WRTC-96 press releases by the Northern California Contest Club are available here. Last update: Release 8, 30 May 1996.
The Potomac Valley Radio Club (PVRC) and the Northern California Contest Club (NCCC) announced today that the site of the 1996 World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC-96) will be relocated from Washington, D.C. to the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. "The competition, which will run in conjunction with the IARU HF World Championship, will remain the weekend of July 13 and 14, 1996," said Bruce Sawyer, AA6KX, Co-chair of the event and past president of the NCCC, WRTC-96's new host organization. The NCCC hopes to publish formal WRTC-96 rules before the end of the month. Sawyer also said that the NCCC expects to make a number of changes to the team selection criteria previously announced by PVRC. "NCCC intends to contact everyone who already has submitted an application under the previously-announced selection criteria to explain the new procedures and make sure that those individuals understand what they must do to be considered under the new selection criteria. The NCCC foresees making a number of announcements over the next several weeks to ensure that the contest fraternity is fully informed about the changes to WRTC-96."
The WRTC, first held in Seattle, WA in 1990, pits two-person teams comprised of some of the world's top operators in a head to head competition. To emphasize operator ability, each team runs the same amount of power and operates from stations having similar antenna systems and located in the same geographical area.
For additional information about WRTC-96, contact Rusty Epps, W6OAT at 651 Handley Trail, Redwood City, CA 94062, USA or via e-mail Rusty Epps, W6OAT
The Northern California Contest Club (NCCC) announced today the selection of judges for the World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC-96) competition which will be held in the San Francisco Bay area the weekend of July 13 and 14, 1996. "We are honored that such a well known and distinguished group of contesters have agreed to be our judges," said Bob Cox, K3EST, the NCCC's liaison with the WRTC-96 Judging Committee. "Many of these individuals are themselves contest legends. Their very presence will lend enormously to the stature of WRTC-96 and will ensure that each of the teams will be competing under the watchful eyes of knowledgeable, impartial officials."
Lew Gordon, K4VX, will head WRTC-96's Judging Committee as Chief Judge. Assisting Lew as Judges will be Roger Western, G3SXW; "Bear" Kumagai, JA7RHJ; Fred Laun, K3ZO; Dick Frey, K4XU; Tom Taormina, K5RC; Glenn Rattmann, K6NA; Gene Walsh, N2AA; Dick Norton, N6AA; Phil Goetz, N6ZZ; Ville Hiilesmaa, OH2MM; Tine Brajnik, S50A; John Brosnahan, W0UN; and Rush Drake, W7RM.
The WRTC, first held in Seattle, WA in 1990, pits two-person teams comprised of some of the world's top operators in a head to head competition. To emphasize operator ability, each team runs the same amount of power and operates from stations having similar antenna systems and located in the same geographical area.
For additional information about WRTC-96, contact Rusty Epps, W6OAT at 651 Handley Trail, Redwood City, CA 94062, USA or via e-mail Rusty Epps, W6OAT.
The Northern California Contest Club (NCCC) announced today the rules of competition for the World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC-96) which will be held in the San Francisco Bay area the weekend of July 13 and 14, 1996. Commenting on the rules, NCCC President Ken Silverman, WM2C said "Since WRTC-96 will take place in conjunction with the IARU HF World Championship, we tried to use the existing rules of that contest as much as possible. Of course, we had to make a few modifications to accommodate the unique aspects of the WRTC. Our special rules, however, apply only to the 52 teams competing in WRTC-96 and do not effect anyone else competing in the IARU HF event."
The unique rules for WRTC-96 are that each of the fifty-two teams will compete as a two-person, multi-single entry running a maximum of 100 watts output. Operating times will be limited to 12:00 UTC Saturday, July 13 through 06:00 UTC Sunday, July 14 (six hours less than the IARU Championship). Teams will utilize only the 40, 20, 15 and 10 meter bands with no operation on either 80 or 160 meters. The same station may be contacted on both ssb and cw on each of the four bands, with ssb QSOs counting 1 point and cw QSOs counting 2 points. All cw contacts must be made in the lowest 100 kHz of each band. Multipliers will be the sum of DXCC Countries plus ITU Zones plus IARU HQ Stations.
