The WPX CW contest took place at the end of May. Conditions were reported to be somewhat disappointing but it sounds like everyone had fun. Jerry, N6RV had just a few hours to play and said conditions tanked on Sunday. Paul, W8GJK did S&P only and feels like he recharged his CW muscles. Frank WA6KHK was very happy with his score of 1M+. He's been hamming 62 years now. Bill W6QU (@W8QZA) felt conditions were good other than Saturday morning. He was QRP and recorded his highest score since 2018. He logged 64 Europeans! Paul, K6PO ran high power for the first time and liked the extra dBs. Unfortunately, conditions weren't particularly good for him. Steve, AC6T did a remote shake out of the UCSB W6RFU station. Jim, N6TJ was part of the NH7T M/M effort and the team has reportedly broken the Oceania M/M record in this contest.

Ken, K6LA was at his VY2TT station. He had some rotator troubles but reported this was his first time using two K4 radios. He is really enjoying them. Perhaps not surprisingly given the current Russia-Ukraine situation, he worked only three Russians (which count for zero points and zero mults). Terry, N6CW used the NA6TT call at the K6NA station. He said that 20 meters was "wild and crazy." It stayed open until 11 pm Saturday night. Bruce, WA7BNM found conditions to be very poor (he was SOSB 10m hoping to complete his WAS on 10). He operated Saturday only. Dana, K6NR reported lots of activity and decent conditions. He found 20m open to Europe and other parts of the world during a large part of the contest. 10m was mostly South America. Marko, N5ZO (as NT6Q)said conditions on Sunday were miserable. Fortunately, his strategy of operating the first 24 hours paid off in that regard.

Last month we mentioned that Dan, N6MJ had piloted TI7W to the top spot SOHP in last November's CQWW DX CW contest and that he averaged 236 Q's per hour, including an astounding 464 hour! Now you can hear that hour for yourself by clicking here.

The following came in from Tim, K3LR ("For the Contest Hotel Committee" at the Dayton Hamvention) via the CQ-Contest reflector. Note though that the rooms could already be taken...they do go quickly!

Attention Contesters and DXers!
Room reservations will be taken by the Hope Hotel for Hamvention week 2023 starting on Monday, June 6, 2022 at 9 AM EDT. Do not call them before that time. You can get room reservations by phone only. If you try to book on line you will see that there are no rooms for those dates. Every room in the Hope Hotel has been blocked for Contesters and DXers for Hamvention week.
Starting Monday June 6, 2022 at 9 AM EDT, you can call 937-879-2696 and ask for a reservation in the Contest University 2023 room block. There is no minimum night commitment. The room rate is $145 per night plus tax and that includes a hot buffet breakfast each day of your stay. The room rate is the same for a single queen, two queens or a single king with a pull out.
Good details are here:
http://contestsupersuite.com

Tim also published the link to the 2022 Contest University files. Click here to check them out.

And Bob, N6TV has published his photos from this years Dayton convention. Pictures from the Contest Dinner are here and photos from Contest University can be found here.

We have learned that Vibroplex has become the new USA and Canada distributor and service company for SPE Expert Linears. Bob, W5UQ is retiring and sold the SPE business to Vibroplex. The Expert Linears web site will remain up until further notice according to word on the street. Old timers may remember when Vibroplex was that little old company that made (excellent) bugs and straight keys. They've come a long way since then, baby!

The notice below came in from Claudio, I4VEQ regarding site sponsorships for WRTC (to be held in July, 2023).

"WRTC 2022 Announces Site Sponsorships

In July, 2023, elite amateur radio competitors from every corner of the world will gather in northern Italy to compare their skills on an even playing field in what has become known as the “Olympics” of amateur radio competitive events, the World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC 2022). The competing teams will operate from sites in Bologna area, and the Organizing Committee for WRTC 2022 is seeking site sponsors to help provide suitable facilities for each team. Site Sponsorships will help cover the cost of all items needed at each of the 65 operating sites.

Since WRTC 2014, site sponsorships have provided a means to recognize clubs, “silent keys”, and other supporters. Each site will be prominently identified during the competition as sponsored by the club or group, in memory of a silent key, or otherwise as designated by the sponsor. Requests to sponsor the site for a specific team or winners of a specific geographic region (such as “NA1”) will be honored on a first-come basis, so committing to sponsor a site as soon as possible will increase chances that your specific request can be honored.

