P49X AIMS AT REPEAT IN CQ WPX RTTY
After a record-setting event last year in which seventy percent of the worldwide records were broken, organizers of the CQ WPX RTTY Contest are hoping for another strong turnout in 2010, with the defending champ hoping that Aruba will again be a lucky charm, as Ed Muns W0YK/P49X tries for another major RTTY title.
NEW
CN2R LEADS CQ 160 CW, K1LZ US MULTIS
Two years after winning the CQ 160 CW Contest from his Moroccan QTH, Jim Sullivan W7EJ seems headed for another Single Operator High Power victory, as he owns an over half million point
lead over defending champ Valery Komarov RD3AF. Meanwhile in the US, Team K1LZ overcame
big time weather troubles to post a record breaking Multi-Op score.
NEW
BIG ISLAND WIN FOR KH7XS IN 2009 SS SSB
After finishing third in 2008, Bill Kollenbaum K4XS ran his KH7XS station on the Big Island to victory from Hawaii
in the ARRL SSB Sweepstakes. While Kollenbaum won in high power, Mitch Mason K7RL captured his fourth straight
Unlimited title. Meanwhile Team W6YI not only won again in the Multi section, but set both the CW and SSB
records for Multi ops in the 2009 Sweepstakes contsts.
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MINNESOTA QSO TOPS ACTIVE WEEKEND
While there are no major contests on this first weekend of February 2010, there is
no reason to keep your radio off, as the Minnesota QSO Party leads a wide range
of offerings that can occupy any CW, SBB or RTTY contest buff. There are five
QSO Parties, the XE RTTY, and the North American Sprint CW contest.
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BIG JANUARY 2010 SWITCH FOR SUNSPOTS
A year ago, it was almost impossible to find a day with sunspots in January of
2009. Fast forward to January 2010, and it was almost impossible to find a day
without sunspots, as a steady stream of action is now visible on the Sun. It
gives hope to those ham radio contesters and DX'ers who have been waiting for
years for 10 and 15 meters to finally return on a regular basis.
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N2IC WINS THIRD STRAIGHT SS CW TEST
The 2009 ARRL Sweepstakes CW Contest was a record setting event, as Steve London N2IC set a new high power mark while winning his third straight Single Operator High Power title, and Team W6YI took a third consecutive Multi-op win, breaking a 14 year old record in the process. Also, the ARRL reports a record number of logs were submitted for both the CW and SSB Sweepstakes events.
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CQ WW OBSERVERS FIND NO VIOLATIONS
Three observers sent by the CQ WW Contest Committee to check for cheating by top Single
Operators in the 2009 CQ WW CW Contest found no rules violations in their checks three top stations in that test, the first use of contest monitors under new rules developed last year to address cheating concerns.
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CQ 160 CW: DREAMS OF A 2009 REPEAT
As the CQ 160 CW Contest returns for 2010, don't worry if you find yourself dreaming
about last year, because it might be hard to imagine better conditions on Topband than the 2009 CQ 160 CW test, when the band lit up almost like it was 20 meters. Defending
champ Valery Komarov RD3AF will be back this year as EF8M from the Canary Islands.
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CQ WW SAYS 'NO' TO SO/SOA CATEGORY
A day after a radio-sport.net story and hours after a stinging public rebuke by a six time CQ WW contest winner, the CQ WW Contest Committee announced it would not combine the Single Operator and Single Operator Assisted categories because of concerns over cheating.
"We continue to totally support SO and SOA being separate," said CQ WW Director Bob Cox K3EST.
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HI3TEJ STILL radio-sport.net WORLD #1
Along with qualifying for the World Radiosport Team Championships,
Teddy Jiminez HI3TEJ has again kept himself at the top of the
latest radio-sport.net World Single Operator
Standings. Chasing Jiminez in second is Yuri Kurinyi UA9AM.
Check out the latest standings and see if you've made it into
the Single Operator World 100!
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HIGH BANDS STILL SLUGGISH IN NAQP
Despite a flurry of sunspots so far in 2010, it was the same ole story for the
North American QSO Party's first contest of this year, as band openings were again
limited on 10 and 15 meters, while the action was heated on 80 and 160. The NAQP
CW leader is Chris Hurlbut KL9A, who is on course for a repeat January win thanks
to a big score from the NK7U station in Oregon.
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2009 YASME AWARD TO radio-sport.net
The amateur radio based YASME foundation has honored the radio-sport.net website for its groundbreaking coverage of ham radio contesting by awarding this site's creator with a YASME Excellence Award.
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SOLAR ACTIVITY GIVES HOPE FOR 2010
Even after the second worst year in the Space Age in terms of sunspot numbers, there
are encouraging signs for ham radio contesters when it comes to sunspots and better propagation on the HF contest bands. Except for Christmas, sunspots were visible
every day since December 9 and the first few days of the New Year.
