In the coming few days leading up to the New England QSO Party (NEQP), we’ll be posting what I hope are helpful tips on maximizing your NEQP score. I’ve been NEQPing since 2003 and have seen it grow and morph into my favorite contest of the year.
Before we hit today’s topic, I want to first thank John, K1JSM, of Bristol for his nice e-mail. In announcing his intention to help CTRI score “1-million,” John will operate “from a modest station and limited contest experience.” Bravo, John! You epitomize what this quest is all about. First and foremost the challenge is for everyone in the club to participate to whatever extent possible. John says he may also go over to the W1AN multi-single on Sunday.
On to today’s topic: There are three other contests the same weekend [May 7 – 8] that can assist your NEQP score. First 7QP – the 7-land QSO Party. This will already be in progress when NEQP starts at 4 PM. There will be lots of 7s on calling CQ both on CW and SSB. Early on work as many 7s as you can to get the somewhat difficult state multipliers like WY and NV. 7QP is over at 3 in the morning Sunday – so better to work the 7-land multipliers on Saturday while they are plentiful. Their exchange also includes county-state; log the state.
The Italian “ARI DX Contest:” This is an everybody works everybody DX contest, so this is the best way to work DX country multipliers. There will not be a lot of DX stations in NEQP per se, so working them in ARI will boost your multiplier country count, especially Europe. Propagation to Europe will be best all day Sunday ‘til 4 PM when ARI is done. 20 should be hopping with European ARI stations at our re-start time of 9 AM Sunday. Keep a side tally number sheet (starting with #1), as you need to send a serial number to stations in ARI…but also send your county/state exchange as required by NEQP. I’ve even resorted occasionally to calling “CQ ARI.” Working those European DX multipliers will make a big difference in your score.
Next: INQP, the Indiana QSO Party. There will be lots of INQP activity to give you contacts. They are big on mobiles. I’ve even worked bicycle mobiles! But it’s only one multiplier (IN), so don’t work INQPers to the exclusion of other potential multipliers. Work ‘em on Saturday as INQP is done at midnight.
Be on the lookout for our next upcoming topic to help boost your score: “NEQP: Phone vs. CW.”
In thinking about how I can maximize my productivity for the upcoming NEQP, I have come up with a question.
CW contacts are worth twice as much as phone contacts. There will probably be more phone operators in the contest than CW ops. What’s the best strategy to switch between CW and phone and make maximum use of the operating time?
For the multi-single stations, I think this decision is VERY important. Given that there are 6 or 10 band changes per clock hour, does a mode change count as a band change?
I suggest that we spend some time this Saturday discussing these ideas, and others that we’ve already hashed over some. These are the things that will boost the club score, and get us to our goal.
I regularly review usage statistics of the website to understand how it is being used and to spot potential trouble spots. From time to time it may be enlightening for members to see how the site is being used so the following sample reports from April have been included in this post.
The results of the 2010 ARRL Phone sweepstakes are posted on the ARRL web site. Here are the CTRI results. With all you phone operators out there I sure thought there would be more than 5 participants in this contest…
I’m happy to report that K1SD is now storing Rohn 25G vertically. Its been horizontal for ~10 years. Put up a ~9′ foot section in concrete and a 10′ section the past weekend. The house bracket is next followed by another 10′ plus a pointy top section (~9′). Total height ~37′ topped with a CC A4S.
I dont’ want to cause any undue alarm to animal lovers amongst you, nor to risk a boycott by PETA when this title shows up in the search engines. So I’ll say right off that this is an allusion to the pre-Political Correctness saying “there is more than one way to skin a cat”. No animals were killed or harmed in this production. With that reassurance out of the way I want to tell you a story of old fashioned ham ingenuity.
Over the past year an increasingly larger proportion of the fine presentations at club meetings have needed Internet access. Our first attempt to skin this cat was the direct approach. We asked how we could connect to the Internet at Crandall House. Somewhat to our surprise we learned that there was no provision for guests of the facility to connect. Some discrete inquiries made it clear that trying to change this policy was unlikely to succeed.
Our next approach was to schedule meeting at members’ houses when we just had to have Internet access. This works but leads to confusion about where we are meeting. Also some members are set in their ways and don’t want to move around. I know this doesn’t apply to you or me but to those other guys.
Many would give up at this point. Our president, John Spigel, W1AN, is not one of those. He reasoned that the judicious application of some ham ingenuity should be able to solve this problem. This is basically a communication problem. We are hams. Communication is what we do, by HPM!