The WRTC, first held in Seattle, WA in 1990, pits two-person teams comprised of some of the world's top operators in a head to head competition. To emphasize operator ability, each team runs the same amount of power and operates from stations having similar terrain and antenna systems and located in the same geographical area.
For additional information about WRTC-96, contact Rusty Epps, W6OAT at 651 Handley Trail, Redwood City, CA 94062, USA or via e-mail Rusty Epps, W6OAT.
The World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC-96) will pit up to 52 two-operator teams in a head-to-head competition in the San Francisco Bay Area during the IARU HF World Championship the weekend of July 13-14, 1996. Forty-five teams are allocated to 27 Invited Countries, one team to the defending champions from WRTC-90, and six teams to Wild-card entries which may come from any country. Entrants are responsible for their own transportation to San Francisco where the WRTC-96 Committee will provide them housing, meals, local transportation and access to station locations.
The WRTC-96 organizers seek team members who have won recent major contests and who are capable of competing on both CW and SSB at the level of the very best contesters in the world. The selection process begins with the naming of Team Leaders, who then choose their own Partners. Each national Team Leader will select a Partner from the same country and Wild-card Team Leaders will select from the same continent.
The Invited Countries have been allocated a number of teams determined by the number of logs submitted from those countries in recent international contests. The actual selection of teams in each country will be managed in that country by contest clubs, contest managers or other respected individuals in the contest community. For example, based upon ranking and point totals in major contests, the WRTC-96 organizers invited ten USA contest clubs to select the ten USA Team Leaders. Wild-card teams will be chosen later from among direct applicants to the WRTC Team Selection Committee.
Bob Cox, K3EST, Chairman of the WRTC-96 Technical Committee, described the method used to allocate teams to the Invited Countries. "The number of teams a country may have is based upon the number of logs submitted from each country for the 1993 and 1994 CQWW and ARRL SSB and CW contests. Using the number of log submissions gives an indication of the 'seriousness' of a country's commitment to contesting. Based upon the available number of operating sites we expect to have, the WRTC-96 Technical Committee required at least 50 log submissions for a country to qualify for a team. We limited the maximum number of teams that any country can have to ten."
Each team will consist of a Team Leader and a Partner. The selection process begins with the naming of the Team Leaders who then choose their own Partners. Each national Team Leader will select a Partner from the same country. To emphasize that these are national teams, not part of an interclub competition, and to extend the opportunity to compete to contesters who are not members of the selecting clubs, the WRTC-96 organizers will require that USA Team Leaders not choose Partners from the same contest club.
Individuals wishing to compete in WRTC-96 should make their interest and qualifications known to those who have been invited to select the Team Leaders for each country. In the order of total log submittals, these are:
Country Teams Selected by United States 10 Frankford Radio Club (1 team) Mad River Radio Club (1) North Coast Contesters (1) North Texas Contest Club (1) Northern California Contest Club (1) Potomac Valley Radio Club (1) Society of Midwest Contesters (1) Southeastern DX Club (1) Southern California Contest Club (1) Yankee Clipper Contest Club (1) Japan 4 WRTC-96 Team Selection Committee Germany 2 Rhein-Ruhr DX Association (1) Bavarian Contest Club (1) Spain 2 Spanish CQ Magazine c/o EA1AK Italy 2 ARI c/o I2UIY (all I prefixes) Poland 2 SP DX Club Russia 2 SRR c/o UA3DPX (Europe and Asia) Canada 2 Radio Amateurs of Canada c/o VE2ZP Ukraine 1 Ukrainian Contest Club Sweden 1 SSA c/o SM3CER Czech Republic 1 CRK c/o OK2FD Finland 1 OH2MM United Kingdom 1 RSGB c/o G4BUO (all G prefixes) France 1 - pending - Argentina 1 Grupo Argentina CW Brazil 1 PY5EG Norway 1 NRRL HF Contest Manager c/o LA5QK Slovenia 1 Slovenian Contest Club Netherlands 1 - pending - Denmark 1 Danish DX Group Lithuania 1 LRD c/o LY2IJ Slovak Republic 1 OM Contest Manager c/o OM8AB Yugoslavia 1 SRJ c/o YU1RL Australia 1 WRTC-96 Team Selection Committee Belgium 1 UBA c/o ON4UN Hungary 1 Hungarian DX Club Bulgaria 1 LZ1JY Subtotal 45 Returning champs 1 Wild-card teams 6 Total teams 52
The WRTC-96 Team Selection Committee will issue a supplemental press release announcing the selecting entities for France and The Netherlands as soon as arrangements for those countries are finalized.