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NAQP TESTS LOOK FOR SOLAR BOOST
After starting off the year with the ARRL RTTY Roundup, hams in North America get
to test their CW skills this weekend in the North American QSO Party, one of many
contests that has seen reduced scores on the high bands in recent years because
of lackluster solar conditions.
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SHIFT TO 2010 WITH ARRL RTTY ROUNDUP
The theme of the last few ARRL RTTY Roundup contests has been four straight wins for Ed Muns W0YK/P49X and lackluster propagation which has limited action on the high bands for RTTY contesters worldwide. But this year's band conditions have a chance to be a little different thanks to recent action on the sun.
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FEW SUNSPOTS GREET 2009 ARRL 10 TEST
After a first half of November that saw some hopeful signs of activity on the Sun, the last few weeks have been quiet, leaving contesters with a familiar lament for the 2009 ARRL 10 Meter Contest: "Where are the sunspots?" See what might be in store on 10 meters this year.
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RD3AF TOP SINGLE IN CQ WW CW 2009
The top Single Operator claimed scores all seem to be out in the 2009 CQ WW CW Contest,
with Valery Komarov RD3AF on top for the second straight year after an 11.8 million point
effort from EF8M in the Canary Islands. In second is Andy Blank N2NT, who had 11.2 million
from V47NT. Last year Komarov also had the highest score, but he was disqualified. Check out the latest from radio-sport.net
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THREE GET CQ WW CHEATING CHECKS
With little fanfare from the CQ WW Contest Committee, three top single operators in
the 2009 CQ WW CW contest had observers on hand during their operations, all part
of a new rule designed to crack down on cheating. One big question left unanswered
was who paid for the trips to three far off holiday destinations.
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HOPE FOR OPEN BANDS IN CQ WW CW 09
After several years of depressed conditions, the sun has been a bit more active since the CQ WW SSB
Contest, giving some hope to contesters that the CW of CQ WW leg will be even more productive on 10 and 15 meters. See what radio-sport.net found as we continue our preview of CQ WW CW 2009!
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TOP SLOTS OPEN IN 2009 CQ WW CW
There will be fresh faces in the winner's circle this year for the 2009 running of the
CQ WW DX CW Contest, as the defending champs in the Single Operator High Power, Low Power
and QRP categories won't be making a repeat effort, along with the 2008 Multi-Two category.
Join radio-sport.net as we kick off our CQ WW CW coverage this week!
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NO REPEAT WINNER IN CQ WW CW LP
Like the battle for supremacy in the Single Operator High Power category, the Low Power title also won't
have a repeat champion this year in the CQ WW CW Contest, which could make the Joseph "Bud" Trench AA3B/V26K the low power favorite once more. Check out the latest from our CQ WW CW coverage at radio-sport.net!
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W7WA TRIES FOR SWEEPS SSB REPEAT
This weekend brings one more tuneup for contesters in the US and Canada before CQ WW CW, as
the ARRL November Sweepstakes SSB test grabs the bands in North America. Dan Handa W7WA is
the defending champ in this very popular 30 hour contest, which is also a test of an operator's
ability to avoid log mistakes.
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MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT WRTC TEAMS
45 teams are now complete for the 2010 World Radiosport Team Championships in
Russia, as the team leaders who qualified for next year's contest have selected their
teammates. One of those picks was RA3CO, who had his log rejected in the 2008 CQ WW SSB Contest, after the government of Colombia found that he had operated illegally in that country.
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N6KT CLAIMS 9th CQ WW SSB VICTORY
Already the most prolific single operator in the history of the CQ WW SSB Contest, Rich Smith N6KT is on his way to a second straight win in 2009, a record ninth overall, as he claimed just over 16 million points from HC8A in the Galapagos Islands. That gives Smith an almost insurmountable lead over his closest pursuers, 8P5A (W2SC), CR2X (OH2UA) and 4O3A (ES5TV).
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N2IC AIMS AT 3 STRAIGHT SS CW WINS
After watching KE3Q (at WP3R) dominate for eight straight years, now it's the turn of Steven London N2IC to see if he can extend his own two year winning streak in the 2009 running of the ARRL's November Sweepstakes CW contest.
But hot on his tail will be a number of top ops, just waiting to pounce if N2IC stumbles.
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N6KT FAVORED IN 2009 CQ WW SSB TEST
It has been 26 years since Rich Smith N6KT nabbed his first CQ WW SSB victory, a feat that he has achieved eight times, most recently in 2008. And again in 2009, Smith is the man to beat, as he looks for a record ninth SSB win from HC8A in the Galapagos Islands.
A number of big time operators will be laying in wait to challenge for this year's
SOAB HP title.
