This Weekend In RadioSport | Ignite Cycle 24

RadioSport USA | CQ World Wide RTTY.
Undoubtedly CQ WPX RTTY franchise is edging itself toward the number one spot as most popular event beneath our ionosphere. Why? Low power operators with modestly engineered stations are driving participation numbers toward the Orion constellation.

Heavy metal?

Perhaps heavy AWG wire fed with RG58 coaxial line ranging between 100-watts and less than 1-watt of high frequency juice. Let's go for ground mounted verticals with a few sub optimal radials or a G5RV in the attic. Whatever one's station configuration this weekend will ignite Cycle 24 and produce astounding, long awaited, blockbuster scores.

CQ WPX RTTY (rules).

P.S. Within country Qs count as 1-point in this event.

RadioSport USA | North American Sprint SSB.
Need a little more high frequency juice? This stuff is better than one of those Frankenstein "I'm alive" drinks, instead; it is all natural ham radio fun. Literally, given event coverage this weekend, who needs sleep especially those World Wide Young Contesters!

North American Sprint SSB (rules).

RadioSport USA | Louisiana QSO Party.
Straight off the Saints' Super Bowl victory the Louisiana QSO Party celebrates New Orlean's Q style and all. This event is sponsored by Thibodaux Amateur Radio Club whose membership covers Alexandria, New Orleans, and Baton Rogue.

Who dat Party?

Louisiana QSO Party (rules).

RadioSport EU | Dutch PACC.
An event sponsor could not have timed better than this as Cycle 24 amps our global community of operators. This really is a weekend for low power, low profile stations to log as many Qs as possible. One might say that supply is meeting demand and Dutch PACC is an additional consideration for ignite Cycle 24 this weekend.

Dutch PACC (rules).

RadioSport Asia | KCJ Top Band.
The world is high frequency and the KCJ Top Band completes 24/7 RadioSport coverage across a three day USA holiday weekend. The Top Band is the gentleman's band.

KCJ Top Band (rules).

SFI = 96 | A-index = 7 | K-index = 1 | Sunspot Count is 64 @ 0011UTC.

P.S. My goal this weekend is ham radio fun. Ignite Cycle 24!

RadioSport History | CQ World Wide DX CW 1975

What is up with Cycle 24? Extraordinary numbers (SFI = 91, K-index = 3, A-index = 1, Sunspot count = 63) going into this weekend is bonus time for RadioSport after a string of zero days and months. There is only one thing to accomplish in the shack relaxation zone when peering toward the horizon.

Take a moment, visit WA7BNM's Contest Calendar, find an event, then operate till your fingers hurt or wear out the voice this weekend.

Propagation.
Evidence suggested that discussing propagation at the start of the article really was not all that exciting. Content shifted toward competition itself and number of log submissions received (n = 1858 Phone) (n = 1944 Morse code) for a total of 3,802 logs received.

The Morse code contingent in RadioSport did not sit still as a previous article (Anzalone, 1974) suggested sideband was trending toward greater popularity.

Ethics.
Busted call(s) lead the charge as most problematic for operators. Capossela (1976) pointed out improper technique as the culprit compromising one's log; not sending the callsign of the station weighed heavily on claimed versus adjudicated scores.

Capossella suggested sending the callsign of the other station as a opportunity to correct errors prior to its entry into the log (1976). His advice is sound and rings true in the 21st Century even with automated memory functions.

Trends.
Was Drake, Yaesu, and Signal/One preferred radios during this time period? I observed of eight operator photographs that three of them featured linear amplifiers and the remainder only the radio itself. There is a balance between equipment featured in this article in relationship to high/low power.

Admittedly, RadioSport fashion is 70s with wild pastel shirts and beards, as notable in the photographs. My beard is back and the photographs gave station operators lots of flare. The sport, today, in comparison, seems to have lost some of that opting instead for tee-shirts.

Multi-multi titans in 1975 were W3AU, W3WJD, and W4BVV.

Single operator all band in the United States was W3LPL.

Single operator all band International was EA8CR.

Top Three Clubs in the United States were Potomac Valley Radio Club, Frankford Radio Club, and Western Washington DX Club.

Top Three International Clubs were Rhine Ruhr DX Association, Kaunus Polytechnik Institute R.C., and DX-Club SAAR-PFALZ.

My take away from 1975 is where is the flare? I'm working on that in the shack relaxation zone.

73 from the shackadelic on the beach.

Reference: Caposella, F. K6SSS (July, 1976). CQ Magazine: 1975 CQ World Wide DX Contest: C.W. Results. pp. 28 - 34, pp. 71 - 73.

3830 Claimed Scores | 2010 North American Sprint CW (Winter) | Low Power

Single Operator.

• N9CK | 287 Qs | 42 Mults | 4hrs | 12,054 Points [SMC #1].
• KU5B (@NX5M) | 280 Qs | 41 Mults | 4hrs | 11,480 [Dashers].
• N8EA | 245 Qs | 43 Mults | 4hrs | 10,535 Points [MRRC/NCC].

Congratulations to each operator on your Top Three 3830 Claimed Score position. Each was limited at 100-watts into various antenna system(s) in addition to station configurations including single-operator two radio (SO2R).

A job well done as N9CK lead The Society of Midwest Contesters Team #1 in the Low Power category to a banner placement.

Contest on!

My 10,000 Hour RadioSport Challenge | 9,846 - 13 = 9,833 To Go

I'm catching up on hours including North American QSO Party, British Columbia QSO Party, and North American Sprint CW. What is the difference between winter and summer propagation in the northern hemisphere? Has anyone who is operating low power into sub-optimal antenna system(s) analyzed seasonal RadioSport results at the station?

Draft Analysis of Low Power Production Totals.
2007 NA Sprint CW Winter = 7
2007 NA Sprint CW Summer = 43
2008 NA Sprint CW Winter = 43
2008 NA Sprint CW Summer = 42
2009 NA Sprint CW Winter = 9
2009 NA Sprint CW Summer = 29
2010 NA Sprint CW Winter = 7

Total winter -Q production = 66 in the log.
Total summer -Q production = 114 in the log.

Average Winter -Q production = 16.5
Average Summer -Q production = 38

Winter frequency distribution is 43, 9, 7, 7 and summer distribution is 43, 42, and twenty nine. My first observation suggests summer propagation produced two times as many -Qs when compared against winter.

I'm also looking within groups and what factor(s) in the winter of 2008 spiked production total?

I observed an effect of gray line on 20m this weekend and the same phenomena occurred during the North American QSO Party. The band went silent shortly after gray line passed over the state of Texas. In fact, five of the seven -Qs in the 2010 NA Sprint CW log, were located in Texas as gray line approached and passed over.

A low power, low profile operator may consider the following 1.) Which band provides the best propagation opportunities given height of antenna in relationship to angle of received reflections, 2.) Where is my station located in relationship to skip zones and major metropolitan centers when comparing high/low angles of reflection in summer/winter and, 3.) What improvements can be implemented after comparing seasonal differences?

Subsequently, does a correlation between sub optimal antenna system(s) and seasonal propagation exist? Or is there a correlation between antenna system(s), seasonal propagation, and skip zones into major metropolitan areas?

I deployed my vertical this year whereas my doublet produced nearly the same winter totals across three bands in previous years. I operated 20m only for additional data harvesting this year with potential thunder storms in the local area.

73 from the shackadelic on the beach.