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States Above 50 MHz
Award Program
Thanks to each of you for participating this year! 31 entries--slightly down from last year!
Participation was still active this year because two groups--in Minnesota and Oklahoma--utilized the program as an impetus for increased activity in their local areas. Keep it up! Other areas of the country, consider using this program to spur activity in your areas. How about it Roadrunners, Mid-Iowa, and North Texas?
Please recall that this is a "program" for all participants in order to spur increased activity. This program only becomes a contest for our top finishers.
Our 3rd place finisher, Gary Flynn, KE8FD, returns with another strong showing. Gary has "won" (placed 1st) in two previous years. He tied his 2000 win of 154 band-states.
For three years in a row now, our 1st and 2nd place finishers, Mike King, KMØT and Bob Mathews, K8TQK, repeat in each position. Each really used the program as a spur to their activity. Both Mike and Bob worked each other many times throughout the year and gave each other a few unique band-states. So now there is a new record to best--199 band-states. Both Mike and Bob were aggressive about watching propagation conditions. Look at both of their numbers in the table and just marvel at each of their accomplishments on each of the bands. It's symbolic of some fine operating skill and of refining their stations to yield the best coverage their geographic locations will support. I'm awed by their numbers but rather than just repeat them in text, take a look at the table. Both of these guys practiced "being there". Mike, KMØT, reports that the arrival of a third harmonic will only allow him to dabble with this program for the next few years. Mike has an excellent article on his webpage about his 2002 quest. He is trying to find the time to write a similar article about his 2003 effort. There is a good chance it will end up as a Proceedings article.
It's fun to peruse the entries and see familiar calls. Many entries had W7XU, K8GP, KE8FD, K8TQK, and KM0T in them. A few qso's of interest: KB9TLV picked up CO and KS via AI3Z/m. Both TLV and K0KFC picked up VT and NY from W1MAD/mm--must have been on Lake Champlain. W8PAT worked K1JT on several bands. WSJT is an excellent way to pick up tough states throughout the year. If you need tips just track down some of the callsigns that participated this year.
Items of note: KFØQ/Ø's entry was all from one weekend during the June Contest and portable at that! Nobody worked all 50 states this year--but that is not
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surprising now that the solar peak is past. Hawaii and Alaska were needed by many.
Rule updates and clarifications:
Canadian provinces: The response has been positive! But they sure are tough to collect! CYØ and CY9, Sable and St. Paul Islands, can be used to count for Nova Scotia. Concerning "location", while ARRL WAS allows 50 miles to still count as one location, we will borrow a VUCC rule of 300m/1000ft to count as one location. You may combine your states from multiple locations and submit your states as a "Rover" entry.
The 2003-2004 Program is in progress. Please continue to take the program as a challenge to your day-to-day operating and encourage your friends to participate. Even if you are a single-band specialist--log your states each year and send them in. It's a great way to look at year-to-year variation in propagation, activity level, and station condition. Remember, all your contacts from July 1, 2003 through June 30, 2004 count for this award. It's not too tough to go back into your logs and see what you've worked.
The primary form is a downloadable .pdf. But I've also created an Excel spreadsheet that will be on the webpage within a month. I also hope to make an editable .pdf over the coming year. I'm soliciting those with web/computer/database strengths to make an online entry facility.
Rules and forms are available on web-page www.csvhfs.org or by email from w9fz@csvhfs.org or by snail mail from Bruce Richardson W9FZ, 2330 Lexington Ave. S. #312, Mendota Hts, MN 55120 . This year's results and the all-time records should be on the web-page shortly.
Thanks for participating and go to it again! (Sorry for the slow write-up and certificates--I was not better this year--rather worse! I'm changing the certificates for next year to only need one signature--mine J)
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