According to K3EST, "We first tried to find one or more national contest clubs in each country to name its Team Leaders. In some cases we identified an individual instead, generally the IARU society's HF Contest Manager or some other respected individual in the contest community. We're looking for team members who have won major contests at the world, continent, country or zone level. They will be up against many of the best contesters in the world and should be capable of competing on both CW and SSB at that level."
Wild-card teams provide an opportunity for contesters who are not residents of Invited Countries, and for residents of Invited Countries who are not otherwise selected, to participate in WRTC-96. Applications for the Wild-card Team Leader positions, along with a statement of the applicant's qualifications, must be sent directly to the WRTC-96 Team Selection Committee. Wild-card Team Leaders will select Partners from the same continent. The Wild-card selection process will begin after the national selection process is completed.
Contesters interested in participating in WRTC-96 have the opportunity to be selected as a national Team Leader or Partner or as a Wild-card Team Leader or Partner.
For Invited Country teams, the WRTC-96 Team Selection Committee should be notified of the selection of each Team Leader by December 15, 1995, including name, call sign, mailing address, e-mail address (if available) and telephone number. Each Team Leader must notify the WRTC-96 Team Selection Committee of the selected Partner's name and other information by January 15, 1996. If team information is not submitted by these deadlines, the country may lose the allocation which then would revert to the Wild-card pool.
Wild-card team applications must be sent directly to the WRTC-96 Team Selection Committee and be received by February 1, 1996. Wild-card Team Leaders will be named by February 15, 1996 and all applicants will be notified. Each Wild-card Team Leader must notify the WRTC-96 Team Selection Committee of the identity of the Wild-card Partner by March 1, 1996.
For additional information about WRTC-96, contact Rusty Epps, W6OAT at 651 Handley Trail, Redwood City, CA 94062, USA or via e-mail.
The Team Selection Committee of World Radiosport Team Championship, Inc. (WRTC-96), host of the 1996 World Radiosport Team Championship competition, today announced selection of the ten Wildcard Team Leaders. Each Wildcard Team Leader has until March 20, 1996 to complete the two-operator team by selecting a Partner from anywhere on the Team Leader's same continent.
In alphabetical order, the Wildcard Team Leaders are:
Wildcard Team #1 9A9A Wildcard Team #2 DJ6QT Wildcard Team #3 I2VXJ Wildcard Team #4 K4UEE Wildcard Team #5 NP4Z Wildcard Team #6 T93A Wildcard Team #7 UN2L Wildcard Team #8 UW3AA Wildcard Team #9 WN4KKN Wildcard Team #10 ZS6EZ
The WRTC, first held in Seattle, WA in 1990, will pit 52 two-person teams comprised of some of the world's top contest operators in a head to head competition during the IARU HF World Championship contest on July 13, 1996. To emphasize operator ability, each team will run the same amount of power and operate from stations having similar terrain and antenna systems and located in the same geographical area.
For additional information about WRTC-96, contact Rusty Epps, W6OAT at 651 Handley Trail, Redwood City, CA 94062, USA or via e-mail Rusty Epps, W6OAT.
Redwood City, CA March 11, 1996
World Radiosport Team Championship, Inc. (WRTC-96), host of the 1996 World Radiosport Team Championship competition, announced it has received initial commitments of financial sponsorship totaling over $50,000 from Icom, Yaesu, Ham Radio Outlet, Shell Oil Company, the Northern California DX Foundation (NCDXF), CQ Magazine and several individuals and smaller businesses. Recently incorporated as a California non-profit public benefit corporation, WRTC-96 now is seeking additional donations from businesses and individuals in support of its projected $90,000 expense budget.
Fifty-two teams of top amateur radio contest operators from around the globe will travel to the San Francisco Bay area July 10-15, 1996 to compete head to head in WRTC-96. The two-operator teams include not only contesters who have won world or continental championships from their own countries but also the defending champions from WRTC-90, held in Seattle, WA in 1990. The teams will operate matched stations in the 1996 IARU HF World Championship contest to determine the "best of the best." A group of twenty-one judges, themselves a Who's Who of international contest winners from around the world, will oversee the competition and confirm the results.