Site sponsorships also will be acknowledged by WRTC 2022 in printed, web, and video materials in addition to being displayed prominently at the station location. Multiple sites can be sponsored, and special recognition will be given to the club, group, or individual that sponsors the most sites. Clubs from all over the world showed their significant commitment to the WRTC idea with a site sponsorship donation in 2014 in New England and 2018 in Germany. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the WRTC 2022 committee has been unable to solicit support in person, so your expression of support through tent sponsorships is especially needed now.

Site sponsorships are available immediately to clubs, groups, and individuals for 1200 Euros.

Please refer to our list of geographic competitive areas to sponsor a tent for your local area (see Section 3 of the Rules here:
https://www.wrtc2022.it/en/site-sponsorship-21.asp.

SCCC is the official sponsor of the NA9 site that will be used by KI6RRN and N5ZO. The sponsorship fee was funded by the generous donations of K0XP, K6AM, K6LA, K6LL, K6NA, K6NR, K6PO, K6ZH, N6AN, N6CW, N6NC, N6VOH, N6ZFO, NE6I, VE4EA, W4EF, W6TK, W7IV and WA7BNM.

Claudio also sent the following notice calling for referees at the next WRTC in Italy.

Want to be a referee at next WRTC in Italy, July 2023?

After having published the list of TL and TM qualified at WRTC2022 it is now time for the referees.

A referee will be on site at each of the 65 competing stations to verify compliance with the rules and make decisions on any rule questions by the teams. Referees require excellent knowledge of CW, and SSB skills, as well as the ability to stay awake for the entire duration of the test (24 hours). Referees must know and apply the WRTC2022 rules when they are published.

If you want to participate in the next WRTC as a referee, find the online application HERE or visit www.wrtc2022.it Competition --> Referees

1) fill in and submit your application form
AND
2) send an email to referees@wrtc2022.it with your CV (max 1000 char) and a close-up photo (JPEG, GIF, BMP,PNG Max 500KB)

Please submit your application no later than 2359 UTC 10 July 2022

The selected referees will receive a further confirmation.

73 de
WRTC2022 Organizing Committee

This one is not contest related but is a fun read and I thought everyone might enjoy it. The article starts out with the comment that "With all the changes and advancements in technology, it is remarkable to see one particular hobby last more than 100 years even in times of trouble. That’s amateur radio." One cannot argue that point, for sure! Check it out Ham radio operators: A long-lasting technology

Strange but true...
Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur. The stripes are like human fingerprints in that no two tigers have the same pattern.

73 for now,
--Dennis NE6I

less

Our June, 2022 poll was "I will be operating Field Day this year"

39% said with a club at a park or other location away from home. Another 39% said from home said from home.
22% said they wouldn't be participating this year.

Our May, 2022 poll was "My first contest was:"

22% said the Novice Roundup. 17% each said ARRL Sweepstakes, a state QSO Party, CQWW DX, or another contest. 
 10% said the ARRL International DX Contest. 

Our April, 2022 poll was "Your top QSOs per hour rate over a full 60 minutes is:"

47% said 61-70. 18% said 41-50 and another 18% said 81-90. 17% said 41-50. 

Our March, 2022 poll was "In a single contest weekend, you have worked 100 DXCC entities."

36% said yes and 64% said no.

Our February, 2022 poll was "You are only allowed to contest on one band, the band of your choice. Which one 
would it be?"

42% said 40 meters, 27% said 20 meters, 15% said 15 meters, 8% said 10 and 4% said 160. 4% said 2 meters or 
above.

Our January, 2022 poll was"Continuing with last month's typing subject, for those of you that touch type, 
did you learn to do so in a class, on the internet (including a typing app or program), or are you self 
taught?"

50% said in a class. 19% said self taught and 31% said they use hunt and peck instead.

Our December, 2021 poll was"When using contest software, do you touch type or hunt and peck?"

61% said hunt and peck. 39% said touch type.

Our November, 2021 poll was "Have you ever owned a Heathkit Radio transmitter, receiver or transceiver?"

70% said yes, in the past. 18% said they own one or more now and 12% said no.

Our October, 2021 poll was "Have you ever owned a Collins Radio transmitter, receiver or transceiver?"

11% said yes, in the past. 17% said they own one or more now and 72% have never owned one. 

Our September, 2021 poll was "I plan on purchasing at least one new station accessory in the 
coming year."

80% said yes and 20% said no. Are you listening, vendors?

Our August, 2021 poll was "I plan on installing at least one new antenna in the coming year."

64% said yes and 36% said no.

Our July, 2021 poll was "The last time I visited a brick and mortar ham radio store was"

47% said in the past two to four years. 37% said in the past year. 16% said five or more years ago.

