What: A contest.
Where: 2m FM simplex
When: Sunday, February 21, 2009, 2000-2300 GMT. This translates to Sunday, February 21, 2009: 2pm-5pm (3 hour duration)
Who: Open to any licensed radio amateur.
Why: To introduce contesting to a larger population of hams.
Object: Make as many two-way QSO's with as many different hams as possible in as many different cities as possible in a 3-hour time period.

Entry Categories:
Single Operator: One person performs all transmitting, receiving, spotting, and logging functions as well as equipment and antenna adjustments. You may not receive assistance from any other person for anything related to the challenge.
Multi-operator: More than one person performs the transmitting, receiving, spotting, logging functions and antenna adjustments during the Challenge. This allows team entries. Example: One person operates the radio while another person logs the contacts. Multi-operator efforts may only be conducted from fixed locations.
a) Single operator, fixed location, 5 watts or less.
b) Single operator, fixed location, greater than 5 watts but less than 20 watts.
c) Single operator, fixed location, greater than 20 watts but not greater than 50 watts.
d) Single operator, fixed location, more than 50 watts.
e) Multi-operator, fixed location. No power limit.
f) Rover/mobile: Participant operates from a vehicle, with the option of activating more than one multiplier during the duration of the Challenge. No power limit.

"Fixed Location" means the participant must operate the entire duration of the Challenge from one specific location. This category would also include setting up a temporary, portable station at a remote location, "Field-Day" style.

You may enter only one category for the Challenge. If a station gives out more than one multiplier during the Challenge, that station will automatically be entered in the "Rover" category. Exception: If you operate both as a rover/mobile and as a fixed station location, you must submit separate entries for each operation. (Example: You operate mobile while coming home from a party. Once you are home, you operate from your home antenna. In this case, you must submit a separate entry for your mobile and fixed locations.)

STATIONS ONLY COMPETE WITH OTHER STATIONS IN THE SAME ENTRY CATEGORY FOR PRIZES.
Frequencies: Anywhere within the 2-meter simplex range. According to the Texas Band Plan, (http://www.txvhffm.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=34&Itemid=38)

FM simplex is permitted on the following frequencies:
# 145.500 to 145.800,
# 146.400 to 146.440,
# 146.500 to 146.600 (except 146.520),
# 147.400 to 147.440,
# 147.500 to 147.590

While not required, in Texas it is customary to stay on frequencies that are multiples of 20 kHz.

QSO's made through repeaters are not allowed, and contacts made on 146.520 will be disqualified. 146.520 needs to be reserved as the recognized National Calling frequency and NOT tied up with contest usage.

Exchange: Give your callsign, your name and the city you are operating from. For fixed location stations, "city" is defined as the address of your single transmit location. Rovers/mobiles MUST be within city limits of whatever city they claim to be operating from. Log the frequency you made the exchange also.

Scoring:

Fixed location stations: 1 point for each complete QSO. Multipliers will be the different number of cities worked. Total score will be the total number of QSO points multiplied by number of unique cities contacted. (Example: You work 10 different stations in 9 different cities. 10 QSO's x 9 multipliers = 90 points) Rovers/Mobiles: 1 point for each complete QSO.

Multipliers will be the different number of cities worked PLUS the unique number of cities you operate FROM. Total score will be the total number of QSO points multiplied by number of unique cities contacted plus number of multipliers. (Example: A Rover works 15 different stations in 12 different cities, and the Rover transmits from 3 different cities. 12 cities contacted, plus 3 cities operated from = 15 total multipliers. 15 QSO's x 15 multipliers = 225 points) Stations may only contact any given station 1 time for QSO points and/or multiplier credit.

Rovers/Mobiles may be worked for QSO/multiplier credit 1 time for every unique city they operate from.

Miscellaneous:

All duplicate QSO's must be removed from the log that is submitted. If a log contains more than 1 contact with any given station, the penalty will be a deduction of 3 contacts from your final score. Note that this can affect your multiplier total, too. This penalty will be applied for every duplicate contact found in an entrant's log. Contacts with aeronautical mobile stations do not count. All antennas must be physically connected to the transceiver being used for the Challenge by wires. No remote operation is allowed.