WRTC-96 competitors will be responsible for bringing their own equipment and providing their own transportation to the San Francisco Bay area. WRTC-96 plans to pay for their local lodging, meals, transportation, public events and awards during the week of the contest.
Earlier this week, WRTC-96 sent requests for corporate support in a letter signed by its CEO, Bob Ferrero W6RJ, and its Treasurer, Dave Leeson W6QHS, to some fifty additional amateur radio businesses. However, any corporation or business wishing to support WRTC-96 may send a donation by check to WRTC-96, Post Office Box 1, Los Altos, CA 94022.
Treasurer W6QHS said that WRTC-96 also seeks donations from clubs and individuals. "For a $1,000 contribution you can sponsor a specific team or hospitality event under your name and call. That's a great way for a club, an individual or even a group of friends pooling their resources to assist the WRTC effort. And of course, if a $1,000 contribution is beyond your budget, we certainly will appreciate whatever amount you can contribute."
To help WRTC-96 raise funds, the Northern California DX Foundation has established a special account to receive tax-deductible donations of $100 or more from individuals. Donations to this account should be made by checks payable to NCDXF, but with the notation "WRTC-96," and mailed to the WRTC-96 Fund, NCDXF, P.O. Box 2368, Stanford, CA 94309-2368, USA. Donors to this fund will receive a one-year NCDXF membership.
Staff members of WJET-TV, an ABC affiliate in Erie, PA, have generously volunteered to produce a professional video of the event with the intent of airing it on network TV. They also plan to make a version of that video available to amateur radio clubs and individuals.
Speaking for all the WRTC-96 volunteers, CEO W6RJ expressed the hope that "a substantial number of radio amateurs, especially contesters, will participate as sponsors of this exciting event which will bring amateurs from all over the world together in the spirit of good will. We're counting on your support."
For information on sponsorship, contact Dave Leeson, W6QHS.
For additional information about WRTC-96, contact Rusty Epps, W6OAT at 651 Handley Trail, Redwood City, CA 94062, USA or via e-mail Rusty Epps, W6OAT.
WRTC-96, Inc. announced today selection of the 104 team members who will compete in the World Radiosport Team Championship competition scheduled for July 13 and 14, 1996. The WRTC competitors will enter the IARU HF World Championship contest as 52 two-person multi-operator, single-transmitter entries. All 52 teams will be located near San Francisco Bay on flat terrain in relatively close physical proximity so as to minimize propagation differences, and all will run 100 watts output to nearly identical antenna systems. By eliminating many of the station and propagation variables normally associated with radio contesting, the WRTC strives to present a meaningful head to head competition in which the winners can rightfully claim to be "the best of the best."
The WRTC competition will begin at 12:00 UTC on Saturday, July 13 and run until 06:00 UTC on Sunday, July 14. The WRTC teams will operate both cw and ssb on 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters and may be contacted once on each band-mode (i.e., 8 contacts are possible with each WRTC station). The WRTC stations will be easy to identify because they will be using distinctive "1x1" callsigns specially approved by the Federal Communications Commission for the competition. Those callsigns will be W6A through W6Z and K6A through K6Z. In addition to the regular IARU HF Championship awards, there will be a whole family of separate achievement awards available to those who work the requisite numbers of WRTC stations.
