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Author Topic: ARRL CW Sweepstakes this weekend  (Read 265 times)

K3TN

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ARRL CW Sweepstakes this weekend
« on: November 03, 2022, 03:25:46 AM »

US and VE ops will crowd the bands for the ARRL CW Sweepstakes this weekend, starting at 2100Z Saturday and running through 0259Z Sunday.

SS has a complicated exchange - you send QSO#, Precedent (entry class), Your Call, CK and ARRL Section. As in:

276U K3TN 69 MDC

Full rules here and full info package here.

73 John K3TN

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John K3TN

KH6AQ

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Re: ARRL CW Sweepstakes this weekend
« Reply #1 on: November 03, 2022, 12:02:13 PM »

Aloha John, I'm getting ready for a full SS effort this year. Been doing Morse Runner and N1MM/Morse Runner practice for a couple hours a day for two months and this week I began N1MM ARRL Sweepstakes practice using SS QSO files I made. N1MM is setup with four F-keys assigned to SN, PREC, CK and STATE. I have VOACAP HF east-to-west coast propagation tables as well as Hawaii-to-mainland tables to compare so that nap/sleep times are optimized. For Hawaii it looks like a good time to knock off for sleep is 1AM to 7AM local time. A good time to nap is 5PM-6:30AM when the mainland stations abandon 20 meters (still hot here) and go to 40 meters (not fully open here). Food gets prepared tomorrow. See you in the 'test.
« Last Edit: November 03, 2022, 12:21:48 PM by KH6AQ »
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N2SR

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Re: ARRL CW Sweepstakes this weekend
« Reply #2 on: November 03, 2022, 03:10:25 PM »

Aloha John, I'm getting ready for a full SS effort this year. Been doing Morse Runner and N1MM/Morse Runner practice for a couple hours a day for two months and this week I began N1MM ARRL Sweepstakes practice using SS QSO files I made. N1MM is setup with four F-keys assigned to SN, PREC, CK and STATE. I have VOACAP HF east-to-west coast propagation tables as well as Hawaii-to-mainland tables to compare so that nap/sleep times are optimized. For Hawaii it looks like a good time to knock off for sleep is 1AM to 7AM local time. A good time to nap is 5PM-6:30AM when the mainland stations abandon 20 meters (still hot here) and go to 40 meters (not fully open here). Food gets prepared tomorrow. See you in the 'test.

I'll be looking for you, Dave.  Note that because the exchange is so long, you shouldn't hear any "blazing speed" CW - though that is relative.  Most will likely keep it in the high 20s.  Hope that works for you. 

Do not worry about asking for fills, as certain letter/number combinations can get "crazy."   But be sure and send the correct request:  NR?  PR?  CK?  SEC? 

I'm trying for 84/84, and I typically add spaces in the exchange to give the person copying an "ack." 

GL,

Tom, N2SR
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N1UR

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Re: ARRL CW Sweepstakes this weekend
« Reply #3 on: November 03, 2022, 06:14:14 PM »

It actually runs through 0259Z Monday.

Ed N1UR
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K3TN

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Re: ARRL CW Sweepstakes this weekend
« Reply #4 on: November 04, 2022, 09:04:53 AM »

It actually runs through 0259Z Monday.

Ed N1UR

Yes, good catch!

73 John K3TN
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John K3TN

K3TN

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Re: ARRL CW Sweepstakes this weekend
« Reply #5 on: November 04, 2022, 09:15:21 AM »

Aloha, Dave - make sure you are familiar the cool way N1MM can parse the SS exchange no matter what order you enter it in.

From https://n1mmwp.hamdocs.com/manual-supported/contests-setup/setup-hf-contests/

Entering Received Exchanges

Entering the received exchange is different in Sweepstakes than for any other contest because SS uses a five part exchange (nr, prec, call, ck, section). After you enter the call and move to the Exchange window (either by ESM or by pressing the Space Bar) you can enter all five in one window, and the program will do its best to interpret what you enter.

If you use a Call History file in Sweepstakes (don’t forget to check Call History Lookup on the Config menu), when you enter a callsign that is in the file and press the Space bar, it will pre-fill the Check (CK) and Section (SEC) for you and position the cursor one space behind the pre-filled information. All you need to do, then, is type the Serial Number and Precedence as you copy them. They look like they are in the wrong order, but look above the Exchange textbox for the line of small black type. You’ll see it in the correct order, as it will be entered in your log.

You do not need to type the call again unless you had it wrong the first time, in which case you can type it into the exchange box and you’ll see the program magically correct it (again in the small black type). If the program thinks there may be a problem, it tries to signal that by changing the type color to blue, so be aware of that. If something is screwed up, we recommend backspacing to the point where the exchange (or partial exchange) looks right again, and then re-entering the information. You should never have to wipe, or highlight and hit Delete.

There are a couple of important rules. You must always enter the Serial Number and Precedence as a single element – e.g. “23B” not “23 B”. This helps the program tell a check from a serial number. Otherwise, you should put a space between elements. This is probably a good habit to get into, because when you need to correct something you have copied (see below) you’ll need to do this.

Correcting what you copied

This is where N1MM Logger+ gives you a real advantage in Sweepstakes. The basic idea is that you never have to tab or space back to the Callsign field, or to space back in the Exchange field, to make corrections. The basic rule is simply to type your correction at the end of the Exchange string you have already copied. This includes callsigns.

You can confuse the parser (the routine that generates the black type above the Exchange window). Here are easy rules you can apply to help with proper parsing:

When you are correcting a Callsign in the Exchange field – make sure you set it off with spaces.
If you need to enter or correct a Serial Number, enter it with the Precedence, without a space between – e.g “99B”, not “99 B”. Similarly, enter the Check and Section as another “couplet” – e.g., “54WV”, not “54 WV”. If you do this, we don’t think you will be able to make the parser get it wrong.

73 John K3TN
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John K3TN

KD7HNN

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Re: ARRL CW Sweepstakes this weekend
« Reply #6 on: November 04, 2022, 02:54:42 PM »

Good info, guys, can't wait. Thank you.

If I recall correctly, it starts at 2100 UTC on Sat. umm.. that would be 2pm here in the NW US, correct?
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KH6AQ

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Re: ARRL CW Sweepstakes this weekend
« Reply #7 on: November 04, 2022, 09:49:44 PM »

K3TN and N2SR, thank you for the excellent advice. Good luck in the 'test!
« Last Edit: November 04, 2022, 09:58:07 PM by KH6AQ »
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K3TN

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Re: ARRL CW Sweepstakes this weekend
« Reply #8 on: November 05, 2022, 03:38:11 AM »

Good info, guys, can't wait. Thank you.

If I recall correctly, it starts at 2100 UTC on Sat. umm.. that would be 2pm here in the NW US, correct?

That's correct  - always a bit confusing this weekend because on Sunday "Daylight Savings Time" ends and we set the clocks back an hour.
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John K3TN

N4RSS

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Re: ARRL CW Sweepstakes this weekend
« Reply #9 on: November 06, 2022, 06:43:02 AM »

I refuse to participate in any contest that requires a memory keyer to operate with any success
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AF5CC

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Re: ARRL CW Sweepstakes this weekend
« Reply #10 on: November 07, 2022, 11:12:57 AM »

Good info, guys, can't wait. Thank you.

If I recall correctly, it starts at 2100 UTC on Sat. umm.. that would be 2pm here in the NW US, correct?

That's correct  - always a bit confusing this weekend because on Sunday "Daylight Savings Time" ends and we set the clocks back an hour.

Maybe the house and Joe will fix that soon. Senate is already approved fixing it.
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