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CQ WW CHIEF SENDS INSPECTION NOTICES
Following through on a major rules change for the 2009 CQ WW DX Contests, the head of the CQ WW Contest Committee has sent emails to certain contesters requesting the right to have an official observer visit their stations during the 48 hour contest period of this year's CQ WW CW test. The email names at least four operators: CT1BOH, YT1AD, W2SC and RD3AF.
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EAST COAST BATTLE EXPECTED IN CQWW
After two straight USA Single Operator High Power victories, Randy Thompson K5ZD will not be going for three in a row in 2009, making the 2009 CQ WW SSB Contest in the US a likely shootout of top stations in New England and along the East Coast. Thompson
instead will host W1UE, as W1UE, K1DG, K1LZ, NN3W, K3CR and others battle for
top SOAB HP honors in the US.
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OH2UA BIDS FOR EUROPE CQ WW REPEAT
Sporting a new call sign of CR2X in the Azores, Toni Linden OH2UA will try to post the best CQ WW SSB score in Europe for the fourth straight year, with designs on another sweep of the SSB & CW titles.
Among those trying to stop him will be Tonno Vahk ES5TV, who will head from his home in Estonia to the QTH of 4O3A in Montenegro for this contest.
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BUILDING A BETTER CQ WW STATION
As the 2009 CQ WW DX SSB Contest arrives, it seems safe to say that if your antenna system and shack are about the same as a year ago at this time, then others might well have been gaining on you in the race for ham radio contest supremacy. Check out some photos from top operations in the US & Europe.
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CQ WW SSB: HIGH BANDS STILL DOWN
For the third straight year, the CQ WW SSB Contest arrives with propagation depressed on the HF bands, which will again force contesters to scramble for QSO's and multipliers, all courtesy of a still quiet Sun. It means another contest where you can expect
crowded conditions on 20 and 40 meters and good low band conditions.
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CQ WW SSB ARRIVES WITH MORE RULES
After several months of public controversy over the judging of the 2008 CQ WW DX Contests, the 2009 CQ WW SSB test arrives with some re-formulated rules from the CQ WW Contest Committee, one of which could lead to an in-person, on site visit from an official observer during the 48 hour contest period to check for cheating.
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MORE DQ RULES FOR 2009 CQ WW TESTS
With less than two weeks until the 2009 CQ WW SSB Contest, the disqualification rules for the CQ Worldwide Contests has been revised, making it into a process that involves "Yellow" and "Red" cards for contesting rule violations, akin to the rules for misconduct in international football. Check out the new language
and tell radio-sport.net what you think of the changes.
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CONTROVERSY OVER SOME WRTC PICKS
After going through 76 entries from around the world, the organizers of the 2010 World Radiosport Team Championships announced on Sunday the 44 winners of team leader positions
for what is essentially the World Cup of ham radio contesting. Left
out of those selections was one leader from Europe and a top finisher
from Asia as well, even though they submitted their applications.
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TEAM LEADER ENTRIES IN FOR 2010 WRTC
The entries are now in for team leader positions in qualifying for the 2010 World Radiosport Team Championships in Russia, as 76 contesters from around the world submitted paperwork in an effort to claim 44 spots in next year's world championships of ham radio contesting. In some cases, the biggest news was made by those who did not submit an entry, even though they would have qualified.
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CQ WW RTTY GRABS WORLD SPOTLIGHT
After a 20 percent increase in logs from 2007 to 2008, the sky is
the limit for the 2009 CQ WW RTTY Contest, which kicks off this year's CQ WW contests. The defending champ is Ed Muns W0YK, who won in 2008 from Aruba as P49X. Again this year, very low solar activity means that the high bands could be weak again, making this a battle on 20 and 40 meters.
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NO SIGNS FROM CQ WW ON PRIVATE DQs
With fresh evidence in the CQ WW DX contests of possible "private" disqualifications being handed out by the CQ WW Contest Committee, there are voices in the ham radio contest community urging a halt to that practice, calling for more public declarations of DQ decisions. "Naming and shaming is the only way to deal with premeditated and calculated cheaters," said one ham.
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DQ FOR EF8M, TOP CQ WW CW SCORE
In a record setting year for public DQ's in the CQ WW DX Contests, a Russian contester who had the top CW single operator claimed score was disqualified, as the CQ WW Contest Committee continued its crackdown on cheating in the 2008 DX contests. Check out
why CQ tossed out RD3AF's score from EF8M, but okayed YT1AD's winning effort
from 3V8BB.
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TOP CQ WW CW M/S SCORE DISAPPEARS
The final numbers from the 2008 CQ WW CW contest do not include any mention of the top world claimed score in the Multi-Single category, as a radio-sport.net review of the latest results from CQ Magazine show that Team 4L0A's score simply "disappeared" from the final 2008 CQ WW CW results.