Twenty-two teams operated in the first WRTC competition which was held in Seattle, WA in 1990. Eleven competitors in this year's event, including Defending Champions K1AR and K1DG, are veterans of WRTC-90. Their callsigns are noted with asterisks in the competitors' listing:
1. Defending Champs K1AR* + K1DG* 2. Team Argentina LU6ETB + LW9EUJ 3. Team Australia VK5GN + VK2AYD 4. Team Belgium ON6TT + ON4WW 5. Team Brazil PY5CC + PY0FF 6. Team Bulgaria LZ1SA + LZ2PO* 7. Team Canada #1 VE3EJ + VE3IY 8. Team Canada #2 VE7NTT + VE7CC* 9. Team Czech Rep. OK1CF + OK2PAY 10. Team Finland OH2IW + OH1JT 11. Team France F6FGZ + F5MUX 12. Team Germany #1 DK3GI + DL1IAO 13. Team Germany #2 DL5XX* + DL1VJ 14. Team Hungary HA0DU + HA0MM* 15. Team Italy #1 IN3QBR + IT9TQH 16. Team Italy #2 IT9BLB + IT9VDQ 17. Team Japan #1 JE1JKL*+ JH7WKQ 18. Team Japan #2 JH4NMT + JE3MAS 19. Team Japan #3 JH4RHF + JA8RWU 20. Team Japan #4 JH7PKU + JO1BMV 21. Team Lithuania LY2IJ + LY1DS 22. Team Poland #1 SP6AZT + SP9FKQ 23. Team Poland #2 SP9IJU + SP9HWN 24. Team Russia #1 RV1AW + RW1AC 25. Team Russia #2 UA3DPX + RZ9UA 26. Team Slovenia S59A + S56A 27. Team Spain #1 EA4KR + EA1AK 28. Team Spain #2 EA7TL + EA9KB 29. Team Sweden SM3DMP + SM3CER 30. Team UK G3OZF + GI0NWG 31. Team Ukraine UT4UZ + UT1IA* 32. Team USA #1 K1KI + K3UA 33. Team USA #2 K3LR + WA8YVR 34. Team USA #3 K4BAI + KM9P 35. Team USA #4 K6LL + N2IC 36. Team USA #5 K8CC + K5GO 37. Team USA #6 KF3P + KR2J 38. Team USA #7 KR0Y* + K1TO 39. Team USA #8 N6TV + K7SS 40. Team USA #9 W2GD + W0UA 41. Team USA #10 WX3N + K5ZD 42. Team Yugoslavia YU1RL* + YT1AD 43. Wildcard #1 5B4ADA + S53R 44. Wildcard #2 9A9A + 9A3GW 45. Wildcard #3 DJ6QT* + DJ2YA 46. Wildcard #4 I2VXJ + I4UFH 47. Wildcard #5 K4UEE + N6IG 48. Wildcard #6 NP4Z + WC4E 49. Wildcard #7 RU3AA + RV3AJ 50. Wildcard #8 UN2L + UN4L 51. Wildcard #9 WN4KKN + N6TR 52. Wildcard #10 ZS6EZ + ZS6NW
For additional information about WRTC-96, contact Rusty Epps, W6OAT at 651 Handley Trail, Redwood City, CA 94062, USA or via e-mail Rusty Epps, W6OAT.
Past press releases and related WRTC information are available by sending an e-mail message to wrtc-info@dumpty.nal.go.jp with the two commands #GET HELP and #GET INDEX on separate lines within the body of the messge. You also may access the WRTC-96 Worldwide Web site at:
http://www.jps.net/k6xx
Two exhibition teams have been added to the lineup of stations which will be active in connection with the World Radiosport Team Championship competition on July 13 and 14, 1996. Attending from the People's Republic of China will be BA1OK and BA4RC plus their coach/observer BA1FB. The PRC team will operate WRTC using the callsign AH3D. Attending from Latvia will be YL2KL and YL3DW who will sign AH3C in the competition. Although these two exhibition teams will not be competing with the 52 official teams (which will be using the 1x1 callsigns W6A through W6Z and K6A through K6Z), they nonetheless will be operating from relatively similar stations and generally observing the same rules as the 52 official teams. Anyone working AH3C or AH3D during the competition may count these stations as "wildcards" for the purpose of qualifying for the commemorative deck of WRTC playing cards available to those who contact all 52 different 1x1 WRTC callsigns. AH3C and AH3D may be substituted for any two 1x1 callsigns otherwise missed.
For additional information about WRTC-96, contact Rusty Epps, W6OAT at 651 Handley Trail, Redwood City, CA 94062, USA or via e-mail Rusty Epps, W6OAT. Past press releases and related WRTC information are available by sending an e-mail message to wrtc-info@dumpty.nal.go.jp with the two commands #GET HELP and #GET INDEX on separate lines within the body of the message. You also may access the WRTC-96 Worldwide Web site at http://www.jps.net/k6xx
WRTC `96 will happen this coming July 10-15 in the San Francisco Bay Area. This will be a major event in the unfolding history of amateur radio. We expect that hundreds, if not thousands, of people will be involved in WRTC in some capacity. This Q & A has been developed to try to anticipate the most likely questions people will have about the event. While this document has been prepared specifically to assist the people who will be traveling to the San Francisco area for the event, others who will not be coming may find useful information here as well. This is being distributed for informational purposes only.
