QO-100 Dx Club Sprint Contest

The QO-100 Dx Club Sprint Contest takes place every Saturday.

Objective

The purpose of the contest is to promote contacts via QO-100 NB transponder.

General Rules

Schedule

The Sprint Contest will take place every Saturday between 14h00 and 15h59 UTC (inclusive) with the following schedule:

  • 1st Saturday of each month: SSB
  • 2nd Saturday of each month: CW
  • 3rd Saturday of each month: DATA except FT8 and FT4
  • 4th Saturday of each month: FT8 and FT4
  • 5th Saturday of each month: SSTV

Frequencies

All contest activity must be done on "mixed modes & special purposes" segment (.870 - .990).

The QO-100 Dx Club proposes the following frequencies:

  • SSB and CW modes: .870 - .990
  • SSTV and DATA modes (except FT): .870 - .900
  • FT modes: .870 - .875

Category

Single Operator: One person (the operator) performs all operating and logging functions. There is no limit on operating time. Only one transmitted signal is permitted at any time.

Score

QSO Points

  • A QSO is worth 1 point.
  • A QSO with a QO-100 Dx Club Member is worth 10 points. The QO-100 Dx Club will determine the member list via the callsigns registered by members at the beginning of each sprint.
  • A station can be contacted only once per sprint. Any subsequent QSO with the same station is worth 0 points and doesn't award multipliers.

Duplicate contacts are removed with no penalty. Call signs not in any submitted log are removed with no penalty.

Multipliers

  • The number of unique 4 digit worked grid squares.
  • The number of unique DXCC entities worked.

The final score is the result of the total QSO points multiplied by the sum of worked grids and worked entities.
Example: 100 QSO points x (20 grids + 10 DXCC entities) = 3,000 (final score).

Exchange

Each station should exchange report and grid square (XXyy) during the QSO.

Log

Logs should be submitted in ADIF format (specifics below) via the submission form until 23h59 UTC of the Monday following the sprint.

The submitted log is not automatically uploaded to the QO-100 Dx Club database, even if the operator submitting the log is a QO-100 Dx Club's member.

When you submit your log, or at any time until the log submission deadline, you can request to not be included in the final result (CHECKLOG) and no score will be calculated or published for your entry.

Logs received after the dealine are considered as CHECKLOG.

ADIF Format

Your .adi file must contain the following fields:

  • QSO_DATE
  • TIME_ON
  • STATION_CALLSIGN
  • CALL
  • MODE
  • SUBMODE for DATA and FT sprints
  • BAND that should be "13CM"
  • SAT_NAME that should be "QO-100"
  • PROP_MODE that should be "SAT"
  • GRIDSQUARE (4 digit only) or VUCC_GRIDS (either 2 or 4 grids, separated with ",")
  • MY_GRIDSQUARE or MY_VUCC_GRIDS
An .adi file exported by any of the major logging software packages should work.

Judging

The QO-100 Dx Club is responsible for checking the contest entries and producing the scores.

Entrants are expected to follow the rules and best amateur radio practices, including the QO-100 NB Transponder Bandplan and Operating Guidelines. Violation of the rules of the contest or unsportsmanlike conduct may lead to disqualification.

Examples of unsportsmanlike conduct include, but are not limited to:

  • Arranging or confirming any contacts during or after the contest by use of ANY non-amateur radio means such as telephones, Internet, instant messaging, chat rooms, VoIP, email, social media, or Web sites.
  • Transmissions by the entrant on frequencies outside of license limitations.
  • Transmissions by the entrant on frequencies not according to the QO-100 NB Transponder Bandplan.
  • Taking credit for excessive unverifiable QSOs or unverifiable multipliers.
  • Signals with excessive bandwidth (e.g., splatter, clicks) or above the beacons.

The decisions of QO-100 Dx Club are final.

Participating implies accepting and complying with the rules.

Results

Results will be published on the QO-100 Dx Club Website on the Friday after each sprint.

Awards

Each station will receive a participation certificate per sprint.

At the end of the year awards will be given for the top 10 scores, and top 5 of each mode.