AB!BX
SOLP

80 100
40 241
14 171

Total 512

Signals on 20 meters were weak but lots of west coast.
40 was great for me. In USA only missed NV NM HI ND.
Worked k1ecu, k1sx, nc1cc,ai1tt and wixx. Good fun

I guess I will start this off. As I write there was a cluster of CTRI members in the LP category, just below the YCCC posters 🙂 Notably AB1BX with a ibg CW total from his wire antennas!
K1SX
SO LP

80 cw 32 4
40 cw 56 22
20 cw 99 26
20 ssb 2  2
15 cw 1  0  (AK1W, having no luck either afaik)
Total 190--50--18950
3:40 op time

Genesis SDR twith homebrew sspa brick, maybe 60w, except 10w on 80m Doublet at 50 ft.
Picking up the mic got me only comments on the bad audio. Will figure that out another day. But lots of running fun. Probably the best rates I ever had in any contest. A good contribution from dxcc mults also. I did remember to get on 80 at the end and besides NY and NJ, OM2VL called in to my 10w cq. AB1BX, AI1TT, NC1CC in log at least — Dave K1SX

Hello All –

Hoping many CTRI CG members will get radio-active from the home QTH this weekend (while staying safe from the COVID-19 virus!) in the annual NEQP. Our group typically puts forth a significant effort each year in this fun event where us W1’s (and K1’s, NG1’s, KE1’s etc!) are the hunted.

A refresher on the rules can be found at: http://www.neqp.org/rules.html

Of note, NO restrictions on operators going “Assisted” and using spotting networks; NO mode categories (so break out the mics for more QSOs/mults you CW ops), though CW/Digital contacts count double vs. SSB; and EACH new DXCC entity worked is a separate multiplier, along with each state and VE province/territory. Hint: DX can be found during the ARI Int’l DX contest on CW, SSB and RTTY (1200Z Sat – 1200Z Sun)…just add a serial number to your exchange.

Activity in the State QSO Parties this year has been record-breaking so expect lots of QSOs to be had, especially during Saturday while we have the overlapping 7th Call Area QP, Indiana QP and Delaware QP going on. In addition, the inaugural State QSO Party competition (StateQSOParty.com) has added many additional ops who will be searching for us New Englanders!

For N1MM Logger users (within New England) you can use **just one log** [“NEWE” found within State QSO Party area when selecting a new log]* while working ops in each of the four QP’s going on during the weekend…EASY!!

A predicted low K-Index for much of the weekend (and lack of any expected regional thunderstorms) bodes well for us operators. Hope many of you can make plans for some operating time once NEQP gets underway Saturday at 4pm local time (2000Z) ’til 1am, then Sunday 9am ’til 8pm (1300Z-2400Z). Look forward to working lots of club members this weekend!

Take care/stay safe/good luck/have fun… 73, Bill W1WBB (chief op at AI1TT, for NEQP)

K1SX

SOAB LP CW

65–30–3900, actually 7800.    2h45m op time.  60 watts to doublet at 50 ft.

Well, I take back what I said about good propagation, and I see also I had the mults incorrect also, of course it is once per mode, not per band.  In any case, it was a 2 band activity.  Saturday I got beat out a lot even running 60 watts or so.  However, with patience I worked a lot of weak stations.  I never found N4V. (but who was looking?)  After posting my score to 3830, I realized I didn’t multiply my score by 2 for being LP.    I think Andy BX also forgot this bonus.   So we were lower down than we needed to be 🙂  Fun anyway.  I heard only W1WBB among members. — Dave

This is a very active QSO Party with lots of categories and bonuses like spelling out words. And we can count on good propagation to FL.

Local time: Noon–10pm Sat, 8am–6pm Sun.
Bands: 40–10 (Note, no 80m)
Categories: Mixed, CW, Phone
Exchange: RST + state
Scoring: 2 pts CW, 1 pt phone
Mults: FL counties per band per mode

Rules: http://floridaqsoparty.org/rules/

I have some bad news Monday’s storm hit me hard lost the 70 foot tower and the 6m monobanber and tribander .I still have the 150 foot long wire .

