Monthly Operating Events

Every month there are three QRP operating events that I love to participate in.  These are the Adventure Radio Society Spartan Sprints, the Flying Pigs Run For The Bacon and the NAQCC Straight Key sprints.  The times for these are listed below, in the N2CQ Contest Calendar.

The ARS Spartan Sprint is designed to get you out and operating in the field with as light and portable a station as you can muster up.  The ATS-3 rig by Steve Weber is the King of this event.  The exchange is easy, RST - S/P/C - power out.  The Spartan Sprint is held the first Monday night of every month.  It's a super popular Sprint and the stations that folks use to compete are sometimes simply amazing.

The Flying Pigs Run For The Bacon is held the third Sunday night of each month.  The exchange is easy, RST - S/P/C - Flying Pigs membership number.  If you're not a member, your still encouraged to participate by sending your ouput power instead.  This is a friendly, two hour Sprint.  Your score is easily reported by going to the Flying Pigs Webpage and using their Autolog feature.

The monthly NAQCC Sprints encourage the use of straight keys and bugs.  Bonus points are given for using these Morse tools as opposed to using paddles and a keyer.  These Sprints are usually limited to either 80 and 40 Meters.  Each month a certificate is awarded for some kind of special reason.

Why should you bother participating in these Sprints?  If you're not used to contesting, these are excellent vehicles to ease your way into contesting in a low pressure, easy way.  Once you've operated in several Sprints, you get the feel for what the big contests are like and how they operate.

Operating in the Sprints will help bump up your code speed.  The normal speed for contest exchanges is anywhere from 18 WPM and higher.  Operate at these speeds for a few times; and you'll find your conversational speed increasing, also.

Friends, friends, friends!  After you've gotten your feet wet and you've jumped into the Sprints, you'll start noticing a lot of familiar call signs.  These guys are friendly competitors; and they become your friends for life, fast!  Also, these Sprints are so much fun.  You'll be amazed how you start to regard these contests as landmarks in your personal monthly calendar.
 
 





N2CQ Contest Calendar
July 2010
 


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N2CQ QRP CONTEST CALENDAR
July 24 - August 22, 2010
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Summer FOX Hunt - QRP 20M CW... QRP Contest!
EDT: Each Tue, 9 PM  to 1029 PM
UTC: Each Wed, 0100z to 0229z 
Info: http://www.qrpfoxhunt.org/

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Islands On The Air Contest (CW/SSB) ... QRP Category
Jul 24, 1200z to Jul 25, 1200z
Rules: http://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2010/riota.shtml

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Flight of the Bumblebees (CW) ... QRP Contest!
EDT: Jul 25, 1300  to 1700
UTC: Jul 25, 1700z to 2100z
Rules: http://adventure-radio.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

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SKCC Sprint (Straight Key CW)  ... QRP Awards
Jul 28, 0000z to 0200z
Rules: http://www.skccgroup.com/sprint/sks/

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Adventure Radio Spartan Sprint (CW) *** QRP Event! ***
Aug 3, 0100z to 0300z (First Monday 9 PM EDT)
Info: http://adventure-radio.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

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Ten-Ten QSO Party (PH) ... QRP Category
Aug 7, 0001z to Aug 8, 2359z
Rules: http://www.ten-ten.org/Forms/QSOPartyRulesRevised.pdf

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TARA "Grid Dip" Contest  (PSK/RTTY) ... QRP Category
Aug 7, 0000z to 2400z
Rules: http://www.n2ty.org/seasons/tara_grid_rules.html

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EUROPEAN HF CHAMPIONSHIP (PH/CW) (EU work EU) Low Power Category
Aug 7, 1200z to 2359z
Rules: http://lea.hamradio.si/~scc/euhf/euhfcrules.htm

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ARRL UHF Contest ... Low Power Category
Aug 7, 1800z to Aug 8, 1800z
Rules: http://www.arrl.org/august-uhf

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North American QSO Party (CW) ... 100W Max.  (/QRP noted on entry)
Aug 7, 1800z to Aug 8, 0600z
Rules: http://www.ncjweb.com/naqprules.php

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SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (Straight Key CW) ... QRP Category
Aug 8, 0000z to 2359z
Rules: http://www.skccgroup.com/sprint/wes/

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NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint (CW) *** QRP Contest ***
EDT: Aug 10, 8:30 PM to 10:30 PM
UTC: Aug 11, 0030Z to 0230Z
Rules: http://home.windstream.net/yoel/contests.html

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CWops Mini-CWT Test (CW) ... QRP Category
Aug 11, 1100z to 1200z and
Aug 11, 1900z to 2000z and
Aug 12, 0300z to 0400z
Rules: http://www.cwops.org/onair.html

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Worked All Europe DX Contest (CW) ... 100W category
Aug 14, 0000z to Aug 15, 2359z
Rules: http://www.darc.de/referate/dx/xedcwr.htm

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Maryland/DC QSO Party (SSB/CW) ... QRP Category
Aug 14, 1600z to Aug 15, 0400z
Aug 15, 1600z to Aug 15, 2359z
Rules: http://mdcqsoparty.w3vpr.org/

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Feld Hell Club Sprint (Feld Hell) ... QRP Category
Aug 14, 2000z to 2200z
Rules: http://sites.google.com/site/feldhellclub/Home

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Rookie Rounup (SSB) 100W max
Aug 15, 1800Z to 2359z 
Rules: http://www.arrl.org/rookie-roundup

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RUN FOR THE BACON (CW) *** QRP CONTEST ***
EDT: Aug 15, 9 PM to 11 PM
UTC: Aug 16, 0100z 0300z
Rules: http://www.fpqrp.com/

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SARTG WW RTTY Contest ... Low Power Category
Aug 21, 0000z to 0800z
Aug 21, 1600z to 2400z
Aug 22, 0800z to 1600z
Rules: http://www.sartg.com/contest/wwrules.htm

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QRP ARCI Silent Key Memorial Contest (CW) *** QRP CONTEST! ***
Aug 21, 1500z to 1800z
Rules: http://www.qrparci.org

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North American QSO Party (SSB) ... 100W Max.  (/QRP noted on entry)
Aug 21, 1800z to Aug 22, 0600z
Rules: http://www.ncjweb.com/naqprules.php

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NJ QSO Party (CW/SSB)  
Aug 21, 2000z to Aug 22, 0700z
Aug 22, 1300z to Aug 23, 0200z
Rules: http://www.qsl.net/w2rj/

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Thanks to SM3CER, WA7BNM, N0AX(ARRL), VA3JFF & G4GXL (QRPARCI)

N2APB (AmQRP), WB3AAL (EPAQRP) and others
for assistance in compiling this calendar.

If you wish to subscribe to the Calendar,
send an e-mail to N2CQ@ARRL.Net

Please forward the contest info you sponsor to N2CQ@ARRL.NET and
we will post it and give it more publicity.
Anyone may use this "N2CQ QRP Contest Calendar" for your website,
newsletter, e-mail list or other media as you choose.
(Include a credit to the source of this material of course.)
72 de
Ken Newman - N2CQ

N2CQ QRP Contest Calendar Links:
http://www.n3epa.org/Pages/Contest/contest.htm
http://www.amqrp.org/contesting/contesting.html
http://www.qrparci.org/content/view/6134/130/lang,en/