TCARC Sept Activity Contest

2003, version 1.0

Hereafter known as the SAC, or TCARC SAC for short. We like acronyms, but couldn't come up with good words to make "BONEHEAD".

This is the contest you've been waiting for. Or something like that. There is probably a place for you to earn points for your creativity. If not let us know and we'll see if you have creativity or are simply insane, which doesn't earn points as there's no challenge there.

The main idea is to get you on the air making contacts with whatever you have, or find lying around, or make something and get on the air darn it! There should be something for everyone here.

Tell all your ham friends to read the rules and devise tricky ways to claim lots of bonus points. Note that on-air discussion of what to do will probably earn points, as will actually doing it. Sweet.

There are not really rules other than MAKE CONTACTS!!! The FCC makes the rules you have to follow while on the air. Follow the FCC rules and use the scoring criteria to figure out how many points you earned. Scoring criteria are in the spreadsheets.

"The decisions of our esteemed judges might be arbitrary, but at least they're final." - God, creator of RF and glad he's not Al Gore. So we have it straight from the top.

There is only one absolute rule for entering this contest:

R1. You must be a paid-up member of TCARC or an official W2CXM member to enter this contest. Members of other clubs can either pay up at TCARC or get their contest committee chair to do something as weird as this. For this contest, "official W2CXM member" means you have a W2CXM key, or attended one W2CXM meeting or activity in the last 18 months. If in doubt ask N2VR if you qualify.

Scoring criteria:

SC-1. This contest runs from the close of the Sept TCARC meeting on 2 Sept 2003 to 7PM local time the date of the Oct 2003 TCARC meeting.

SC-2. You need to keep a minimal log of your contacts and their type if you want to claim more than one point per contact. The log must show the date and call of the other operator at a minimum. Note: To claim some of the other points allowed, you might need to record more information according to the type of contact and equipment as indicated below.

SC-3. Entries must be submitted by Oct 31 2003, either (a) by posting your entry to the club mailing list or (b) US Postal Service or hand-delivery to N2VR if you don't have email. Late enter-ers will be appropriately whacked and may not win anything. Heck, maybe no-one will win anything of value. We simply don't know yet, Vern.

SC-4. Your entry must be a summary sheet, consisting of the total number contacts and points claimed, bonus points claimed listing, total claimed score, your comments on how much fun you had and any required explanations.

SC-4a. If you're not sure how to score what you did, submit a summary sheet and bonus point list anyway and bring your log to a club meeting for assistance. Try to keep enough detail in your log so someone else can understand what you did.

SC-4b. If necessary we'll ask for your log. Please bring your log to the next few TCARC meetings so we can all chatter about them.

SC-5. To count as a QSO for this contest, the two ops (or stations if packet etc) must be more than 20 feet apart (220 mhz DX or better, hi).

SC-6. You can only claim 1 contact per band+mode per callsign per day, except commuting repeater contacts where you can claim once going to work and once coming home. So you can't have 20 QQRP contacts on 40m daily with your spouse. For God's sake, drive over and see them!

SC-7 through 17 available for future use. Ginsu steak knives not included.

SC-18. Pi really is 3.14159265358979323etc, regardless of what Arkansas tries to legislate.

SC-19. Ohm's Law must be obeyed by all participants, at least the real-mode ramifications of it.

SC-20. As noted on Bonus Points worksheet, contacts made with extraterrestrial non-humans count for 15,000 points but must be verified. A QSL card in the alien's native language and confirmation by a terrestrial national agency (possibly in the form of your never being heard from again) will suffice. To claim your points you must mention that you are a member of "my local amateur radio club" at least once in a national broadcast. 7.3125 extra points if you are also proud enough to actually say "Tompkins County Amateur Radio Club" in a national broadcast.

SC-20a. In other words, if you're the first human to prove contact with an alien life form, AND you're a TCARC member, AND it happens during this contest, you deserve to win something before "they" take you away.

SC-21. N2VR and cast of supporting bozos are the final arbiters of all disputes in this contest. For God's sake, please claim all the points you're eligible for!

SC-22. Special thanks to Kurt Sterba and Lil Paddle for inspiring the antenna bits. Special thanks to Kevin Feeney WB2EMS and the participants of the TCARC Contest Net for providing lots of good ideas.

SC-21. Watching "The Philadelphia Experiment" does not count for points but might use up some of your valuable time and make you go "hmmm."

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