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The NAQCC Call Sign Construction Challenge Final Results: Call - Own call - # (other) Officers - # other members - score K3WWP - Yes - 6 - 363 - 1,739 - Certificate NU7T - Yes - 7 - 122 - 702 - Certificate K4PBY - Yes - 7 - 107 - 552 KU4A - Yes - 7 - 78 - 464 W2JEK - Yes - 7 - 50 - 296 N8XMS - Yes - 7 - 39 - 214 N1LU - Yes - 7 - 10 - 125 KD2MX - Yes - 6 - 3 - 73 N9AKF - Yes - 7 - 0 - 66 K6BBQ - Yes - 4 - 0 - 42 - Paddle handle drawing winner WY7N - Yes - 2 - 0 - 26Soapbox: K3WWP - The regulation part of the challenge went kind of slow for me. It took me until about 10 QSO's into the NAQP before I made my own call and the other officers' calls. I thought I'd be doing a lot of overtime scoring from the remainder of the NAQP, but circumstances kept me from only getting in that contest for less than an hour. I only made 26 more QSO's to start me on overtime. I quickly found out that overtime was a lot more fun than regulation. I made up a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to help me figure things out and kept optimizing its performance as I went along. It was more than fun, it was a real ball, and great brain exercise. I kept restocking my list of calls to get letters from, and kept making more and more members' calls with those letters (and numbers, of course). From 232 total QSO's made in overtime, I fashioned 363 members' calls. For the statistically minded that's an average of 1.56 members' calls per QSO. Reasonable and complete since each letter in a QSO call can be used twice, but not if there were more than one of the same letter in a call. Also there were some left-over letters and numbers at the end from which I couldn't make any more calls. My point total was 58 for my and the officers' calls, and 1,681 for other members' calls or a total of 1,739 points. That's an average of 4.63 points per call since I concentrated on mostly 4 and 5 letter calls from the members list. Thank you Mike KC2EGL for coming up with such a great challenge. It was one of my all-time favorites. K4PBY - This was a fun challenge. In the process I learned a few things about computer record keeping. Thank heaven for the Ctrl F key too! N8XMS - I managed to make 39 member callsigns from 51 QSOs. Unfortunately I didn't complete my "regulation" play until the month was 2/3 over. Our lengthy membership list made the "overtime" process of finding member callsigns that matched the available letters fairly easy. Thanks for all of the fun! 73, Paul KC2EGL - Had alot of fun operating QRP trying to construct the required callsign's. Unfortunately I did not have a C to complete my own call. So I do not qualify for the participation point. I did how ever construct 4 of the officers calls... WY3H, K3WWP, KD2MX, and AA4W. I should have hunted for that dreaded C. You would think having 27 QRP QSO's you would have at least one C. Not with my luck this month. I can hear Elmer Fudd in the backround saying "be bery bery quiet, I'm huntin gwoundhog's". TIme to go after the rodents. 73 Mike N1LU - Probably could have squeezed out a couple of more members from my 9 overtime qso's, but it's time to get back on the air. N9AKF - January was a tough month for QRP in Roanoke, IN. The QRO stations sounded like QRPp, and I was frequently getting low RST reports. Several times I got no response at all to my calls, or a reply that went something like, "sri, too weak" and the QSO ended there. I finally made all of the officer's calls on the 30th. Last of all, I worked W9FFU, in Oakharbor, WA, for the U in K5DUZ. That was my most distant QSO for the month. What a crazy and exciting way to wrap up the challenge. Bart W2JEK - after doing my call and club officers started on the overtime with a few calls i knew were members and then scrolled through the naqcc membership list and picked out all the new jersey calls and included them in the overtime if i hadn't used them already.had lots of numbers left-was in the naqcc sprint and arrl vhr contest and the cq 160m contests 72 and 73 donald younger w2jek #1135 KD2MX - If I had had the time and patience I could've made many more calls and many more points but I decided that 73 was a good number. PREMISE: This is a re-working of a challenge suggested by Mike, KC2EGL, #1236 and first used last June. Construct members' call signs using characters from QSO's worked during the month. It's College Football bowl time, and NFL playoffs & Super Bowl time so this challenge has a touch of that in it. TIME FRAME: Jan 1, 2008 0000Z through Jan 31, 2008 2400Z RULES: REGULATION TIME: This is almost the same as one of our regular alphabet challenges with the exception that the 'words' are call signs and points are assigned to the 'words.' Our alpahbet challenge worksheet example will work just as well with this challenge as it has with the regular alphabet challenges. You must make the numbers as well as the letters. Point values are assigned to the 'words' (call signs) as follows: Your own call sign - 10 points A club officer's call sign - 8 points. Those calls are: WY3H K3WWP W2LJ K5DUZ KD2MX AA4W VA3RJ OVERTIME: Since there will probably be many who complete the 8 (7 for officers) calls quickly, we will have to go into overtime to determine the two highest scores for the certificates. That works like this. As soon as you complete those 8 (7 if you're an officer) calls and have 66 points (58 if you're an officer), you earn bonus points as follows: Make call signs of any members not in the above list of 8 (7) names. Once you get the last QSO to complete your call and the officers' calls, now only QSO's made from that point through the end of the month can be used as a source of letters and numbers. Point values are now 1 point per letter/number in a call. For example N1LU is 4 points, KB3AAG is 6 points. Any portable or mobile designations do not count. WA8REI/M3 would still count just as WA8REI for 6 points. Obviously (I hope), you can't use a station's own call to help make their own call sign. For example you can't work VA3RJ and use anything from his call to help make VA3RJ. As with all our regular alphabet challenges, the following applies: You can use a letter in a call TWICE. For example, K2ESM's K could be used in K3WWP and KD2MX. If a call has two or more of the same letters, only one may be used. For example, only one of the three W's in K1WWW could be used for two W's in the 'words' (for example WY3H and AA4W). You can't use the two extra W's for anything. Subsequent QSO's with the same station cannot be used for additional letters. For example, no matter how many times you work K3WWP, you can only get two K's from his call, even if the QSO's are in the two different parts of this challenge. AWARDS: A certificate goes to the two members scoring the most points. PRIZE: A set of beautiful bug or paddle handles. These pieces are wonderfully hand crafted and donated by Gregg, WB8LZG. To see what they look like check them out here. Every member who earns a participation point as outlined in the next section is eligible to win the prize. A list of those eligible will be sent to Gregg, WB8LZG who will select a winner in a random drawing. A member can only win one set of paddles after which they become ineligible for future drawings. At Gregg's request, NAQCC officers at their discretion are also eligible for all his bug/paddle handle prizes. If you do not wish to be entered in the drawing for any reason, let us know when you submit your report. For example, some members only use a straight key and would have no use for bug/paddle handles. PARTICIPATION AWARD AND WEB LISTING: You must make at least your own call sign and one (other) officer's call sign and report it to get a Participation Point and a web listing. LOGS: For your report, list the call signs constructed with the call signs used to construct them along with the point value for each call sign and the total points. You may also include comments about the challenge. Please preface any comments you want posted with "SOAPBOX:" so we will know what you want posted and what is private. Send your results to: E-mail:  You must type that address into your email program. Subject must read: (your call) NAQCC (month) Challenge For example: K3WWP NAQCC January Challenge Postal mail: Tom Mitchell, KB3LFC RD6 Box 122A Kittanning, PA 16201 All entries must be RECEIVED before February 10, 2008 at 2400Z. |