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!

The Peace Dale Library in South Kingstown has closed their meeting room to groups of ten or more. Our meeting for Saturday March 14th is cancelled.

Charlie N1RR is planning a YCCC dinner in the Bristol/Tiverton area. He’s trying to pick a suitable date. Contact him directly for info. charles.morrison.n1rr@nullgmail.com

— Dave K1SX

Here’s my result of activity in the contest this past weekend. I had about 8.5 hours of BIC time pretty evenly divided between Saturday and Sunday. Heard several members in the pileups.
73, Ken K3IU

              ARRL DX Contest, CW - 2020

Call: K3IU
Operator(s): K3IU
Station: K3IU

Class: SOAB HP
QTH:   RI
Operating Time (hrs): 8.5

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:    0     0
   80:    6     6
   40:  121    54
   20:  196    53
   15:   43    23
   10:    0     0
-------------------
Total:  366   136  Total Score = 149,328

Club: CT RI Contest Group

Almost all DX stations are sending cut numbers or shorthand (KW) for their power. I’ve just been entering the literal exchange (5TT, etc). Do I need to convert these to the actual digits before submitting my Cabrillo file?

About 4-5 hours op time. Ran the FT-817 into the Alpha Delta DX-LB with N1MM logging it. 40 Only QRP.

Band QSOs Pts Cty Pt/Q
7 Mhz 75 225 28 3.0
Total 75 225 28 3.0
Score: 6,300
1 Mult = 2.7 Q’s

Bob W1IG