During a lull in a contest John and I speculated that it ought to be possible to connect wirelessly, either by eavesdropping on an unlocked wireless net at a neighbor’s building or some more upstanding approach that used RF to connect. John researched the issue and came upon some devices that might permit a radio link from Crandall House to the QTH of Bill, N1HRA, a straight line distance of about a mile. Bill has broadband Internet in his shack. What we needed was to build a “bridge” from his shack to the Crandall House over which could flow the bits.
Now anyone who lives in New England, particulary Rhode Island, knows that building a bridge is a decades long affair. After all there are two nearby bridges that have been undergoing just painting for more than five years! Imagine what would happen to emergency communications if hams took that long to build a bridge. We do things faster, better, and cheaper!
John found some used equipment (of course) that looked promising. It seemed to function in a test across about 500 feet. Would it work over ten times that distance? Less than a month from concept we were ready to try it out.
The nearby illustration shows the hookup. At N1HRA we would connect a Wireless Router & Switch operating at 2.4GHz. Attached to that would be a Wireless Bridge operating at 900MHz. Up twenty-five feet on one of Bill’s towers we would mount an eighteen element yagi pointed at the Crandall House a mile away to the North East. Although the illustration shows the Crandall House with an antenna mounted on the roof we didn’t want to raise that issue, so the antenna was mounted on the top of John’s truck which was parked next to the Crandall House.
Skinning the Cat
There was a matching 900MHz Yagi positioned to point at N1HRA when John’s truck was properly oriented. The antenna was connected to another 900MHz Wireless Bridge jumpered to be a “child” device which feeds a Wireless Router and Switch at 2.4GHz. The Router establishes a link with any nearby computer equipped with a wireless adapter. In this case the computer will be inside the Crandall House in the basement meeting room where we have met for some years.
So much for theory. It was time to smoke test the lash up, err… Bridge.
W1AN, N1HRA, and W1PN met on Sunday at 1300 at Bill’s QTH and began installing the antenna and “Parent” side equipment. It was a nice day and the antenna work went quickly. After a few moments confusion over which Bridge was which, the equipment was installed in the shack and tested ‘locally’. That is, from the tower to the driveway.
W1AN Testing Outside N1HRA Before Travel to Crandall House
Just as we were preparing to drive to the Crandall House for the other side of the Bridge, Bill got a call on his EMT HT and had to rush off to save someone’s life. John and I proceeded to Crandall House stopping midway at the Ashaway Post Office for a trial run. John positioned the antenna and I attempted a connection. Two seconds later the home page of WA1RR.org was on the screen and we had a half-mile connection operating at broadband speeds!
Flushed with success John and I drove on to Crandall House and set up near the building. Again I attempted a to make a connection with the club website.
Nothing heard.
We were crestfallen.
“Gimme a minute,” John said as he climbed on the roof of the truck and proceeded to swing the antenna back and forth. After a few repositionings we found a bearing that would work and again we had high speed connectivity.
So, now we have not only proof of concept but a workable solution to the problem as is. It would be convenient to have a permanently mounted antenna on the building but it isn’t required so we may just continue to operate with a half-fixed and half-mobile approach. Either way it’s great to have Internet access at our regular meeting room.
If you want to see all this in operation you’ll have to come to the April 16th meeting.
Legendary callsign W1FH will live again during the New England QSO Party TNX to Trustee Bob, W1YRC, and Will, K6ND, who will host the operation. Old time DXers will recognize Charlie Mellen’s famous W1FH callsign at the head of the Honor Roll for decades. See QRZ for more W1FH history.
W1FH will be a multi-single operation at the well equipped K6ND (& K6NDV) Mendon, MA QTH — just over the state line from Cumberland. NB1U will also be in the chair possibly making a serious challenge to perennial multi winner K1TTT. Will is looking for more operators. With W1AN in Ledyard, CT, this makes two CTRI multi stations that will be open for anyone in the club to operate who does not now have a station. Contact John or Will if you wish to join in the multi fun.
CTRI is out to set the NEQP club record. The focus is to get ALL club members QRV — whether from home or from a multi station — with big scores, medium scores, little scores all. Especially if you’ve been inactive of late, CTRI wants YOU to heed the call. See the post: “NEQP: 1 Million or Bust” for details.
