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The NAQCC November 2009 Thanksgiving Turkey Challenge Final Results: ALL 12 WORDS (certificate to each):
N8XMS
WY3H
N1LU
WY7N
KE7LKW
W2JEK
K3WWP
KQ1P
W7GB
2 Words
VE3HUR
Soapbox:N8XMS - I always enjoy these alphabet challenges. Even a minor effort in a major contest like the ARRL November Sweepstakes really helps to complete it. WY3H - A total of 27 calls were used to make the words. In all, I worked 45 stations from 1 Nov. to 12 Nov. All calls were worked QRP of course. Best 73/72, Tom N1LU - These alphabet challenges are my all time favorites. Got most while on a hunting trip in Maine with my FT-817 and 85' wire out the window to a tree. Had better luck with hunting dx than the elusive white-tail. It took a total of 23 calls to complete the challenge using no contests, sprints, or nets. W2JEK - made all of my qso's in the arrl cw sweepstakes on nov. 7 & 8. used 46 calls out of 122 qso's. rig was my ft-840 with wire antennas. power 5 watts. think the bands are getting better- it's about time. HI 72 and 73 don younger w2jek #1135 K3WWP - Of course I could have finished the effort in the SS like a couple others seem to have done. However I wanted to see just how hard it would be with a very minimal effort. Some members have complained our challenges are too hard, and I wanted to check that out. I only used my daily 'streak' QSO's which came from getting on the air each day for about a half hour or so. I didn't search out any letters until the very end when I needed an "O" to finish things off. I just took what came in answer to my CQ's or if I wasn't getting any answers, I answered someone else's CQ without regard to whether it was a needed letter or not. Except for that elusive "O", I had the challenge finished probably by about the 20th with my minimal effort. To get that "O", I used the CQWW DX contest. I figured it would be easy to get an "O", but conditions were horrible and the usual abundance of ON, OK, OM, etc. stations just weren't there. Finally I found OK5W on 40M and surprisingly, it was an easy QSO. He got my K3WW easily, but I did have to repeat my call a couple more times till he got the "P". Summing up, I didn't really find the challenge that hard at all. KQ1P - This challenge was fun, it is amazing how 'rare' some letters become. I avoided using contest contacts for the tally, just to make it a little harder. I was able to wrap it up Thanksgiving morning before the big meal. I would lobby for adding words like cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie (my favorites). 73, John. VE3HUR - Didn't get any calls with E, S, or L. That eliminated all but four of the words. The good news was that working a "JA" gave me WAC QRP. 73, Don VE3HUR #977 PREMISE: This is the SIXTH running of our annual Thanksgiving challenge. This was our second ever challenge back in 2004 although it was called an event back then, not a challenge. We felt that challenge was a more appropriate name for these monthly events and switched names early in 2005. Those of you familiar with our alphabet type challenges will know the concept. An alphabet challenge involves making words from letters in the calls of stations worked. For example if you work K3WWP, N2OO, WA8REI, and DK5WW, you've made the words "WORD", "PORK" and others I won't list here. We give you a list of words to be made dealing with a topic related to the month. Hence for November it's Thanksgiving words. Here's what one member says so accurately about our alphabet type challenges and it actually applies to our other challenges as well, "I find the word challenges to be my favorite because you have to put some serious logging type skills to use with your on air operating. I think the combination of on air operating, logging, and arranging of words makes for a more realistic operating experience. It makes for a more rounded radio operator." - Mike KC2EGL If you're looking for an easy way to keep track of an alphabet challenge, here is a tutorial that will make it very simple for you. TIME FRAME: Nov 1, 2009 0000Z through Nov 30, 2009 2400Z RULES: You must use QRP and the other station can be using any power. You can use any antenna you want. Make as many words as you can from this list of Thanksgiving related words. BRADFORD CORN TURKEY COD BASS HARVEST PILGRIMS MAYFLOWER PLYMOUTH PLANTATION SQUANTO WAMPANOAG For reference, the following 23 letters are contained somewhere in the words: A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y You can use a letter in a call TWICE. For example, N3AQC's N could be used in CORN and PLANTATION. If a call has two or more of the same letters, only one may be used. For example, only one of the three E's in K3EEE could be used for two E's in the words (for example MAYFLOWER and TURKEY). You can't use the two extra E'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. AWARDS: A certificate goes to everyone who makes ALL the words. PARTICIPATION AWARD AND WEB LISTING: Anyone submitting a report gets a Participation Point and a web listing, even if you make only 1 word. LOGS: For your report, just list the words you made and the stations used for each word as in: WORD - K3WWP, N2OO, WA8REI, DK5WW Please preface any soapbox comments 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 in my case: K3WWP NAQCC November Challenge Postal mail: John Shannon, K3WWP 478 E. High St. Kittanning, PA 16201 All entries for the challenge must be RECEIVED before December 10, 2009 at 2400Z. |