Our June, 2021 poll was "My career (or former career if retired) is/was in the electronics or 
telecommunications industry."

53% said yes and 47% said no. 

Our May, 2021 poll was "I have a family member who is also a licensed amateur radio operator."

44% said yes and 56% said no. 

Our April, 2021 poll was "My significant other_____in contests."

60% said tolerates me participating. 15% said encourages me to participate. 10% said doesn't care if I 
participate and another 10% said sometimes participates with me. 5% said they don't have a significant 
other.

Our March, 2021 poll was "Keeping with the theme of last month's poll, my favorite 
type of contest is:"

47% said DX. 33% said stateside. And 20% said both.

Our February, 2021 poll was "My favorite contests are (those in duration):"

28% said 48 hour contests, 11% said 30 hour contests, 5% said 24 hour contests, 17% said 
10 hour contests, 5% said 4 hour contests and 5% said 1 hour contests. 22% said all of
the above! One respondent said all of the above with the exception of Field Day and 
those with other complicated exchanges. 

Our January, 2021 poll was "Do you prefer hard copy QSLs or electronic ones?"

19% said they prefer hard copy (paper) QSLs, 50% said they prefer electronic QSLs (IE, LOTW, 
eQSL, QRZ, etc.), 25% said they had no preference, and 6% said they do not QSL at all. 

Our December, 2020 poll was "I sometimes have conflicts between contest events and
 family events on holiday weekends preventing me from as much participation in one or
 both of them as I'd like.

17% said often, 56% said occasionally, 22% said contesting always wins out, and 5% said
 family events always win out. 

Our November, 2020 poll asked "Is your antenna system mostly:"

42% answered less than 5 years old. 16% each answered 5-10 years old, 11-15 years old 
 or 16-20 years old. 10% answered more than 20 years old.

Our October, 2020 poll asked "Is your current primary transciever:"

43% answered 5-10 years old. 30% said less than 5 years old. 17% said 11-15 years old and
 10% said more than 20 years old.

Our September, 2020 poll was two parts. "Are you an ARRL member?"

87% said yes and 13% said no.

Are you a paid member of any other club other than ARRL?

73% said yes and 27% said no.

Our July, 2020 poll was "Where do you typically operate Field Day from?

23% said from home, 6% said portable by themselves, 59% said with a club and 12% said they
 don't typically operate Field Day.

Our June, 2020 poll was "Did you discover amateur radio on your own?

35% said yes, 35% said that they discovered it via a family member and 30% said that they
 discovered it via a friend.

Our May, 2020 poll was "Have you ever built and/or used Heathkit amateur radio equipment?"

65% said they have both built and used Heathkits. 20% said they have used but not built them
 and 15% have neither built nor used a Heathkit.

Our April, 2020 poll was "Did you participate in the National Traffic System (NTS)?"

25% said yes and 75% said no.

Our February, 2020 poll was "What is your thought on the new digital modes as it pertains
 to contesting?"

27% said great! And another 27% said "not for me." 21% said "they are poisoning amateur radio
 contesting." Wow, brutal. 14% said they haven't tried them. 8% said "not bad" and 3% said
 "unsure / too early to day."

Our January, 2020 poll was "Have you ever operated in a RTTY contest?"

86% said yes and 14% said no. 

Our December, 2019 poll was "Have you ever operated in a VHF contest?"

86% said yes and 14% said no. 

Our November, 2019 poll was "Do you operate in very many contests just to have some
 fun / hand out some contacts?"

86% said yes and 14% said a few.

Our October, 2019 poll was "LOTW has revolutionized QSLing. How do you respond to
 hard copy QSLs that you receive after a contest?

87% said they send a return QSL the same way the incoming card was received (direct or via
 the Bureau). 13% said they send electronic QSLs only (IE, LOTW, eQSL, QRZ and/or other).

Our September, 2019 poll was "If you could go or are going on a Contest Dxpedition
 next year, where would you go?"

75% said to the Caribbean! 25% said somewhere in the Pacific.

Our August, 2019 poll was a two parter. "Do you miss (or wish we had) SCCC pizza meetings?"

20% said Yes, I really miss them. Another 20% said Yes, I hear they were a good time.
 10% said I could take them or leave them. Another 10% said No, I'm not that interested in
 attending meetings at this time. 60% said I probably wouldn't be able to attend many of them
 due to distance or other reason.

The second question was "If we had SCCC meetings, I would..."

10% said Attend as many as possible. 20% said Attend them if they were less than an hour's
 drive. 40% said Attend now and then. 20% said Might attend some of them, and 10% said Probably
 wouldn't attend any of them.

