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Your homework for the 2010 CQ WW DX SSB Contest is now on the internet, as logs from last year's contest are now available for anyone to look through on the web, giving you five months to learn something about the competition before this year's SSB test.
The over 5,000 SSB logs were uploaded without notice earlier in May by the CQ WW Contest Committee, which remains the only contest organization that opens logs to all competitors on the internet.
A radio-sport.net review of the over 5,700 logs from the SSB leg of the contest demonstrates the increasing popularity of this contest, which has continued to grow even with lackluster solar conditions in recent years.
You can look through the logs on the CQ WW web site.
The release of the 2009 CQ WW DX SSB logs does not mean the results are out yet - those will be published as usual in CQ Magazine around August.
One example of out-of-band contacts was on 75 meters, as stations in Europe answered Jeff Briggs K1ZM/VY2ZM, who was working split and listening on 3601 and 3600, two frequencies that many would argue are technically out-of-band, because they are within 3 kHz of the SSB band edge of 3600.
Multiple listeners have pointed out that this is the question of "band plans" - that it may not be technically illegal for stations to be on 3600 and 3601 from Europe, because there is no hard and fast law against operating SSB all the way down to 3503 in the CW segment.
So, the question is, should more stations from the US and Canada follow the example of VY2ZM and listen on 3600 or lower? Very few stations venture there according to the logs of the 2009 SSB test.
In all, over 5,000 logs are available on the internet from last year's CQ WW SSB contest for your review. Radio-sport.net has pulled out some of the top claimed scores, so you can go through them and see how they put together their final numbers.
HC8A - HC8A log / 2009 rate sheet
CN2R - CN2R log / 2009 rate sheet
8P5A - 8P5A log / 2009 rate sheet
CR2X - CR2X log / 2009 rate sheet
4O3A - 8P5A log / 2009 rate sheet
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P40A - P40A log / 2009 rate sheet
HI3TEJ - HI3TEJ log / 2009 rate sheet
6V7Q - P40W log / 2009 rate sheet
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RG9A - RG9A log / 2009 rate sheet
CR6K - CR6K log / 2009 rate sheet
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Obviously, the over 5,000 SSB logs from 2009 have a wealth of information in them, which can focus on just about anything.
One item that radio-sport.net checked was how many of the top ten claimed scores in the various Single Operator categories were using CAT frequency control on their rigs, which put down the exact frequency of a contact in the log.
The results were sort of surprising for one category.
In SOAB High Power, two of the top ten (KH7XS and HT2N) did not have CAT control, while the other eight did.
In SOAB Low Power, three of the top ten (N1UR, KH0/JK2VOC and LT7H) did not.
In the Assisted category, it was just one of the top ten (V31MW) without CAT.
But in the QRP category, it was an entirely different contest.
Of the top ten claimed scores in QRP from the 2009 CQ WW SSB Contest, eight of the top ten finishers did not have exact frequencies in their log.
Second place RX1CQ was the only station with full frequencies; K4LY had some bands with that, and some without.
Why would this one category be so out of tune with all of the others?
There was no immediate answer for radio-sport.net - maybe some readers might be able to suggest otherwise.
Each time, it has been a tool to show how Briggs may be running stations on a legal frequency in the United States, but that stations answering him in Europe and Africa have not been legal.
That was the case on 160 meters in the 2008 CQ WW CW contest and in the CQ WW SSB contest.
Both have log segments from VY2ZM on the right sidebar, showing Briggs working stations from Europe, all of whom are transmitting on a frequency that is not legal on 160 meters.
This time, the example involves the much more murky question of split operations on 75 meters. Briggs again is working on absolutely legal frequencies, but what about those answering his calls?
The question is raised only because so few contacts took place in the CQ WW SSB contest on frequencies below 3603.
Of his 1,783 contacts in his log, 16% come from replies that were close to the band edge of 3600.
"I don't know the exact regulations for other IARU R1 countries, but in Germany it is perfectly legal to operate SSB as low as 3503kHz," said Fabian Kurz DJ1YFK.
And Kurz is correct about that - but the interesting part is that during CQ WW SSB, very few European stations venture below 3600 on phone.
"In UK I could operate LSB right down to around 3503 and still be LEGAL, if not a little unsociable," wrote Fred Hanscombe G4BWP, who called this report "Ill informed crap."
Nick F5VHIH/SV3SJ noted the similarities in the constant battle over who can operate where on 40 meters.
"All IARU regions attempt to, is to offer a recommendation for national events in each region, of course in the terms of allowed frequency segments of the region," he emailed.
That being said - very, very few hams went below 3600 in 2009 CQ WW DX SSB.
And what about when a contester operates split, how low should you be able to listen on 75 meters? Is there really anything wrong with trying to get contacts on 3600 and 3601 on LSB?
Would it make more sense for a US or Canadian station to follow the lead of Briggs and listen below 3600 in the future for Europeans?
And why does 40 meters get so much attention on operations that are low in the band during SSB contests, but 80 meters goes by somewhat unnoticed?
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