K5ZD commentary

CQ WPX Contest 2011 Year in Review

With the WPX SSB Contest only days away it is a good time to look back at the activities of the past year.

  • WPX SSB experienced some of the best conditions on the 15 meter band ever. Record scores were set on nearly every continent.  DR1A raised the prefix record by over 200 to an amazing 1909 prefixes worked. We received a total of 5,143 logs.
  • WPX CW had even worse conditions in 2011 than in 2010 (I didn’t think that would be possible). Even so, LZ9W was able to increase the prefix record to 1365. Log submissions reached a record of 3,869.
  • WPX SSB saw 12 Yellow Cards issued for unclaimed use of assistance. There was one Red Card issued for a multi-single station that transmitted more than one signal at a time.
  • WPX CW had 14 Yellow Cards for unclaimed assistance and 5 Red Cards for more than one signal.
  • The third annual WPX Contest Survey was conducted in September, 2011. Invitations were sent to everyone who submitted a log in the 2011 WPX RTTY, SSB, and CW Contests. We received 6,500 responses to the survey with 3,584 completing the full survey.  Results are presented in 2 parts (go to part 1).
  • There were two notable rule changes for 2012.  The first is a definition of where power is measured. “Power is measured at the final output connector of the transmitter.” The second is to remove the 275Km distance limitation from the club competition.
  • Private links to log checking reports were sent by email to everyone who submitted a log for WPX 2011. Reports detailed the final score, any score reductions, list of unique QSOs, and information on errors made by other stations working you.
  • Tzetzo, LZ2FQ, created a new log submission tool to convert ADIF format log files into the Cabrillo format needed for the robot. This will enable users of general purpose logging software programs to easily submit their logs for the contest. Start the ADIF log conversion here.
  • CQ WPX Contest fan page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/cqwpx) has 2,090 fans!

Thanks to everyone who participated on the air or contributed to the operation of the CQ WPX Contests. Get on the air and have fun!

K5ZD announcements

WWROF Support for CQ WPX Contest

WWROF is the World Wide Radio Operators Foundation (www.wwrof.org). WWROF was created in 2009 as an independent organization devoted to supporting the skill and art of radio operating.

In a recent letter, John Dorr, K1AR, Chairman of the WWROF, provided some examples of how the group is working to meet that mission.

“I thought I would share some of our accomplishments in 2011. We have largely operated in the background this year, partially due to funding limitations, but also because of the nature of our initial projects. In summary, WWROF:

  • Funded 2010 & 2011 certificate expenses for entire family of CQ contests.
  • Provided partial funding of CQ certificate mailing costs.
  • Implemented log checking services for IARU HF Championship HQ stations and set the stage for supporting a variety of contests in the future.
  • Procured software defined radio (SDR) equipment to assist the CQWW Contest Committee with on-air recordings for log checking, providing ground-breaking adjudication services.
  • Upgraded hardware on CQWW log checking systems.
  • Developed and promoted a Contest Code of Ethics (CCOE). The CCOE was subsequently adopted by the CQWW committee and has obtained broad support within CQ’s entire family of contests including the CQ WW DX, CQ WPX, CQ RTTY, and CQ 160 and beyond (see http://wwrof.org/contester-code-of-ethics/ ).
  • Funded a centralized PO Box to facilitate timely collection of paper logs for CQ contests.
  • Implemented broader international organizational support by electing S50A and VE3EJ as new WWROF Directors.
  • Added further depth to leadership team with the appointment of K5ZD as our newest WWROF Director.

Looking forward to 2012 and beyond, WWROF has a strong desire to make an even larger contribution to contesting. The computing infrastructure needs of the contest community continue to grow. We also look forward to supporting further improvements to contest log checking such as the development of improved tools for log submissions and encouragement programs for newcomers.”

The WWROF is filling a very important function in funding and operating the back office infrastructure that helps make all CQ Contests run so effectively. This includes the log submission robot, the various web sites, log checking software, certificate distribution, and much more.

The WWROF has directly supported the CQ WPX Contest through all of the above. The SDR recording tools have also been used during the WPX Contests and used in the log checking.  The same software and computer infrastructure used for the CQWW log checking is also used for the CQ WPX Contest. It would be impossible to manage the record number of log submissions without this help.

The volunteers who do the work are happy to contribute their time, but we need financial support to fund the operational expenses of running the contest.  Please visit the WWROF web site and consider making a donation. WWROF is an IRS-approved 501(c) (3) tax-exempt, public charity under U.S. law.

K5ZD announcements

ADIF to Cabrillo Log Converter

The CQ WPX Contest is pleased to announce a new log submission tool to convert ADIF format log files into the Cabrillo format needed for the robot. This will enable users of general purpose logging software programs to easily submit their logs for the contest.

The ADIF log conversion wizard begins at http://www.cqwpx.com/adif/

The three step wizard prompts you to upload your adif file, specify the information for your contest entry, and finally to enter your name/address.

You are given the chance to review the Cabrillo file output. It then offers the option to submit the log directly to the logcheck page for final format checking. Once any errors are corrected, one click emails your log directly to the robot. It only takes a few minutes to go from ADIF file to log submission.

The adif converter is designed for use with the CQ WPX RTTY, SSB, and CW contests, but could also be used for any contest that uses serial numbers or zones for the exchange. It is important that users log the sent and received serial numbers and include them in their adif file. Without this information the log can only be accepted as a checklog.

Already have your log in Cabrillo format? Go directly to http://www.cqwpx.com/logcheck/ to upload your log, check its formatting, and submit to the robot. Instant feedback on formatting errors saves you the hassle of waiting for the cryptic robot responses.

Thanks to Tzetzo, LZ2FQ, for his work in creating the adif converter and log submission pages.

See everyone in the 2012 CQ WPX Contests!

SSB Mar 24-25

CW May 26-27