COUNCIL FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF AMATEUR RADIO IN THE NEW YORK CITY SCHOOLS C/O Lew Malchick Brooklyn Technical HS 29 Fort Greene Place Brooklyn, NY 11217 August, 1997 Dear OM, Thanks for your inquiry about the School Club Roundup. Here are some frequently asked questions and answers about the SCR. 1. Q: Can unlicensed members or visitors participate? A: Yes, unlicensed members of your club or group may operate under the supervision of a licensed control operator as permitted by applicable FCC rules (and/or your country's regulations). Be careful of contacts with DX countries that do not have third party agreements. 2. Q: Do I have to be an ARRL member? A: No. ARRL membership is not required to enter this contest. It is open to all licensed Amateurs. 3. Q: Does my group have to be ARRL affiliated? A: Although ARRL affiliation is recommended, it is not necessary for SCR participation. All that is needed to become an affiliated club is for the advisor or club president to be a League member and to file the paperwork with ARRL HQ. Write to ARRL, 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111 for more info. 4. Q: What if we can only operate for a few hours? A: The 24 hour limit is a maximum. We, at BTHS have never reached that limit. SCR is not intended to be an all out contest, although some may choose to operate that way. It is intended to promote contacts with and among school groups. Any participation is welcome. 5. Q: We do not have a school club. How can we still participate? A: Over the years, several schools have been put on the air just during this contest. Local clubs and individuals have assisted by setting up and even operating special event stations in school libraries, cafeterias, computer, science, art rooms and even parking lots. 6. Q: Can we count 2 meter contacts with mobile commuters? A: V/uhf contacts are allowed, provided that repeaters and emergency frequencies are not used. (No 146.52 on 2 meters, for example.) 7. Q: A local ham has offered the use of his "contest station". Can our school still use the "S" school class designation? A: The intent of the "S" class is for any in-school operation or any school group operating from a single site. If operation is not in a school, certification from an appropriate school authority indicating official recognition of the SCR as an approved school activity must be sent in with the entry. 8. Q: What callsign can we use if we do not have a club station license? A: Any group member's callsign may be designated for the whole contest operation. If you have a club or group that would qualify, apply for a club station license. It makes group operations much nicer. 9. Q: We have several licensed members. Can they use their own callsigns? A: All contacts must be made using only one callsign. 10. Q: Can we use our vhf and hf stations at one time? A: Only one transmitter may be used at a time. If there is sufficient interest, we may have a multi-transmitter class in the future. 11. Q: Can club members contact our club station from home? A: Individual club members may operate from home and enter as class "I". They may not contact their club station for credit if they also operate from the club station during the contest period. 12. Q: Do we have to send postage if we send our report via the internet? A: Although we encourage electronic queries and report filings, mailing labels and postage are still needed to send the certificates. 13. Q: How can we use a computer to make logging less of a chore? A: Dave, AD8B's SCR-LOG program has been very useful. If you have a PC, give it a try. There are several log programs available. Check yours to see if it can accept the SCR exchange info. . . . 73 de Lew, N2RQ Packet: N2RQ@W2CXN.#NLI.NY.USA.NA Internet: CAARNYCS@aol.com or caarnycs@juno.com