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Author Topic: A Smorgasbord of Contests If You Are Snowed/Iced In This Weekend  (Read 355 times)

K3TN

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A Smorgasbord of Contests If You Are Snowed/Iced In This Weekend
« on: February 12, 2021, 04:24:27 AM »

The CQ WW WPX RTTY contests starts at 0000Z 2/13, always lots of activity - rules here.

The Orlando HamCation Convention/Hamfest went virtual due to the pandemic, they are having a QSO party that starts at 1500Z on 2/13 and counts towards the State QSO Party Challenge - rules here.

Never a lot of activity in this one, but always good to encourage women in ham radio - the YLRL contest starts at 1400Z on 2/12, rules here.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is the Antique Wireless Association AM contest, which starts at 2300Z for amplitude modulation aficionados, rules here.

You could work RTTY in WPX, CW for the HamCation QSO party, SSB for the YLRL and AM for the AWA event for an all-mode weekend!

73 John K3TN

« Last Edit: February 12, 2021, 04:28:02 AM by K3TN »
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John K3TN

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Re: A Smorgasbord of Contests If You Are Snowed/Iced In This Weekend
« Reply #1 on: February 12, 2021, 07:45:43 AM »

Thank you, nice to see some activity on the bands.  I hope folks get on the air with this nasty weather upon some of us.   

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K3TN

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Re: A Smorgasbord of Contests If You Are Snowed/Iced In This Weekend
« Reply #2 on: February 15, 2021, 03:14:51 AM »

I normally only play for a few hours in RTTY contests but we were iced in pretty solidly for Saturday afternoon and Sunday am - ended up putting in 12 hours and making over 500 QSOs. Conditions were OK, not great - but did work a few EU stations on 15 and had a few VKs answer my CQs on 40M in the morning, but no JAs.

I made a few brief scans for the HamCation stations, ended up working 6 of them - not enough to spell out HAMCATION...

73 John K3TN
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John K3TN

K4EMF

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Re: A Smorgasbord of Contests If You Are Snowed/Iced In This Weekend
« Reply #3 on: February 20, 2021, 09:15:01 AM »

Rather than start a new thread....

Logging DX station power reports.   

1) If they only send "K" is that short for "KW"?
2) Do I log "KW" as 1000 or just KW?
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N2SR

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Re: A Smorgasbord of Contests If You Are Snowed/Iced In This Weekend
« Reply #4 on: February 20, 2021, 10:56:28 AM »

Rather than start a new thread....

Logging DX station power reports.   

1) If they only send "K" is that short for "KW"?
2) Do I log "KW" as 1000 or just KW?

doesn't really matter.  arrl counts it regardless

you don't work USA or Canada for ARRL DX, so don't call US stations. 
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K4EMF

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Re: A Smorgasbord of Contests If You Are Snowed/Iced In This Weekend
« Reply #5 on: February 20, 2021, 11:07:25 AM »

Rather than start a new thread....

Logging DX station power reports.   

1) If they only send "K" is that short for "KW"?
2) Do I log "KW" as 1000 or just KW?

doesn't really matter.  arrl counts it regardless...

Thanks Tom
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K4EMF

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Re: A Smorgasbord of Contests If You Are Snowed/Iced In This Weekend
« Reply #6 on: February 21, 2021, 03:48:52 PM »

I'm not a serious contester but I have been participating in more and more contests the last several months.
Spent most of this weekend leisurely working the ARRL DX CW contest.  I quit a little early just to take a break before the K1USN SST that begins as the DX CW contest ends.
Managed 51 contacts in 43 countries incl. 3 new countries for me.  Hardly a competitive score but I enjoyed it just the same.
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K3TN

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Re: A Smorgasbord of Contests If You Are Snowed/Iced In This Weekend
« Reply #7 on: February 22, 2021, 04:44:39 AM »

Nice!  Contests are always good for that, though the pandemic has meant very few DXpeditions so not as many new ones out there this year.

I woke up in the middle of Saturday night/Sunday am at about 0530Z and got on 160M during the ARRL test and EU signals were really loud. Worked GU4YOX, who confirmed via LotW this am - I got a new one, didn't even realized I needed Guernsey on 160...

73 John K3TN
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John K3TN

N2SR

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Re: A Smorgasbord of Contests If You Are Snowed/Iced In This Weekend
« Reply #8 on: February 22, 2021, 10:26:31 AM »

Nice!  Contests are always good for that, though the pandemic has meant very few DXpeditions so not as many new ones out there this year.


True, but there tend to be less contest DXpedions for ARRL because it's boring to work just North America (stupid ARRL rules).  Many do go to the Caribbean because the rates to North America can be intense. 

Nothing hugely exotic, but many of those Caribbean stations are on the air remotely.   

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K3TN

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Re: A Smorgasbord of Contests If You Are Snowed/Iced In This Weekend
« Reply #9 on: February 23, 2021, 04:08:05 AM »

There were fewer DXpeditions in CQ WW as well last year - multipliers are down across the board. Remote connections definitely helping!
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John K3TN

K4EMF

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Re: A Smorgasbord of Contests If You Are Snowed/Iced In This Weekend
« Reply #10 on: March 05, 2021, 05:07:39 PM »

I'm only an hour into the ARRL DX phone contest and I have to admit I'm just not enjoying it like I did the CW version of the same a few weeks ago.
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K3TN

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Re: A Smorgasbord of Contests If You Are Snowed/Iced In This Weekend
« Reply #11 on: March 08, 2021, 03:42:43 AM »

Yes, the sound of two SSB signals occupying the same 4khz is much more painful than the sound of two CW stations occupying 400 hz!

The crappy solar conditions also highlighted the 8db or so SNR advantage CW has over SSB.

73 John K3TN
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John K3TN

K4EMF

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Re: A Smorgasbord of Contests If You Are Snowed/Iced In This Weekend
« Reply #12 on: March 08, 2021, 08:08:56 AM »

Yes, the sound of two SSB signals occupying the same 4khz is much more painful than the sound of two CW stations occupying 400 hz!

The crappy solar conditions also highlighted the 8db or so SNR advantage CW has over SSB.

73 John K3TN

I could not have said it better myself John.
Once the initial rush calmed a bit it became more enjoyable for me. 
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K3TN

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Re: A Smorgasbord of Contests If You Are Snowed/Iced In This Weekend
« Reply #13 on: March 09, 2021, 04:28:16 AM »

I checked in a number of times and make about 140 QSOs, only 1 on 160M. There are some really good phone ops out there - amazing to hear how fast some of them can work through a pileup.
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John K3TN

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Re: A Smorgasbord of Contests If You Are Snowed/Iced In This Weekend
« Reply #14 on: March 09, 2021, 09:46:12 AM »

I checked in a number of times and make about 140 QSOs, only 1 on 160M. There are some really good phone ops out there - amazing to hear how fast some of them can work through a pileup.

VP2EE was having a bit of difficulty Sunday afternoon on 15 though.

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