Further information can be obtained from Rusty Epps, W6OAT, Publicity Chairman for WRTC '96.
Q: What is the calendar of events during this period?
A: Some of the events are still being planned and will depend
at least in part on the level of funding we receive.
Nevertheless, we do have a well-defined outline of events.
See the WRTC-96 Schedule.
Q: I'm a competitor [judge] and just can't take that much time
away from work. When must I be there in order to
participate?
A: Clearly, we would like to have both judges and competitors
here for the whole event. WRTC is much more than just a
contest; it is a rare opportunity to build new relationships
and rekindle old ones. Where this is not possible, though,
we must still require competitors to be here at least from
the Friday morning breakfast through the Sunday evening
awards banquet. Judges should contact K4VX to make
arrangements if they can't be here for the whole event.
Q: What is the cost?
A: One of the guiding principles the organizers have followed
is that expenses of judges or competitors should be minimal
from the time they arrive in the San Francisco area, per the
above schedule of events, through the Monday winery tour and
their return to the airport for the trip home. We can
arrange a host family for each judge and each competitor who
requests this, and the host family will provide living
quarters at no charge. Likewise, we can provide local
transportation for judges and competitors to attend the WRTC
events. Most meals will be provided at no cost for judges
and competitors.
Q: I'm a competitor [judge] and I want to bring my family or
friends with me. What is the cost for them?
A: We are still in the planning stage on this issue and our
final plans will depend largely on the level of funding the
organizers can obtain. It is probable, though, that we will
charge an amount equal to our costs for guests of judges and
competitors and for all other visitors to at least some of
the events. For example, we expect to charge $30 for each
person attending the awards banquet who is not a judge, a
competitor, or a member of the organizing committee. The
major costs for judges and competitors in bringing guests
with them will be in housing and transportation.
Unfortunately, we will not be able to provide housing and
cannot guarantee that we can provide local transportation
for those judges and competitors traveling with family or
friends.
Q: If the WRTC Committee can't provide housing or if I prefer
to stay in a hotel, then where should I stay?
A: We have made arrangements with a centrally-located hotel to
set aside a large block of rooms for WRTC attendees and to
guarantee a favorable rate. We expect this hotel will
become the central site for many of the informal gatherings
during WRTC. The hotel was recently refurbished, has a
brand new restaurant and bar, and has a beautiful swimming
pool and patio area. The guaranteed rate is $42.95 + tax
for one person or $48.95 + tax for two persons. This hotel
is the Motel 6 at 1101 Shoreline Rd., Belmont CA 94002. For
reservations, call 415-591-1471 or FAX 415-593-6415. When
you call, be sure to identify yourself as a WRTC attendee.
The block of rooms they have set aside for WRTC will only be
held until May 15, so be sure to make your reservations
before then. July is the height of tourist season in San
Francisco, so hotel rooms will be at a premium at that time.
Further Hotel Details.
Q: When I make airline reservations, do I have to fly into San
Francisco?
A: There are three major airports in the San Francisco bay area
and all are within reasonable commuting distance. Besides
the San Francisco International Airport (approximately 15
minutes drive from the WRTC hotel), there is also the San
Jose Airport (about 25 minutes drive) and the Oakland
Airport (about 40 minutes drive).
Q: What kinds of problems with my equipment can I expect when I
pass through U.S. Customs.
A: There is no restriction in the United States on possession
of radio equipment or computers. If your equipment
accompanies you on your travel, then it will simply be
treated the same as your other personal gear. You will have
to contact U.S. Customs for further information, though, if
you intend to ship your equipment separately.
Q: I'm a competitor [judge], flying by myself, and will need
somebody to pick me up at the airport. Whom do I contact?
A: The chairman of the Housing and Transportation Committee is
Dick Dievendorff, AA6MC
or write him via postal mail at
1211 Janis Way
San Jose, CA 95125-4050
U.S.A
Dick's group is coordinating all volunteer housing and local
transportation assistance.
Q: I'm a competitor [judge]. What information do you need from
me?