Our July, 2019 poll was "When was your first contest?"

16% said 2010 or later. 5% said 2000-2009 and another 5% said 1990-1999. 32% said 1970-1979.
 26% said 160-1969 and 16% said 1950-1959.

Our June, 2019 poll was "Have you ever operated a Dxpedition in a contest?"

25% said yes, as part of a multi-op DXpedition. 25% said no. 20% said yes, as a single op.
 Another 20% said no, but I would like to! And 10% said yes, both as a multi-op and as a single-op.

Our May, 2019 poll was "Have you ever operated mobile or portable in a contest
 (not a DXpedition)?

35% said both, 35% said no, 20% said portable and 10% said mobile.

Our April, 2019 poll was "For manual CW sending, what do you use?"

65% of our respondents said a keyer. 35% said contest software. 12% said a straight key and
 5% said a bug. 8% said other.

Our March, 2019 poll was "What logging software do you use in contests?"

75% of our respondents said N1MM+. 10% said Writelog and another 10% said N3FJP. 5% each said
 TRLog/TR4W, Win-test or other.

Our February, 2019 poll was "Do you use high, low or QRP power in contests?"

56% of our respondents said high power. 21% said low power and 13% said QRP.

Our January, 2019 poll was "What brand of radio to you use primarily in contests?"

25% of our respondents said Yaesu. 18.75% said Kenwood. 12.5% said Icom. 6.25% said Flex, and
 43.75% said Other. We should have included Elecraft! 

Our December, 2018 poll was "Have you ever hosted a guest operator at your station?"

11% of our respondents said yes. 89% said no.

Our November, 2018 poll was "Have you ever operated multi-op in a contest (home or away)?"

80% of our respondents said yes. 20% said no.

Our October, 2018 poll was "What is your favorite contest mode?"

76% of our respondents favored CW. 12% favored SSB and 6% favored RTTY. 6% had no favorite mode.

Our September, 2018 poll was "What is your favorite contest?"

CQP took the top spot. CQWW DX, WPX, NA Sprint and Sweepstakes all tied for second.

less

FOR SALE: HyGain TailTwister with DCU 3 controller New in 2021 $450 M2 2 element 40-mini New in 2021 $450 Both available for pick up in early August in Northridge Contact Roger, W6LAX 818-455-5038 Posted 24 June 2022 FOR SALE: Elecraft K3/100 Transceiver 100 watts, 2.7 kHz SSB filter KXV3 I/O transverter KIO3 RS232 Great entry level radio Power cord and manual $1295 Same as above with a built in tuner $1495. If you want custom options, please email. I have many options available that are not being made by Elecraft. Filters KSYN3A upgraded SYN board. DVR's Sub Receivers P3 Panadapter $795.00 Add VGA $1050 Contact Larry, K6RO Lashap at cox.net 310-710-2869 Posted 20 Oct 2021 FOR SALE: Corsair VX550W computer power supply from the estate of WA6STJ. New in the box. Asking $100. Click thumbnail and link for more information. Link: https://www.cnet.com/products/corsair-vx550w-power-supply-550-watt-cmpsu550vx/ Contact Don, N6IC dbostrom at pacbell dot net Posted 25 July 2021 WANTED: Johnson Invader 2000 Power Supply. I recently acquired an Invader 2000 but without the power supply and missing all the cabinet-mounting hardware, including the two long bolts from the back to the front panel common to most Johnson rigs. WANTED: Kaar KE-23A or KE-23AT communications receiver. Contact Steve, K0XP k0xp (at) k0xp dot com Posted 19 June 2020, renewed 6 July 2021 FOR SALE: I have a two year-old SteppIR DB36 with 80 M dipole option for sale. The stepper motors, controller, etc all work perfectly, and the boom and trombones/straight fiberglass poles are in good shape. You will likely need to replace some of the small parts (some bolts and Nylock nuts), but can have a working DB-36 for less than half of what it cost new. I'm selling the antenna because the trees near the antenna became so large that tilting it over was becoming impossible, and I purchased a DB-18E to replace it. I have some extra fiberglass poles that I will include, and I guarantee that the antenna will work (motors, etc.). Due to the weight and size, I'm thinking it's going to have to be a pickup in the San Diego area. I might be willing to remove the heat shrink couplings and try to box it if the buyer covers the shipping charges (FedEx ground). Asking $3500 for everything. Seller: Eric, NC6K egruff [at] cox[dot]net Posted 9 Oct 2018, renewed 6 July 2021

close

Close

Close