Also missing, several top 40 meter scores that were evidently "privately" DQ'd.
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CQ WW CHIEF FIRES BACK ON CHEATS
With the CQ WW Contest Committee under fire over its handling of possible cheaters in 2008, Contest Director Bob Cox K3EST fired back this past week, arguing the committee has done its best to ferret out those who are breaking the rules in CQ WW DX. Also on the sidebar, check out the story on how the ARRL re-scored the 2008 IARU Contest, which led to a different single op winner in one high power category.
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CQ WW EXPANDS IN-TEST CHECK RULE
With no public comment from the CQ WW Contest Committee, a controversial new rule dealing with third party contest visits for the 2009 CQ WW DX Contests was quietly changed and drastically expanded in recent days.
The move softens the new rule and also reduces the penalties originally associated with it, but also shifts the emphasis from specific stations to all possible high contest scorers.
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CQ WW GIVES CHEATS ONE YEAR BAN
Grappling with how best to deal in the future with high profile disqualifications in the 2008 CQ WW DX Contests, the CQ WW Contest Committee has decided to toughen the punishments for all of those who are DQ'd, by broadening the penalties into other tests run by CQ Magazine. All of that comes as contesters await the results of the 2008 CQ WW CW test, which is also expected to include at least one high profile DQ.
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MORE CQ WW RULE ON IN TEST CHECKS
After a series of high profile disqualifications in the 2008 CQ WW DX Contests, a new rule being instituted for the 2009 CQ WW DX tests would require certain operators who are under scrutiny for possible rules violations to have a third party visit during the contest, a sweeping change designed to crack down on cheating.
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MORE DQ'S LIKELY IN 2008 CQ WW CW
With the ham radio contest community still digesting the blockbuster disqualifications of five multi op teams from the 2008 CQ WW DX SSB Contest, radio-sport.net has been told that the 2008 CQ WW DX CW results will also include major DQ news, which is expected to determine the Single Op winner
of that contest.
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FIVE DQ'S IN 2008 CQ WW DX SSB TEST
In one of the most sweeping series of DQ decisions ever issued for a CQ WW DX contest, five multi-ops were disqualified from the 2008 CQ WW DX SSB Contest according to published results released last week. The DQ's included D4C, E7DX, 9A1P, 9A7A and UU7J, all for violations of the 10 minute band change rule in Multi-Single.
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RECORDS FALL IN 2009 CQ WPX CW TEST
Despite a year that has so far seen historically low levels of sunspot activity and continued depressed conditions on 10 and 15 meters, the CQ WPX CW contest record books could get a significant update after this year's final scores are tallied. As of now,
the Single Op leader is Valery Komarov RD3AF, who might
just set a World record from his operation at EF8M.
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CQ WW DQ's HK3RA/RA3CO SSB ENTRY
With the Colombian government formally stating that no license or authorization for operation was ever issued to Russian contester Dimitri Kryukov RA3CO, the CQ WW Contest Committee has rejected his
Top Ten effort in last year's CQ WW SSB contest, labeling the HK3RA operation "illegal."
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CONTESTERS QRX FOR FUN IN DAYTON
Gone were the sometimes bitter debates of a year ago
about the controversial CW Skimmer program, as in
2009, the attitude was much more relaxed as contesters
and ham radio operators from the entire world gathered
for the Dayton Hamvention. Get a quick review of
some of the fun from radio-sport.net!
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W2SC WITH NARROW WPX SSB LEAD
After three straight single operator wins in the CQ WPX
SSB contest, Tom Georgens W2SC wasn't fighting just his competitors in the 2009 test, as he was hit with a "power outage" during the first night at his 8P5A contest station in Barbados, but he's still in first place overall. The Carribean wasn't the only place with power troubles, as bad storms smacked much of the US during the contest, resulting in unusually high static levels that kept scores down for many from 2008.
UPDATED
MORE RECORDS FALL IN 2009 CQ 160 SSB
Conditions were not as great for the 2009 CQ 160 SSB
test as they had been for CQ 160 CW, but that didn't stop
records from being broken in the US and Europe. Paul Newberry
N4PN led the charge from the USA, easily breaking his two
year old Single Op High Power record from W8JI, but just
behind is Jerry Rosalius WB9Z. Over in
Europe, the big scores started with Team E7DX in Multi-op.
Check the scores and the CQ 160 SSB stories.
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WORLD RECORDS FALL IN CQ WPX RTTY
Conditions at the start weren't very good for the
2009 CQ WPX RTTY Contest, but with more and more stations
on the air, new records were likely set in at least
three world categories. Current SOHP record holder
Ed Muns W0YK/P49X shattered his one year old mark with
over 11 million points. Also likely broken, the World
low power and World Multi-Single records.
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