To: Ping Jockeys From: K1JT and WA5UFH Subject: December 2002 North American Meteor Scatter Contest We seem to become the unofficial "trustees" charged with making sure that a VHF/UHF meteor scatter operating event will take place, timed to coincide with the Geminids meteor shower in December. Rules for the event were worked out on a sort of consensus basis, adopting many ideas that appeared on the HSMS reflector after the informal Rally held last May. Rules for the December event are appended below. This MS Contest is scheduled for December 14-16, a weekend that includes the peak of the Geminids shower. (You can warm up with the Leonids, which are predicted to be spectacular this year and expected to show several peaks at "storm" levels between 0300 and 1100 UTC on November 19.) We hope that you will be active in the December 2002 North American Meteor Scatter Contest. If you do make some QSOs then, PLEASE send in your log or at least your summary sheet!! We would like to have a reliable record of the activity level in the event. With best wishes, -- 73 from Joe, K1JT, and Tip, WA5UFH ############################################################### December 2002 North American Meteor Scatter Contest --------------------------------------------------- 1. PURPOSE: to promote activity using meteor scatter propagation on the amateur VHF/UHF bands. 2. CONTEST PERIOD: starts on Saturday, December 14, at 0000 UTC and ends on Monday, December 16 at 0700 UTC (Friday evening through late Sunday evening, North American time.) The dates have been selected to make good use of the annual Geminids meteor shower. 3. ENTRY CATEGORIES: You must specify Low Power or High Power, Single Band or Multiband, and Assisted or Unassisted operation. This means that there are a total of eight categories in all. Low power means less than 200 Watts output was used at all times. "Assisted" stations may use the internet, email, telephone, or other non-meteor-scatter communication to make schedules or solicit contacts. "Unassisted" stations must make their QSOs by calling CQ, answering a CQ, or tailending on another QSO. There are two exceptions to this rule. It is permissible for a Multiband Unasissted station to move a QSO partner to another band. For example, if you are are working someone on 6 meters you might send "QSY 144.113" instead of "73". In addition, an Unassisted station may make schedules with other stations so long as the schedule is arranged before the contest has begun and the other station is at least 1300 miles distant (as determined by the six-digit grid locators of the two stations). This rule is to encourage efforts to push the envelope of meteor scatter communication. Entrants in the Assisted categories may make any normal use of email, Ping Jockey, or other scheduling aids during the contest, but of course they must not exchange any significant QSO information by non-meteor-scatter means while a QSO is in progress. 4. EXCHANGE: full callsigns, four-digit grid squares, and final rogers must be exchanged. Any communication by non-meteor-scatter means during a contact invalidates the contact. 5. MODE: any transmission mode (for example, CW, SSB, HSCW, FSK441) is permitted. QSOs with the same station count only once per band, regardless of mode. 6. OPERATING PROCEDURES: QSOs will be much easier to make if everyone adopts conventional procedures. In gerenal, the westernmost station should transmit in the first sequence. On a directly north-south path, the southern station goes first. You may find it desirable to use 15 second sequences in FSK441 mode rather than the conventional 30-second sequences. All participants are encouraged to listen for "tailenders" after completing QSOs, and to listen on the standard FSK441 calling frequencies (50.270 and 144.140 MHz) for CQs. The preferred method of calling CQ is the form "CQ U5 W1ABC", "CQ D13 W1ABC", or "CQ 113 W1ABC", indicating that W1ABC will be listening for replies "Up 5 kHz" or "Down 13 kHz" from the CQ frequency, or, in the third example, on 144.113. In each example the subsequent QSO would take place on the reply frequency, NOT the CQ-calling frequency. For example: W1ABC in FN42 beams southwest and calls "CQ D10 W1ABC" on 144.140, transmitting in the second half of each minute. W4XYZ replies on 144.130 and thereafter listens 144.130. As soon as W1ABC hears a reply, he QSYs to 144.130 to send "W4XYZ W1ABC FN42", and the two stations complete their QSO on that frequency. When the contact is complete W1ABC can go back to CQing on 144.140, knowing that a tailender might call him on 144.130 as well an someone answering the new CQ. If the preferred CQ frequencies become too busy, move up or down by 5 or 10 kHz. As a further aid to stations operating in the Unassisted categories, all participants are encouraged to look for requests to QSY to another band. After receiving RRR from W4XYZ, instead of sending "73" W1ABC might send "QSY 50.265". When W4XYZ receives this request she immediately QSYs and starts calling on 50.265. W1ABC moves over to 6 meters when he hears no further pings on 144.133, and the pair then complete a QSO on 6. 7. SCORING: each QSO counts 1 point on 50 and 144 MHz, 3 points on 222 MHz, and 10 points on 432 MHz. QSOs originating by any of the permitted methods -- pre-arranged schedule, real-time schedule, calling CQ, tailending, or requesting a QSY to another band, are all scored the same way. Your final score is the sum of all QSO points multiplied by the total number of unique 4-digit grid locators worked, per band. 8. REPORTING: Log information must contain the following data: Date and time of QSO, callsign of station worked, frequency, grid square, claimed QSO points, and new grids by band. For example: Date UTC Call Band Grid Points Mult ------------------------------------------------ Dec 14 0103 W1ABC 144 FN42 1 144-1 Dec 15 1237 N4XYZ 50 EM83 1 50-1 Dec 15 1252 N4XYZ 222 EM83 3 222-1 Dec 16 0203 W9JKL 144 EN62 1 144-2 The following information should be contained on the summary sheet accompanying the log: Callsign used, Grid Locator, Power Category, Assisted of Unassisted, Single or Multi-Band, Name, Address, and Email Address (if available). Callsign used: K0ABC Grid Locator: EM48 Power (High or Low): Low Power Assisted or Unassisted: Assisted Single or Multi-band: Multi-band Name: John Doe Address: 1234 Main Street My Town, State, Zip Email address: k0abc@isp.com The summary sheet should include a table of the following form: Band QSOs Points Grids --------------------------- 50 1 1 1 144 2 2 2 222 1 3 1 432 0 0 0 --------------------------- Totals: 4 6 4 Total Score = 6 x 4 = 24 Logs must be postmarked or email dated no later than January 15, 2003. Email logs should be sent to wa5ufh@ykc.com; paper logs should be sent to: Louis R. Tipton 778CR123 Edna, Texas 77957 Please, please send in your score! It's very easy to do, and we want to have a good record of the level of activity in the event! 9. RESULTS will be posted on a pre-announced web site. Scores will be listed in rank order of total score, and there will be an indication of the entry band (50, 144, 222, 432, or M for multi-band) and category. 10. [ Certificates? Would anyone like to volunteer to do this? ...] -- 73 from Joe, K1JT, and Tip, WA5UFH