A: The most important piece of information we need is how to
contact you most efficiently! If you have an email address,
please make sure we have it on file. As we proceed with our
planning there will inevitably arise more questions we will
need to ask. Likewise, we will want to keep you updated on
any changes. The information we most need from you right
now is related to capacity planning. Will you be here for
the whole event, or just a part? Are you bringing guests
with you, and will they be attending the events? Do you need
us to provide housing and local transportation for you? Do
you have any special needs we should know about to help us
better plan your stay? Please let us know your plans. You
can send this data to Dick Dievendorff, AA6MC
Q: I'm neither a judge nor a competitor. What do I do when I
get to the airport?
A: First of all, we may still be able to help. Check with
AA6MC. You may wish to consider obtaining a rental car;
there are several agencies at each the airport. If you
know where you're going (e.g. the WRTC motel), you may wish
to take one of the group limousines. These are minivans
which carry up to 10 people and will take each person to his
destination. These vans pass regularly through the airport
drop-off area and can be identified by their distinctive
signage. At the San Francisco airport, look for Blue and
Gold Line. The cost is only a fraction of the cost of
taking a taxi cab.
Q: What kind of weather should I expect? What kind of clothing
should I bring?
A: The San Francisco bay area is famous for its microclimates.
The temperature in most of the bay area will be in the low
80's F (27-30 C) during the day and down to the low 70's F
(21-23 C) at night. The city of San Francisco is often
windy, foggy, and up to 15 degrees F (8 degrees C) cooler
than the surrounding bay area. An evening temperature of
55F (13C) in downtown San Francisco is very likely, as is a
daytime high of 90F (32C) in the surrounding bay area. You
will need to be prepared for rapid temperature swings like
this as you move from one area to another. The probability
of rain in July is near zero. Expect to see deep blue sky
with very few clouds.
STATIONS:Q: As a competitor, when can I start working on my station and
what can I expect?
A: We plan to assign station sites to competitors by random
drawing at our meeting on Friday morning, July 12. It is
our goal that the stations will be as nearly alike as we can
possibly make them. Each station will have a tribander at
40'-50' and an inverted-V or dipole for 40 meters. You
should expect to find two coax cables terminated with PL259
male connectors waiting for you, one connected to each
antenna. The tribander will have a rotator and the coax
should be in good shape. We do not want the competitors
doing any antenna work. If you detect problems with your
antenna installation during the check-out period on Friday,
you should immediately contact one of the judges rather than
go to work on it yourself. Competitors are specifically
prohibited from going outside and erecting their own
antenna. In addition to the coaxes, you will have 110VAC
outlets with USA-standard plug receptacles. If you plan on
bringing equipment which requires a different voltage, you
should contact the Chairman of the Technical Committee ahead
of time to discuss it. This person is Bob Cox, K3EST. Bob
can be reached at K3EST@netcom.com.
Competitors will bring all of their own rigs and their own
computers. You will be allowed to have one and only one
radio designated as the transmitting radio; a second radio
may be used for listening only. You may not use information
from either VHF or HF spotting networks, so don't plan on
bringing your own packet system. You will probably want to
bring your own paddles and headphones. In addition, you may
wish to have your own antenna switch, but note that you may
use only a single SPDP coax switch. If there is any of this
equipment you would like us to provide you, please contact
K3EST ahead of time with this information. For instance,
you may want to bring your own keyboard but have us supply
the computer and monitor; you may want to bring your own
computer but have us provide the monitor. Many things are
possible, but they will require advance arrangements. In
the absence of any such arrangements, you should expect to
see only two coaxs, the rotator control, and some 110VAC
outlets.
Q: How much variation will there be among the different
stations?
A: The WRTC Station Selection Committee is doing everything it
can to ensure all of the stations are of equal capabilities,
but we do realize the impossibility of having exactly equal
stations. All of the stations will be located on flat
ground, without any topographical advantage. All of them
will be within about 40 miles of each other and all will be
in the bay area. We will test each location beforehand for
line noise and other noise interference.
Q: When will I know the callsign I will use in the competition?
How will that callsign be selected?
A: The callsigns will be assigned at random during the Friday
morning breakfast meeting.
Q: How much power can I run?
A: Stations will be limited to 100w output (on SSB, PEP) from
the rig. The WRTC Technical Committee reserves the right to
place a power meter in-line in order to monitor the power
level.
