Topband: The Stew will Commence within 24 hours!

[Lew Sayre]

Salutations to All 160 Meter Movers, Shakers and Oscillators,
    In a few short hours The Stew Perry Topband DX Extravaganza
sponsored by The Boring Amateur Radio Club will start. Before you
engage in this RF funfest  please browse on over to our
website and read it through a couple of times. It is short but powerful.
http://www.kkn.net/stew/
     Listed below are the plaques which may be won by being the
best in whatever category is specified. Smart, forward thinking,
good looking Hams are the listed donors who are sponsoring these
plaques. Next time you see one of these donors please buy them a
beverage or express your gratitude to them as they are doing good
work.

Donor                    Category
KL7RA                  Top # of QSOs
North Pole Contest Plaque to be decided by Contest Performance
TF4M                     Top Score 160M mobile (must actually be able to
move)
N0TT                      Top Score < 21 years old > 200 QSOs
TF4M                      Longest Distance QSO- 2 plaques
AA6VB                   Top Score,base loaded Vert <60' tall
AA6VB                   Top Score big city >50K, little pistol <100W
KH6LC                    VK-ZL Challenge: Top Score VK-ZL
N5IA                       Most Grids worked
N5IA                      Highest score daylight operation only
K7FL                     Top Score 100% Search/Pounce
NA0Y                    Top Score USA
K6ND                    K6SE Memorial-Top Score World
K1EP                    Top Score by First time Entrant
K2PO                    Top Score,S/O,Low Power, Zone 3
TF3KX                   Aurora Borealis Award- Top Score N of 60 deg N
                            geomagnetic latitude
K7CA                    Top Score China
K7CA                    Top Score Southern Hemisphere
W2GD Team          Top # NA+SA Qs by EU Station
KR2Q                    Golden Log- Top # of Qs with no busts
W7RH                   Top Score Low Power Asia
W5GN                   Closest Score to overall average of Entrants
W0RI                     Top Score Canada
AA0RS                  Top # of Prefixes worked
AA0RS                  S. Hemisphere Station working most USA States
N1LI Long Island     Top Score from IOTA recognized Island
DX Society
NA6E Memorial      Plaque to be decided by Contest performance
ARC
N9TF                      Top Score USA wid <100W, wire<100' long, no
                               higher than 50', using traps or tuner
KS8M Northern        Top QRP Score
 Ohio QRP Club
KS8M Northern         Longest DX by a QRP station
 Ohio QRP Club
VK6VZ                  VK6HD Memorial- Top Score by N hemisphere
                            station working S hemisphere stations. Winner
                            gets Flying Doctors of VK baseball cap.
Dr. Beldar-L1AR   Top score utilizing temporary antenna. (All parts
           of temporary antenna including radials must be installed after
           Dec. 14, 2014. This antenna must be the only antenna for
           TopBand at the station, and may be left up, because as we
           all know, "temporary" means "until I die".)

     Please exercise your sense of hearing aggressively as there will
many weak signals throughout the band. Some of these weak signals
will be from far off DX lands which are active for the contest. Some of
the weak signals will be from QRP or less stations and some will be
emanating somehow from loaded rain gutters or abandoned vehicles
or unterminated feed lines due to operator error. The efficiency of some
of the 160M antennas in use may be somewhat sub par so exercise
patience and work to capture the call and grid square. Occasionally
these weak signals may be coming from an ancient local refrigerator
or other malfunctioning electronic device in which case you may not
be able to copy the grid square, or a valid call sign. Do not despair but
simply put in the log what you copy. We do not, however, have a
plaque sponsored for "Top Score-worked all Frigidaires". Maybe
next year...
     If you have a last moment plaque you'd like to sponsor please let
me know soon and we can add it to the final final list.
    The purpose of The Stew Perry TopBand DX Challenge is to exercise
the 160M band, emulate Stew Perry and to have fun with a bunch of like
minded people.
Please join us and give it a try!
   73 and I remain,
  Lew   w7ew
The Boring Amateur Radio Club Committee on Fun
w7ew at arrl.net