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The NAQCC October 2025 Challenge NAQCC Monthly Challenges are originated and information regarding rules, ideas, or suggestions go to Gary K1YAN. Email him at  .Challenge results and the Challenge App (the online Challenge tracking and reporting application) is administered by Charlie N1AOK. Email him with any questions at  PLEASE SEND ALL CHALLENGE SUBMISSIONS TO CHARLIE!!! (If you use the online Challenge App, it will automatically send it to him). LINKS: Challenge App: http://naqcc.wb5rvz.org Challenge Worksheet: challenge_tracker.pdf THE MAIL RAIL SYSTEM  PREMISE: Delivery of the mail is a priority. You will see letter carriers and trucks everywhere getting the mail to where it needs to go. London England had an added means of mail transport for many years. It began in 1855 when the Secretary to the Post Office, Rowland Hill, proposed and underground system to link postal facilities in the city. It was an underground system that moved cars through tubes by air pressure. The Pneumatic Dispatch Company constructed and ran tests on a system from 1863 to 1866. The system worked, but financial problems made the company terminate its agreement with the Post Office. They rebounded in 1873, but, when the Post Office would not enter a permanent agreement, the system was permanently closed in 1874. As London grew, at the start of the 20th century weather and traffic were causing major delays in mail transport within the city. A study began and in 1911 an underground system with driverless, electric cars was proposed. 1913 saw the passing of the Post Office Railway Bill which allowed construction of the proposed system. It would consist of six and a half miles of tunnels at an average depth of 70 feet linking eight stations between the East and West ends of the city. Tunnel construction ran from 1914 to 1917, but WW I and high material prices after the war delayed the system completion until 1927. The tunnels did not sit idle during the war however. They were a safe home for many art treasures from several galleries in London. The original fleet of 90 cars ran through the 9 ft. diameter tunnel on a 2 ft. gage track. The original fleet was replaced in 1930 with single, 27 ft. long cars carrying four mail containers. The containers each held 15 bags of letters or 6 bags of packages. Over the years the system matured. The system was renamed as “ Mail Rail “ to mark its 60th anniversary. Rolling stock was updated and replaced. A computer system for controlling the entire system from a single location, rather than from each individual station began operation in 1993. Each year in the 1990s saw more than six million bags of mail run through the system. As mailing habits changed in the late 90s and early 2000s, the system became un-economical to run and was closed in 2003. It is gone but not forgotten. Exhibits and even a ride are available to the public. TIME FRAME: The first day of the month 0000Z through the last day of the month 2400Z. RULES: Just make these words from calls of stations you work, subject to the General Challenge Rules. ROWLAND HILL PNEUMATIC DISPATCH COMPANY POST OFFICE RAILWAY BILL 9 FT DIAMETER TUNNEL 2 FT GAGE TRACK MAIL RAIL The 93 total letters contain these 23 different letters and numbers: A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P R S T U W Y 2 9 You can use each letter in a call TWICE. For example you could use K3WWP for 2 K's, 4 W's, and 2 P's. 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 use his call for 8 of the letters in the words. See General Rule #5 for more details on what callsign letters can be used. If you need some help with your alphabet challenge record keeping take a look at our Alphabet Tutorial page for everything from some great pencil & paper methods to fully computerized tools. AWARDS: A certificate and Participation Point go to everyone making all the words and submitting their report before the deadline. A Participation Point goes to everyone making at least 1, but not all the words and submitting their report before the deadline. YOU MUST COMPLETE AND SUBMIT AT LEAST ONE WORD TO RECEIVE A PARTICIPATION POINT! LOGS: For your report, list the words you made and the station used for each letter in the word. The number of stations listed must be the same as the number of letters in each word, even though you use the same station for more than one letter as in: WORD - K3WWP N2OD WA8REI N2OD NEXT - NF8M W8REI N8XMS K9EYT (Note how N2OD is listed for both the O and D.) 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 as text in the horizontal format shown above to Charlie N1AOK at: charlie.wilber AT gmail.com (You must type that address into your email program.) Subject must read: (your call) NAQCC (month year) Challenge For example: K3WWP NAQCC January 2022 Challenge All entries must be RECEIVED before the 10th of the following month at 2400Z. Results: All the above get a certificate and participation point. All below get only a participation point. Not eligible for a certificate or participation point for the following reason(s): @ = Non-member $ = QRO power Soapbox: |