Q: Will each station have a judge?
A: We will have a designated station monitor at each station
for the duration of the contest. This person will be an
official judge or referee.
Q: Will the contest be recorded?
A: There will be an audio recorder at each of the stations, and
all 18 hours of the competition will be recorded. The
station monitor will supervise the equipment used for
recording.
Q: Can my team use two radios simultaneously?
A: A maximum of two radios may be used by each team, but one of
the two radios must be designated the transmitting radio.
Thereafter, the second radio may not be used as a
transmitter without the agreement of the station monitor,
and that should happen only as the result of an equipment
failure of the primary transmitter. The second radio may be
used to listen only.
Q: Is computer logging permitted? Is it required?
A: Your team can perform logging on paper or via computer.
This is strictly optional. However, all submissions will be
via computer log. Logs must be turned over to the judges
immediately upon completion of the contest. If your team
has maintained a paper log, then one of the judges will
proceed to enter your log via computer. A member of your
team must be present during this process to answer any
questions which may arise as a result of illegibility.
Q: Can my team use a second computer? Can a second computer be
linked to the computer directly connected to the
transmitter?
A: No, only one computer system serving a single user is
permitted. The reason for this is that we want to minimize
the amount of equipment which participants must bring (from
conceivably long distances) and still be competitive in this
event.
Q: What logging software am I allowed to use?
A: In April, each team will be provided with special versions
of CT, Trlog, and NA. The team can choose among these three
the software that they will use during the contest. There
will be no charge for this software.
Q: What facilities will be provided at the station?
A: We are asking the station hosts to provide some facilities
for sleeping over the Friday night before the contest. This
might range from a simple cot in the operating room to a
separate bedroom. Toilet facilities will be available.
Kitchen facilities are likely to vary widely from station to
station and at some stations the only food available may be
from boxed lunches. Our goal is to equalize the radio
propagation capabilities of the stations; we are not
attempting to equalize the degree of luxury and comfort as
well!
Q: Will there be a problem with smoking during the contest?
A: This is, of course, at the discretion of the station host.
In general, Californians are less tolerant of tobacco smoke
than people in other parts of the U.S. and the U.S. is less
tolerant than most European nations. You should not depend
on being allowed to smoke at your host station. If this
would pose a major problem for you, you should advise us of
this beforehand. We will attempt to make some accommodation
here, but we can make no guarantees that this will be
possible.
RULES:(Note: The official rules of the competition are available: RULES.
The following comments are provided only for further clarification.)
Q: Will all stations be tape recorded?
A: Yes, all 18 hours will be recorded.
Q: Will I be able to use PacketCluster?
A: Packet radio in any form will not be allowed. Competitors
may not use any form of spotting assistance other than their
second (receiving) radio.
Q: Will any type of prearranged schedules be permitted?
A: No.
Q: Will there be any rule dealing with "unique QSOs"?
A: The judges will decide if a unique QSO is real, "padding"
by certain individuals/clubs, or no good. They can decide
OK or not OK. Their decision is final. The judges must
provide a reason for removal of any unique QSOs. There is
no penalty for removal of unique QSOs. A tape recorder will
provide confirmation of unique QSOs.
Q: What is the penalty for a "busted" callsign in my log?
A: For every confirmed bad call removed from a log, a penalty
of 3 more QSOs of similar point value will be removed (total
of 4 QSOs removed).
NON-COMPETITORS:Q: I'm not a WRTC team member but I want to operate in the
contest. What can I do?
A: You can enter the IARU contest in any category you choose.
During the contest, we encourage you to contact as many of
the WRTC teams as you can on as many band/mode combinations
as possible. Several different categories of awards will be
announced for contacting a defined number of WRTC teams and
for making a defined number of contacts with WRTC teams. We
expect to make this an exciting event for non-WRTC team
members as well as the WRTC competitors themselves. See Awards for
full details.
Q: Whom do I contact for further information?
A: Following is a list of the primary organizers together with their email addresses. All are good in the Call Book. If you are a competitor or judge and your question pertains to your own individual situation, you should expect a prompt response to any question. If your question is regarding a clarification of the rules of the competition, then we will not respond to you directly but rather will circulate your question and our response to all the competitors.