Yesterday at the YCCC Virtual meeting 8) They announced that CTRI had won the NEQP 2019 New England Club award. GOOD Going guys Hope to rejoin you all on the air asap

73 de John ko1h

We’ve had to cancel our last two meetings due to the Library being closed due to COVID-19 and it could be months before we can meet in person again. Would anyone be interested in holding video club meetings until this blows over?

I happen to have a Zoom account and would be happy to set up video meetings if there is interest. Let me know if you’d like me to do that.

73 de John AJ1DM

The Library has closed their meeting room. Our meeting for Saturday March 14th is cancelled.

According to the website the North Kingstown Free Library is closed through April 30th. https://www.nklibrary.org/

Just wanted to let you guys know.

The 2019 NEQP results are now posted. Congrats to Don WA1BXY for winning the CTRI sponsored Rhode Island plaque.

This weekend features the SP DX contest and several state QSOP’s.

I also notice the RSGB has started a series of daily contest activities called the Hope QSO Party. These will be in the morning for us. The idea is mutual encouragement, which we all could use! There is something every weekday, with rotating modes. It starts April 6.
https://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2020/rhqp.shtml

–Dave K1SX

Update:  This week’s Friday event is 1430-1600Z, CW.  3830 says that somebody fired up W1KM and made a bunch of q’s earlier this week.

Trying to get ready for CQ WPX SSB this weekend with N1MM. I create a NEW DATABASE, and then try to create a LOG in that database and BOOM! N1MM just locks up!

It’s still running – taking up ~3% of the CPU but frozen. Like a window is open somewhere but not available OR it’s trying to open a window somewhere and not able to…

Otherwise, N1MM works great. Before I try to create a new LOG, N1MM is able to control the FLEX by changing bands and tracking frequencies in SO2R mode. Amazing.

Any suggestions? Would really like to do that contest since I’m in lock-down.

73 Mike
NG1M

Proposal: Virtual Field Day 2020
By John Lindholm, W1XX

Large sections of the United States and Canada will likely be under lockdown or still practicing “social distancing” in response to COVID-19. This will no doubt have a large negative impact on Field Day 2020 activity. In response, ARRL suggests that participants “try something new…employ a new approach that is in line with our currant conditions.”

I propose that the CTRI Contest Group suggest to ARRL the creation of a special “virtual” category for Field Day 2020. It would preserve the continuity of normal club participation. For example, here’s how it would work for clubs – the mainstay of FD operations.

All operations by club members signing the club’s callsign would be from their individual home stations which would be QRV according to a time block matrix developed within the club – similar to W1AW/# operations in 2014. This could be set up on the club’s website or simply by telephone. The matrix would be designed to allow X number of stations to be on-the-air simultaneously on a different band/mode. The FD exchange would be the same as usual – the number of stations on at the same time and ARRL/RAC section.

Here’s a typical example:
The CTRI Contest Group, KE1S, operates 2020 virtual Field Day in the 2-transmitter class from Rhode Island. Member KS1J is penciled in to operate from home on 20-meter CW from 1800 to 2000 UTC while AA1AC is on from his home on 40-meter SSB at the same time. They both sign the club’s call KE1S. Both send exchange “2A RI” or “2 Alpha Rhode Island.” For uniformity, member K1DM in Connecticut would send “RI.” The rest of the 24-hour matrix would be filled out for all the club members who want to operate.

The free VHF station time blocks could be allocated in the same manner, perhaps in bigger blocks. To honor “social distancing,” the GOTA station (with coach) would probably have to be scrapped. For simplicity the bonus points may best be saved for another year. “Virtual” entries could possibly be differentiated from “real” entries in the score listing results with an asterisk (*). The precise details of implementation of a “virtual” Field Day would best be left to ARRL to determine.

Any suggestions on the validity or tweaking of the concept would be welcomed. Click on “Comment”.

Any of you “HP grey beards” have any suggestions for us Little Pistols? Other than call CQ often?

Start at 2000 Friday or wait? Single operator has a 36 hour limit
Focus on Europe?
How to track the maximum number of band changes (10) over a 60 minute period?
Wear to point the beam when?
Switch bands with the Grayline over Europe?

quarantined Inquiring Minds want to know!