Soliciting QSO's:

The use of non-amateur communications to make a pre-planned QSO (i.e: phone, e-mail, carrier pigeon, etc.) is not in the spirit of this event. You should test your ability to make contacts without any pre-planning. Challenge entrants may not transmit on repeaters or repeater frequencies for the purpose of soliciting contacts.

Rules For Rover/Mobile Stations:
A Rover/Mobile is a station that operates from more than one city (multiplier) during the duration of the Challenge.

Rovers are allowed to have one additional person act as the driver of the vehicle. However, no assistance is allowed for operation of the transceiver or antennas or logging of QSOs.

Rovers may operate with only one callsign during the duration of the Challenge.

Rover vehicles must transport all of the radio equipment, power supplies, cables, antennas and logging tools with them. No equipment of any type may be dropped off at a pre-determined location for use during the Challenge, nor may Rovers use pre-existing antennas at any fixed or temporary portable location. In short, you can only use what you bring with you.

Rovers must sign /Rover during the Challenge. Example: "K5USS/Rover, QRZ FM Challenge."

A Rover/Mobile shall use the city or town they are in at the time of any given QSO as their city. Mobile/Rovers must be within the city limits in order to give QSO credit for that city. Outside the city limits in the county does not score city credits.

Rovers/Mobiles may be worked for QSO points and multiplier credit one time for each city the mobile operates from. (Example: It is okay if KD5UMO works K5USS/Rover in Dallas, then works K5USS/Rover again when K5USS is in Richardson. However, if K5USS/Rover returns to Dallas, KD5UMO is not allowed to contact K5USS again, since KD5UMO already worked K5USS when K5USS was in Dallas.)

Rovers/Mobiles may record their participation in the Challenge with an audio recorder and produce an electronic log for the Challenge at a later time. An electronic log must be prepared for submission with all the required information - the recording will not be accepted as a log. But it can be difficult to log while driving. Your safety is important to us!

Disqualification: A contestant may be disqualified for the following reasons:

a) Violating any of the rules of the Challenge.
b) Breaking the terms and conditions of their Amateur Radio license.
c) Excessive duplicate contacts in their submitting log (more than 10 percent of the QSOs in the log).
d) Falsifying any information in their submitted log.

Prizes: Certificates will be awarded to the top scoring entrant in each Entry Category.

Logging Format: Each entrant's logs must be in the following format: QSO #, Time, Frequency, Station worked callsign, Contact Name, and City, Your Name and City during the contact (important when you are a rover, the same when you are fixed), and Yes or No if new city multiplier. Example: I work KD5UMO for my first QSO in the Challenge, I work W5ADC/Rover for my second QSO in the Challenge, and I work KE5TJL for my third contact in the Challenge. My log should look like this:

Log Submission:
Logs must be received no later than 11:59 pm on Sunday, March 01, 2010. Decision of the judges is final.

Send logs to:contests@k5prk.net

The website has a downloadable Excel log form:2M_FM_Challenge_Log.xls

Electronic logs must be in our Microsoft Excel format only so we can automatically score them. No Handwritten logs or other formats are acceptable. We will electronically score these entries, and multiple formats will not let it work.

If you have further questions, email them to: contests@k5prk.net.

Operating Tips:

You can either scan the FM simplex frequencies listening for people to work, or you can call CQ on a simplex frequency. We would suggest calling "CQ FM Challenge" or something like that, so people know that you're participating in the event. It would also be a good idea to open your squelch up, so you can hear weaker stations. Be sure to check the upper portion of the FM simplex band (147.420 to 147.570 MHz). Few people venture outside the lower simplex bracket, so there's a lot of QRM-free spectrum you can use.

Make sure you copy the information from your QSO correctly. If you missed the operator's name, ask for a repeat, and make sure you spell it correctly. You may want to also verify the time you are logging so you both log the same time. Reporting incorrect information in your log will count as a penalty and disqualify the contact, so make sure you take the time to get it right. READ THE RULES. If you have any questions about anything regarding this contest, ask contests@k5prk.net BEFORE the Challenge starts.

Here is a PDF version of these that you can download and print out for reference.