Sponsor: WSJT Group  groups.yahoo.com/group/wsjtgroup/

Please read the rules carefully as changes in contest categories and awards have been made.

Rally period: 0000 UTC April 29 to 2359 UTC May 7, 2006. The rally period has been chosen to coincide with the eta-Aquarids meteor shower. More information on this shower can be found here.

QSO Procedure: QSOs can be made using any mode provided they are entirely by meteor scatter. No QSOs within own maidenhead grid square or any of the 8 adjacent grid squares. Exchange is both callsigns, 4 character maidenhead grid squares, and final `Rogers'.

IMPORTANT: All operators are reminded that exchanging information without the use of meteor scatter during the QSO attempt invalidates the contact.

Bands: 50, 144, 222, and 432 MHz.

Categories: Categories are determined as follows: i) single band or multi-band, ii) high or low power (low power < 200 W for all QSOs), and iii) assisted or unassisted. Each of these categories compete against stations in their time zone. Single band operators compete with other single band entrants on the same band.

Rovers: To encourage rover activity, a separate competition category exists for rovers. Rovers do not designate high/low power or assisted/unassisted, but time zones do apply. Rover operators must submit a separate log for contacts made from their home station.

The competition categories are summarized as follows:

Multi-Band, Unassisted, High Power
Multi-Band, Unassisted, Low Power
Multi-Band, Assisted, High Power
Multi-Band, Assisted, Low Power

50 MHz, Unassisted, High Power
50 MHz, Unassisted, Low Power
50 MHz, Assisted, High Power
50 MHz, Assisted, Low Power

144 MHz, Unassisted, High Power
144 MHz, Unassisted, Low Power
144 MHz, Assisted, High Power
144 MHz, Assisted, Low Power

Rover

Multi-band entries may not compete in the single band categories. Log submissions from single band stations on the 222 and 432 MHz bands are also encouraged, but there are no single band competition categories on the higher frequencies.

Operating assisted allows scheduling of QSO attempts during the rally period. Unassisted operation prohibits any scheduling or self-spotting during the rally, as well as any active or passive (i.e., read-only) use of Pingjockey or other websites. Detailed procedures for unassisted/random operation can be found here. For unassisted entries, schedules made prior to the contest are allowed for QSO attempts over 1300 miles (2092 km). On 222 and 432 MHz, prearranged schedules for any distance are permitted.

Scoring: Assisted: 1 point per QSO on 50/144, 3 points on 222, 10 points on 432. Unassisted: 3 points on 50/144, 9 points on 222, 30 points on 432. Score is QSO points times number of unique grid squares worked per band. Rovers: QSO points x (Unique grid squares worked per band + Number of grids from which at least 1 QSO was completed). This is the standard rover scoring formula for VHF contests.

Assisted operators are strongly encouraged to work unassisted operators. As incentive, assisted operator entries can score unscheduled (ie. unassisted) QSOs with unassisted points. If a station has already been worked with assisted scoring, replace with appropriate unassisted points. Example: K1JT works W8WN on 144 MHz after scheduling on Pingjockey. The QSO is scored with 1 point. Later in the rally, these stations work randomly. The QSO is now scored with 3 points.

Log submission: Participants should submit: 1) A summary and 2) A rally log.

1) The summary should include: i) Your call, ii) Your time zone, iii) Single or Multi-band, iv) Assisted or Unassisted, v) High or Low power, vi) QSOs per band, and vii) Final claimed score. Please show the arithmetic you use to obtain your final score, ie. QSO points x Multipliers = Final Score.

2) For each QSO, the log must show: i) Date, ii) Time (UTC), iii) Callsign of station worked, iv) Grid, v) Band (50, 144, etc), and vi) QSO points.

Submission of the log as an Excel spreadsheet (arrange the columns as shown above) by email is strongly encouraged, although any convenient log submission format is acceptable. Electronic spreadsheet logs greatly reduce the chance of clerical errors that occur when the rally committee transcribes information from large logs (> 10 QSOs) into our database. OpenOffice Calc is an excellent free program that almost perfectly mimics Excel. It can be downloaded here. Note that the current version of WSJT has a logging function that may be of help during the rally. Logs should be emailed by June 11, 2006 to Mike WB2FKO (mph@swcp.com) or regular mail at 3209 Cagua Dr NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110.

Awards: Certificates will be mailed to the following stations:

Top score: Eastern/Central time zones
Top score: Mountain/Pacific time zones

In addition, the top North American scores in each of the 13 categories shown above will receive a certificate -- a total of 15 certificates will be available. All scores, including the various time zone winners, will be posted on the rally website.

Rally coordinators: Joe (K1JT); Russ (K2TXB); John (N6ENU); Mike (WB2FKO)