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- Rules, 46th January VHF Sweepstakes
-
-
- 1) Object: To work as many amateur stations in as many
- different 2-degrees X 1-degrees grid squares as possible using
- authorized frequencies above 50 MHz. Foreign stations work W/VE
- amateurs only.
- 2) Contest Period: Begins 1900 UTC Saturday, January 23 and
- ends at 0400 UTC Monday, January 25.
- 3) Categories:
- (A) Single Operator: One person performs all operating
- and logging functions.
- (1) Multiband.
- (2) Single Band: Single-band entries on 50, 144,
- 222, 432, 902, 1296 and 2304-and-up categories will be recognized
-
- both in QST score listings and in awards offered. Contacts may be
-
- made on any and all bands without jeopardizing single-band entry
- status. Such additional contacts are encouraged and should be
- reported. Also see Rule 9, Awards.
- (B) Single Operator, QRP Portable: Run 10-W output or
- less using a portable power source from a portable location. The
- intent of this rule is to encourage operation from "remote"
- locations, not to have home or fixed stations run low power.
- (C) Rover: One or two operators of a single station
- that moves among two or more grid squares during the course of
- the contest will be considered a rover. Rovers sign "rover" on
- phone and /R on CW after their call sign. All Rovers are
- encouraged to adopt operating practices that allow as many
- stations as possible to contact them.
- (D) Multioperator: Multioperator stations must locate
- all equipment (including antennas) within a circle whose diameter
-
- does not exceed 300 meters (1,000 feet).
- (E) Limited Multioperator: Multioperator stations that
- submit a maximum of four bands for score are eligible. Logs from
- additional bands used should be included as checklogs.
- 4) Exchange: Grid-square locator (see Jan 1983 QST, p 49).
- Example: W1AW in Newington, CT would send FN31. Exchange of
- signal report is optional.
- 5) Scoring:
- (A) QSO points: Count one point for each complete 50-
- or 144-MHz QSO. Count two points for each 222- or 432-MHz QSO.
- Count four points for each 902- or 1296-MHz QSO. Count eight
- points for each 2.3-GHz-or-higher QSO.
- (B) Multiplier: The total number of different grid
- squares worked per band. Each 2-degrees X 1-degrees grid square
- counts as one multiplier on each band it is worked.
- (C) Final score: Multiply the total number of QSO
- points from all bands operated by the total number of multipliers
-
- for final score (see scoring example).
- (D) Rovers only: The final score consists of the total
- number of QSO points from all bands times the total number of
- multipliers from all grid squares in which they operated.
- 6) Use of FM:
- (A) Retransmitting either or both stations, or use of
- repeater frequencies, is not permitted. This prohibits use of all
-
- repeater frequencies. Contest entrants may not transmit on
- repeaters or repeater frequencies on 2 meters for the purpose of
- soliciting contacts.
- (B) Use of the national simplex frequency, 146.52 MHz,
- or immediate adjacent guard frequencies is prohibited. Contest
- entrants may not transmit on 146.52 for the purpose of making or
- soliciting QSOs. The intent of this rule is to protect the
- national simplex frequency from contest monopolization. There are
-
- no restrictions on the use of 223.50 MHz.
- (C) Only recognized simplex frequencies may be used,
- such as 144.90 to 145.00; 146.49, .55 and .58, and 147.42, .45,
- .48, .51, .54 and .57 MHz on the 2-meter band. Local-option
- simplex channels and frequencies adjacent to the above that do
- not violate the intent of (A) or (B) above or the spirit and
- intent of the band plans as recommended in the ARRL Repeater
- Directory may be used for contest purposes.
- 7) Miscellaneous:
- (A) Stations may be worked for credit only once per
- band from any given grid square, regardless of mode. This does
- not prohibit working a station from more than one grid square
- with the same call sign (such as a Rover). Crossband QSOs do not
- count. Aeronautical mobile contacts do not count.
- (B) Partial QSOs do not count. Both calls, the full
- exchange and acknowledgment must be sent and received.
- (C) A transmitter used to contact one or more stations
- may not be used subsequently under any other call during the
- contest period (with the exception of family stations where more
- than one call is assigned to one location by the FCC/DOC); one
- operator may not give out contest QSOs using more than one call
- sign from any one location. The intent of this rule is to
- accommodate family members who must share a rig, not to
- manufacture artificial contacts.
- (D) Only one signal per band (6, 2, 1 1/4, etc) at any
- given time is permitted, regardless of mode.
- (E) While no minimum distance is specified for
- contacts, equipment should be capable of real communications (ie,
-
- able to communicate over at least 1 km).