CTRI now has several members with out-of-district callsigns, e.g. K6ND. This may be a disadvantage in NEQP. Members also hold a bunch of “club” 1-land calls that may be borrowed for NEQP. W1xx [at] cox [dot] net is the clearing house for both calls made available by trustees and stations seeking 1-land calls.
If you have not as yet advised the club’s contest manager (same e-mail address as above) of your NEQP “QRV-ness,” he anxiously awaits to hear from you. NEQP is May 7 -8. Make your plans now.
MORSE CODE CHALLENGE – CTRI Contest Group
So, how goes the battle? I mean, of course, your battle with Morse code. At the upcoming April meeting of CTRI Contest Group, you will have an opportunity to demonstrate how much you have improved in just one short month. I would also like to know how many hours you have spent practicing, or at a minimum, how many runs of RufzXP you have completed. You can find that out by viewing the RufzXP main screen:
Mike, K1DM, Challenges Members to Improve CW Performance
The best attended meeting in recent memory was held at the Crandall House in Ataway, RI, on Saturday, March 12, 2011. Eighteen members enjoyed multiple technical presentations and exceptional cuisine as well as good fellowship.
John, W1XX announced and promoted “Operation NEQP: 1 Million or Bust”, a project to establish an unbeatable record for this contest. Members are urged to ready their stations for the contest which is held in early May. At the April meeting we can count on our esteemed Contest Manager for additional exhortations to surpass our previous efforts and set the bar beyond the reach of others forever.
Mike, K1DM presented his Morse code training regime. He also did a TEST RUN using the RufzXP program to let everyone see another way to improve their code proficiency. Members interested in improving their own CW performance had the opportunity to run the program and establish a baseline from which to improve before the April meeting. There is much of interest about Mike’s methodology to which this short description fails to do justice.
Bob,W1YRC gave a presentation on the way his other club is approaching lifting the level of technical expertise of members and prospective members. It is an unusual way to make real hams out of people who hold a license but whose understanding of ham radio or electronics comes mainly from the license manual. Members found this account to be fascinating and of potential use to CTRI CG. After a long and stimulating discussion it was moved by W1XX and seconded by NG1G that the Executive Committee be directed to study the potential of the club establishing a similar undertaking to the one W1YRC described but with a contest bent and to report back to the membership. Motion passed.
Lunch is served.
At this point the meeting recessed for lunch provided by Chris, KA1GEU, coffee by John, W1AN, ice cold milk by Pat, NG1G. A special treat was a selection of oatmeal-raisin and chocolate chip-pecan-bourbon cookies by Pam K6NDV, and Bob W1YRC.
After lunch the meeting resumed.
Members were asked what topics would interest them for future meetings:
A review of N3PU experiences
LOTW workshop
Demo of TeamView and remote operation
Logging programs: XMLOG, DXWIN, DXLABS, N1MM, WriteLog, etc.
Construction projects
Some discussion surrounded each of these possible topics as well as other general conversations.
With a stunning new technology, a well known company has decided to re-enter the Amateur market. Will they re-invent Ham Radio when they do?
BUFFALO, NY — An upstate New York company has announced the development of a new technology with profound implications for modern communications, including Amateur Radio. Dr. Robert F. “RF” Burns, president of Buffalo Chip Technology, provided some information at an April 1st press conference.
“We have successfully created what amounts to a very high gain, very broadbanded directional antenna in a single computer chip smaller than a book of matches. Our discovery of Enhanced Integrated Electronic Input/Output (EIE-I/O) has enormous potential”
Montgomery Scott, chief engineer for the Enterprise, added some details. “While it is true that you cannot change the laws of physics, it is sometimes possible to use them creatively. What we have done here is exactly that.” Scott went on to explain some of the background behind the breakthrough. “Until now, electronic theory has described radio propagation in terms of Sine Waves. One of our laddies, Jim Tiberius, started looking instead at Cosine Waves. This led to the discovery of EIE-I/O, and the subsequent development of the CosineOptimized Waveform Chip. C.O.W. chips may represent the most significant advance in electronics since the Di-Lithium Crystal.”
“Unlike Sine waveforms, which vary in length depending on frequency, Cosine Optimized Waveforms are almost uniformly short across the entire radio spectrum. The functional equivalent of a nine element, full sized 40 meter beam antenna will now fit in a package no larger than a credit card. The 80 and 160 meter versions will be the size of a pack of cigarettes.”
