Multi-op opportunities for NEQP 2012??

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For anyone planning a multi-operator effort in NEQP 2012 with open positions available to CTRI members, please detail your plans here including specific contact info.  This is a great way for the club to increase member participation for those seeking to be part of a team effort, as well as for those unable to operate from their home QTH in this event.

NEQP M-Op rules appear minimal, with use of DX spotting network permitted (ONLY for M-Ops!) and a second TX permitted only for hunting new multipliers.  In this multi-mode event (SSB, CW & Digital) whenever it gets a bit slow calling CQ as a Multi-Op, just change bands OR mode and keep on “running”!

Also, there are many M-Op county/state records that could be in jeopardy of being broken (or have yet to be established!)…check them out and you can likely set a goal for this year’s contest.

Good luck to the club multi-op teams in our NEQP 2012 “1 X 1 By One” effort!

73,  Bill  W1WBB

 

Meeting Notice, April 21, 2012

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It’s that time again.

If you are familiar with the interactive meeting notice skip down to “Topics“. This is an interactive meeting notice. What, you may ask, is an interactive meeting notice? As the phrase suggests, it is a meeting notice which requires interaction by the readers. For example: we need to have topics for presentation at the meeting; we need presenters; we need volunteers to provide lunch; we need to know who is coming to the meeting so the quantity of lunch portions may be determined, and so on. This post will be updated as interactions (comments) are appended.

Topics

  1. Contest Report
  2. ultrasonice powerline noise finder
  3. Discussion of meeting frequency
  4. Boxboro
  5. Plaques sponsored

Lunch provider:

Coffee and Drinks by: W1AN

Members who will attend: W1PN, W1AN, K1DM, KA1GEU
Venue: Crandall House, 1100 to about 1400

NEQP Results

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Results are official and there is a pretty interesting write up. So how come no one ever gets the name consistently correct? Good job all around.  I noticed not much mobile activity last year. Was anyone planning a big mobile effort in 2012?

73

 Jim KS1J

 

Sound Card Swap

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I’m trying to set up my computer to run RTTY on two rigs using two sound cards. I got a hold of two cheap identical SB0401 Soundblaster 24-bit (PCI) cards but discovered after trying to install them that I can’t have two of the same cards in the computer.

Is there anyone who has a cheap PCI sound card (a non-Soundblaster type) who’d be willing to swap theirs for my extra one? I tested it in my computer by itself and it worked fine, I just can’t get both cards to work together.

Also, does anyone have a USB to serial adapter they don’t want and are willing to sell cheap?

73,

Pat, NG1G

BARTG RTTY Contest

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The BARTG RTTY contest starts this evening at 10 pm local time and goes until Sunday at 10 pm local time. This contest is a fun one and has been gaining popularity as the mode gains followers.

The rules are simple but the exchange contains an RST, serial number, and the time (4-digit).

Here is what I will be using for messages within N1MM – Chuck, KA1CQR had asked me to post some for discussion.

<pre>
F1 CQ,{TX}{ENTER}CQ NG1G NG1G TEST {RX}
F2 Run Exch,{TX}{ENTER}! 599 {EXCH} {EXCH} {TIME2} {TIME2} {RX}
F3 Run End,{TX}{ENTER}TU NG1G {RX}
F4 {MYCALL},{TX}* {RX}
F5 His Call,{TX}!{RX}
F6 TU Now…,{TX}{ENTER}{LOGTHENPOP} TU NOW… ! 599 {EXCH} {EXCH} {TIME2} {TIME2} {RX}
F7 Serial #,{TX}{ENTER}{EXCH} {EXCH} {RX}
F8 Time, {TX}{ENTER}{TIME2} {TIME2} {RX}
F9 Agn?,{TX}{ENTER}AGN? {RX}
F10 Number?,{TX}{ENTER}NR? {RX}
F11 Time?,{TX}{ENTER}TIME? {RX}
F12 Wipe,{WIPE}
F1 CQ,{TX}{ENTER}CQ NG1G NG1G TEST {RX}
F2 S&&P Exch,{TX}{ENTER}599 {EXCH} {EXCH} {TIME2} {TIME2} {RX}
F3 S&&P TU,{TX}! TU {RX}
F4 S&&P Call Him,{TX}{ENTER}* {RX}
F5 His Call,{TX}!{RX}
F6 {MYCALL},{TX}* {RX}
F7 Serial #,{TX}{ENTER}{EXCH} {EXCH} {RX}
F8 Time, {TX}{ENTER}{TIME2} {TIME2} {RX}
F9 Agn?,{TX}{ENTER}AGN? {RX}
F10 Number?,{TX}{ENTER}NR? {RX}
F11 Time?,{TX}{ENTER}TIME? {RX}
F12 Wipe,{WIPE}
</pre>

Each person should tailor his messages to his needs, of course. I send my info twice because my station is a little pistol and I know that unless conditions are good I get a lot of requests for fills. Plus, as we discussed at the last meeting, RTTY doesn’t have error correction, so without other data to compare to, if you send a serial number and time once the other station has no way to know with any reliability if that’s actually what you sent. If you send two serial numbers and time and they are dissimilar, at least the other op knows to ask for a fill.

