Author: NØHJZ

Categories
Scores

Club Competition Update

The results from the ARRL RTTY Round-Up have all been tabulated. Activity levels were a bit lower this year (47 MWA’ers versus 51 last year) and conditions were a bit disturbed. As a result, our club score came in at 1,588,394 points, down 23.20% from last year. Despite poor conditions, there were some incredible scores. Check out Jim, N0UR’s, QRP score of 41,475 points! Wow!

Team 9 turned in a great effort again and won the top prize for the fourth time this season! Team 9 has been able to get operators on the air week-in and week-out! In the “Fend For Yourself” category, W0LM was the only Op on the air for Team 3 and N0AT was the only Op for Team 5. Thanks to everyone who pushed the power button on their rig and got on the air! Here are the team results:

  • Team 9 – 347,369 Points – 10 Pts
  • Team 7 – 218,009 Points – 9 Pts
  • Team 2 – 215,579 Points – 8 Pts
  • Team 1 – 201,435 Points – 7 Pts
  • Team 6 – 179,106 Points – 6 Pts
  • Team 8 – 148,668 Points – 5 Pts
  • Team 10 – 134,508 Points – 4 Pts
  • Team 5 – 130,866 Points – 3 Pts
  • Team 4 – 9,294 Points – 2 Pts
  • Team 3 – 3,560 Points – 1 Pt

In the yearlong Team Competition, Team 9 solidified their spot at the top. Team 1 slipped a few points but held on to the #2 spot. Team 7 moved up from 6th place to #3 with an impressive second place finish last week! The battle for third place is the most interesting. There are six teams within nine points, all battling for the third spot. MNQP will be a crucial battle! Here are the team results:

  • Team 9 – 74 Points
  • Team 1 – 63 Points
  • Team 7 – 54 Points
  • Team 8 – 53 Points
  • Team 6 – 51 Points
  • Team 5 – 50 Points
  • Team 2 – 49 Points
  • Team 4 – 45 Points
  • Team 10 – 29 Points
  • Team 3 – 27 Points

Up next is the Minnesota QSO Party. Get your team fired up to be on the air! Let’s see who can win the 10 points in MNQP!!

73,

Rich NØHJZ

Categories
Members

How To Win The Pizza-A New Way

We’ve come up with a new way to “win the pizza” for this season! In an attempt to have some fun, increase MWA scores, and level the playing field between contests, the MWA Team Competition has a new method for the 2015/2016 contest season. This was announced at the MWA meeting but I wanted to get the word out to everyone in the area.

Previously we used the percentage gain for the entire year as the determining factor for the winning team. Whoever increased the most over the entire season won the pizza. Simple!

As we analyzed the results, we found that the DX contests really drove the season. Why operate the little contests when you can create a large score in CQWW or ARRL DX? We looked at a way to make ARRL 160 or MNQP mean as much as the CQWW events.

Here is the result:

  • Each of our 11 contests will be separate events. Each contest will be worth one point (11 points total). The team that improves their score percentage the most (year over year) in each event will be awarded one point. Sweepstakes Phone is now worth the same as CQWW DX CW or ARRL RTTY Round-Up! Eleven separate points will be awarded for our eleven contests.
  • Each year we will also give out a bonus point for a specific event or set of contests. With this one bonus point, there are 12 points available throughout the entire contest season.
  • If teams are tied at the end of the season, the tie breaker will be the team that improved their score percentage (year over year) in the Minnesota QSO Party.

This new scoring method will hopefully get more stations active in more events. We’ll see increased activity, more QSO’s for each of us, and larger scores for MWA! I’ll have the first results out soon. Let me know if you have any questions.

73 Rich NØHJZ

Categories
Scores

One Million Points

A few of you asked me to share how to get to a million points in the contest season. You need to make an effort to be active in all 11 contests in our contest season. I think that, with a minimal station, and some BIC time, everyone in MWA could do this. Here is the formula:

  • CQWW RTTY – 300 QSO’s x 75 mults (average QSO worth 2 pts) = 45,000 points
  • CQWW DX Phone – 400 QSO’s x 200 mults (average QSO worth 2.5 pts) = 200,000 points
  • Sweepstakes CW – 350 QSO’s x 75 mults (QSO’s worth 2 pts) = 52,500 points
  • Sweepstakes Phone – 350 QSO’s x 75 mults (QSO’s worth 2 pts) = 52,500 points
  • CQWW DX CW – 400 QSO’s x 200 mults (average QSO worth 2.5 pts) = 200,000 points
  • ARRL 160 Meter Contest – 250 QSO’s x 50 mults (QSO’s worth 2 pts) = 25,000 points
  • ARRL 10 Meter Contest – 300 QSO’s x 60 mults (average QSO worth 2.5 pts) = 45,000 points
  • ARRL RTTY Round-Up – 400 QSO’s x 50 mults (QSO’s worth 1 pt) = 20,000 points
  • Minnesota QSO Party – 400 QSO’s x 60 mults (QSO’s worth 2 pts) = 48,000 points
  • ARRL DX CW – 350 QSO’s x 150 mults (QSO’s worth 3 pts) = 157,500 points
  • ARRL DX Phone – 350 QSO’s x 150 mults (QSO’s worth 3 pts) = 157,500 points

FULL YEAR TOTAL = 1,003,000 points

You’ll need to work all three modes. You can go with low power or high power. You can run assisted to add to your multiplier count. You just need to get on the air and spend some time making QSO’s! If anyone needs more help getting their station ready for the contest season, let me know.

I hope this helps more stations earn their certificates at next years meeting and enjoy the contest season more!

73, Rich NØHJZ