“EIE-I/O also has applications in transceiver design,” added company spokesman Richard Tracy. He demonstrated a prototype of a full-featured, all mode HF through microwave rig. The radio, including the antenna, is worn on the wrist and resembles an everyday wristwatch. “We expect this to be especially popular with contesters and their families,” he continued. Imagine being able to attend your daughter’s dance recital or your son’s soccer game, while never missing that big band opening! And won’t the XYL be thrilled – no more ‘laundry problems’ caused working ‘just one more multiplier’ before a trip to the Theory Room.”
Industry insiders have reported a few nagging problems with the C.O.W. chips. “They’re apparently made in a really ugly shade of brown,” said one. “I don’t know how the market will accept that.” Others pointed to a somewhat unpleasant odor emanating from the chips. Buffalo Chip experts have described the problems as small, but unavoidable.
Newer hams may not be familiar with the company. Many long-time Amateurs have fond memories of the firm, however. Founder Joseph MacDonald was legendary for finding and developing electrical engineers. “Sometimes it seemed like old MacDonald had a farm,” recalled one veteran. “He always had a great crop of home-grown talent.”
Spokesman Burns confirmed the company’s re-entry into the Amateur Radio Market. “Our management team believes that Amateur Radio operators deserve the best in C.O.W. Chip products and EIE-I/O technology. We are committed to providing exactly that.”
Competitors were less than enthusiastic, saying it is a long overdue move. According to one anonymous rival, “Suddenly, their management team is committed? Big deal! They should have been committed years ago!” Said another, “It seems like just more of the same old bullcrap to me. The major manufacturers have known about this technology for years. The problem is in maintaining consistent quality control over the manufacturing process. But if they can do that, I think the rest of us might be in deep doo-doo.”
Buffalo Chip personnel insist that they have solved the manufacturing and quality issues, and are ready to go. Production of EIE-I/O units is expected to begin shortly. According to a company press release, Quicksilver Radio Products has been appointed as the exclusive worldwide distributor.
Reprinted by permission for those who may have missed it.
There sure have been a lot of great scores submitted! Congrats to everyone for a fine job. For the M/S operation at W1AN, the weekend did not start out auspiciously. Due to an inaccurate oil gauge, I let myself run out of heating oil Thursday night/Friday morning, and spent much of Friday afternoon trying to get the system primed and firing. After a trip to Home Depot at 9PM for a new (but not completely correct) nozzle I got it running like a top. John, W1AN was on 40M putting Qs in the log until I got there just before midnight.
After about an hour of “catching up” I took over and continued our low-band operation into the night. Have I mentioned my distaste for 40M phone operation? Both 40M and 80M provided decent run rates and by the time Mike, K1DM, showed up Saturday morning I was ready to give up the helm for a while. I went back to Warwick to get the correct nozzle for my burner and got some rest, returning early Saturday evening.
During the day, Mike, John, and Ed, W1PN, divided most of their time between 15M and 10M. 15M has really come alive as others have mentioned, and it yielded many Qs and multipliers.
Upon my return, John, Mike, and I sat around for about 3 hours and discussed a great many things, almost none having to do with contesting. For my part, I was not looking forward to another night on the low bands but I gave in around 0330Z and got on with the business at hand.
Bill, W1WBB, arrived Sunday morning and after turnover went on the prowl on 15M. John, Bill, and I kept our eyes peeled for multipliers on the high bands and alternated operating to keep up our Q rates and get those mults. Near the end of the contest we were doing a better job of using those 10 band changes per hour to maximize opportunities on all the high bands.
Overall, we had a relaxed operating style. Very relaxed. There’s no doubt that had we operated in a more serious manner we could have scored much higher, but everyone seemed to enjoy the slower pace. It is, after all, about having fun.
Thanks to John for letting us operate at W1AN. It’s a real pleasure being a big signal. Thanks also to Nancy for her wonderful hospitality and great food!
We used N1MM logger and I must say, it has some features I really like. We did experience some glitches though, but they weren’t show stoppers. Otherwise, everything worked perfectly as usual. We worked KI1G on 3 bands but I don’t think we worked any other club members.
At the last meeting we discussed the possibility of having a LoTW “workshop” for members who need some assistance. I’d like to get an idea if there is some support for this idea before we commit to a location for the meeting (we will require internet access).
How many people would take advantage of this workshop if offered? Please let me know as soon as possible.
If there’s enough interest I’ll contact those members about their specific needs to make sure all the prerequisites are met so I can help them (received post card with password for LoTW access, have files to be uploaded, etc.).
