stuff. You'll learn
interesting things such as operating for 14 hours is maximum and the use of
packet is not allowed.  This contest is a throwback to when operators were
operators and a premium is placed upon skill, determination, guile and wit.
This contest is also trend setting as the sponsoring agency, The Boring
Amateur Radio Club
uses the distance between contesting stations and their powers to arrive at
a score.
     The Boring  Amateur Radio Club also has a volunteer plaque awarding
system where the best and brightest of the contesters decide what is worthy
of a beautiful plaque. These Stalwarts of the contesting landscape have
donated $50 each to sponsor a plaque that honors a particular achievement
during the Stew Perry TopBand Extravaganza.  Listed below are the different
plaques that have been made available for this years TopBand exploits.

Call                                Class
KL7RA               Highest number of QSO's
KR2Q                Golden log (highest # of Q's with no busts)
W7TMT              Top Score, Low Power, First time Entry
TF3KX                Aurora Borealis Award- Top Score from QTH north of 60
degrees geomagnetic latitude (within 3,333 km from grid square FQ49)
KB7Q                Top Score QRP
VK6VZ               Top Score with antenna in space < 20mX10m(wins Royal
Flying Doctors of Australia cap rather than plaque)
K7FL                  Top Score 100% Search and Pounce
N7KQ                 Top Score Central/South America
N7UA                 Top Score High Power
AE6RF               "You've got heart, Rookie" third lowest score for first
time entry
N9ADG               Top Score World
AC6DD               Top Score by Portable Station within own country
K1EP                 Top Score, Low Power from a Condominium
KB5NJD              Top # grids with vertical < 10 m tall
NA0Y                  Top Score USA
W7GG                 To be determined by BARC's BOD (tnx Bob!)
N5IA                    Most Grid Squares worked
KI7Y                   Top Score, S/O, Japan (Sandy Lynch
Memorial-W7BX/7J1ABV)
GMCC                 Top Scoring Station > 4000' elevation
GMCC                 Top Score Hi-Power N. America (VE, W or XE) west of 100
deg long
GMCC                 Top Score Low Power N America (VE, W or XE) west of 100
deg long

     As you can read, this is a fine collection of awards to stimulate the
competition. You can join this list of forward thinking radio All Stars by
sending us a category you wish to immortalize along with a paltry $50. The
Boring Amateur Radio Club reserves the right to review the entries as to
appropriateness for the festivities. Rarely we can not approve a suggested
category for a plaque, but it sure makes us laugh a lot here at The Boring
Amateur Radio Club when we read these types of inappropriate malapropisms.
     The winter has been hard on certain QTH's and we lament the damage to
many of our 160M radio stations. We know that these stations will return
better than before because that is the way of TopBand creatures.
     So save some time for yourself during the evening of The Stew Perry
TopBand DX Challenge and get on to work your friends. We shall see you in
The Stew!
    73 and I remain,
    Lew    W7EW/W7AT
    The Boring Amateur Radio Club Vice President in Charge of Hysteria
     w7ew at arrl.net
ps if any of the above offends you, then you are clearly wound too tightly
and need a contesting experience soon!