- (F) Multioperator stations may not include QSOs with
- their own operators except on frequencies higher than 2.3 GHz.
- Even then, a complete, different station (transmitter, receiver
- and antenna) must exist for each QSO made under these conditions.
-
- (G) A station located precisely on a dividing line
- between grid squares must select only one as the location for
- exchange purposes. A different grid-square multiplier cannot be
- given out without moving the complete station (including
- antennas) at least 100 meters.
- (H) Above 300 GHz, contacts are permitted for contest
- credit only between licensed amateurs using coherent radiation on
-
- transmission (eg, laser) and employing at least one stage of
- electronic detection on receive.
- (I) Marine Mobile (and Maritime) entries will be listed
-
- separately as "Marine Mobile" in the listings and compete
- separately for awards.
- (J) Participants are reminded that the segment 50.100-
- 50.125 MHz should be used for intercontinental QSOs only, using
- 50.125 MHz as a calling frequency then QSY after contact is
- established.
- 8) Reporting:
- (A) Entries must be postmarked no later than 30 days
- after the end of the contest (February 25, 1993). No late entries
-
- can be accepted. Use ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes forms, a
- reasonable facsimile or submit entry on diskette. Send entries
- to: ARRL Contest Branch, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111.
- (1) Official entry forms are available from HQ for
-
- an SASE with 2-units of First Class postage.
- (2) You may submit your contest entry on diskette
- in lieu of paper logs. The floppy diskette must be IBM
- compatible, MS-DOS formatted, either 3.5 or 5.25 inch (40 or 80
- track). The log information must be in an ASCII file, following
- the ARRL Suggested Standard File Format, and contain all log
- exchange information (band, date, time in UTC, call of station
- worked, exchange sent, exchange received, multipliers [marked the
-
- first time worked] and QSO points). One entry per diskette. An
- official summary sheet or reasonable facsimile with a signed
- contest disclaimer is required with all entries.
- (B) Logs must indicate band, date, time in UTC, calls
- and complete exchanges (sent and received), multipliers and QSO
- points. Multipliers should be marked clearly in the log the first
-
- time they are worked. Entries with more than 200 QSOs total must
- include cross-check sheets (dupe sheets).
- 9) Awards: Certificates will be awarded in the following
- categories.
- (A) Single operator.
- (1) Top single operator in each ARRL/CRRL Section.
-
- (2) Top single operator on each band (50, 144,
- 222, 432, 902, 1296 and 2304-and-up categories) in each ARRL/CRRL
-
- Section where significant effort or competition is evident.
- (Note: Since the highest score per band will be the award winner
- for that band, an entrant may win a certificate with additional
- single-band achievement stickers.) For example, if WBmTEM has the
-
- highest single-operator all-band score in the Iowa Section and
- his 50- and 222-MHz scores are higher than any other Iowa single
- op's, he will earn a certificate for being the single-operator
- Section leader and endorsement stickers for 50 and 222 MHz.
- (B) Top single-operator, QRP portable in each ARRL/CRRL
-
- Section where significant effort or competition is evident.
- Single-operator, QRP portable entries are not eligible for
- single-band awards.
- (C) Top rover in each ARRL Division and Canada where
- significant effort or competition is evident. Rover entries are
- not eligible for single-band awards.
- (D) Top multioperator score in each ARRL/CRRL Section
- where significant effort or competition is evident. Multioperator
-
- entries are not eligible for single-band awards.
- (E) Top limited multioperator in each ARRL/CRRL Section
-
- where significant effort or competition is evident. Limited
- multioperator entries are not eligible for single-band awards.
- 10) Club Competition: ARRL-affiliated clubs compete for
- gavels on three levels: unlimited, medium and local. Details are
- in January QST.
- 11) Condition of Entry:
- (A) Each entrant agrees to be bound by the provisions,
- as well as the intent, of this announcement, the regulations of
- his or her licensing authority and the decisions of the ARRL
- Awards Committee.
- 12) Disqualifications: For excess duplicate contacts and
- call sign or exchange errors. See January QST for complete
- details.
-
-
- Scoring Example
-
- Band QSOs QSO Grid
- (MHz) Points Squares
-
- 50 25 (x1) 25 10
- 144 40 (x1) 40 20
- 222 10 (x2) 20 5
- 432 15 (x2) 30 10
- 902 36 (x4) 144 9
- 1296 5 (x4) 20 3
- 2304 1 (x8) 8 1
- 5760 1 (x8) 8 1
-
- Totals 133 295 59
-
- Final Score = (QSO Points) x (Total no. of Grid Squares)
- 17,405 = 295 x 59
-
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