 

I wrote these on the fly today, since I didn’t have one for N1MM yet. I may adjust depending on conditions, etc. Remember, at www.rttycontesting.com there are suggestions for RTTY messages for Writelog, and a link to a message length calculator that you may find helpful. The N1MM web site also contains macro files but I find them to be lengthy. They’re a good start though.

 

I welcome any suggestions or questions.

 

73,

Pat, NG1G

LoTW Certificates for 1×1 Call Signs

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Today I received my .TQ6 file from the ARRL, one business day after requesting it. I followed my instructions and decided to clarify two points. I’ve created a .pdf file which I have found to be impossible to attach to this post, but it’s in the files section of the Dashboard. Incidentally, I used the method of double-clicking on the .TQ6 file to install the certificate – it was automatic after that except for pressing “OK” to acknowledge the process after it completed. If anyone finds any inaccuracies in my instructions please let me know.

73,

Pat, NG1G

Would someone please explain how to link to a file within a post? I don’t think I’ve managed to do it yet and that should be an easy thing to do. It certainly is one we should know how to do.

How to Create a 1×1 Call Sign Certificate for LoTW

W1BIH, SK

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The following was posted on the CWOps Reflector this morning, and probably others as well…

W1BIH – SK

Posted by: “Peter Chamalian” w1rm@nullarrl.net

Sat Mar 10, 2012 11:14 am (PST)

It is with great sadness that I pass along the news that John Thompson,
W1BIH (aka PJ9JT) became a Silent Key on March 8. John was an ardent
contester and DXer (390 confirmed), a member of the CQ Contest Hall of Fame
(number 14) and an ardent CW operator.

John was a member of YCCC, FOC, Connecticut Wireless Association and QCWA.

Funeral arrangements are pending at this time.

While John was not a member of CWops, I’m sure he would have been if he
could still send CW. He had a partial stroke in 2008 that left his right
side pretty much useless.

Pete, W1RM

CTRI Champions Leaderboard 10 Mar 2012

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Here is the latest Leaderboard update which includes all of the info I have received as of this morning. One thing new to note is that if you scroll to the extreme right end of the rows, you will see a total reported club score for each contest. I have reports from 5 stations for the ARRL DX SSB contest.

Hopefully, if you click on this link, you will be led to the leaderboard which you can download to your maching and critically analyze the results.

Don’t know why I can’t make this work with just one click, so just keep clicking on the link that shows up until it gives you the opportunity to save it.

73, Ken K3IU

 

CTRI-Champions-Leaderboard-20120310

Meeting Notice — March 10, 2012

Posted on by — 12 Comments ↓

If you are familiar with the interactive meeting notice skip down to “Topics“. This is an interactive meeting notice. What, you may ask, is an interactive meeting notice? As the phrase suggests, it is a meeting notice which requires interaction by the readers. For example: we need to have topics for presentation at the meeting; we need presenters; we need volunteers to provide lunch; we need to know who is coming to the meeting so the quantity of lunch portions may be determined, and so on. This post will be updated as interactions (comments) are appended.

Topics

  1. Contest Report
  2. Petition for Rule Making, 40 Meter Band
  3. Managing a pile up
  4. N1MM Logger
  5. RTTY WPX 2013

Lunch provider:  KA1GEU

Coffee and Drinks by: W1AN

Members who will attend:  W1PN, KA1GEU, NG1G, W1XX, W1AN, N6ERD/1, W1WBB, KW2G

Venue: Crandall House, 1100 to about 1400

Five “major” HF contests to go – ARRL DX SSB this weekend!

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Yes, we’re already 2/3 of the way through the primary contest season…with 5 remaining major HF events upcoming (which all count towards the CTRI CG intra-club competition) , including this weekend’s ARRL DX SSB contest.   Good luck to all breaking out the microphones and working some DX!

In two weeks will be the 24-hr Russian DX Contest, a great multi-mode DX contest where you can work anyone (US/VE or DX) for points but mults are DXCCs plus the many Russian regions (Oblasts).  Plans are afoot for a club Multi-op effort again from W1DX, courtesy of hosts John W1AN and his XYL Nancy W1NAN.  Contacts to be made on both CW *and* Phone so ops for both modes needed.  New ops encouraged! … please advise here or direct to W1AN or myself if interested.  Event runs Sat. to Sun.  March 17-18 begin/end 8am local (1200z).  P/T or F/T participation welcome.

A week later is CQ WPX SSB, another everyone works everyone event…a now major 48-hr contest.

The first weekend of May brings us the NEQP and our big club effort with our many 1×1 callsigns celebrating 20 yrs of the CTRI CG.

Late May brings us the CW version of CQ WPX.

In between all this are many smaller events including lots of other state QSO parties.  We hope YOU are making plans to be contest-active during this “final third” of contest season.  

GL and good contesting!  73…

Bill W1WBB