 
|
The NAQCC May 2024 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). THE CHALLENGE APPLICATION HAS MOVED! THE NEW LOCATION IS: http://naqcc.wb5rvz.org The OLD BASEBALL RULES Challenge   PREMISE: The boys of summer take the field and you sit back with a cold 807 to watch the action. If you roll back the clock to the 17 and 1800s, the game would be a different experience than what you see today. Here are a few things that used to be part of the game back when. Don’t plan on a nine inning game. Expect the game to end when one side scores 21 aces, or as they are know today, runs. Is this softball I’m watching? Nope, it is baseball … the pitching was underhanded until 1872. Why is that barehanded outfielder so happy he got the ball on the first bounce? It is because the batter is out, same as if it were caught on the fly. Hey look, the home plate umpire is talking to a fan. Is he going to get that guy tossed out for something? Not at all … he is getting his opinion of the play before he makes a ruling. The umpire is allowed to check before he makes his final ruling if he thinks the fan might have had a better view. There seem to be a few fans today that think this rule is still in effect and try to be helpful by offering up their opinion without even having to be asked! Speaking of opinions, there was an official umpire from each team, whose job it was to makes appeals to the referee ( now the umpire ) on behalf of their team's players. Four balls and you get a walk. Not in the day. It used to be three. Bad for the pitcher? Not really, only every third ball counted toward the total. You actually needed nine balls to reach first on a walk. As part of keeping the game a manly sport, outfielders could get a runner out by throwing the ball and hitting them before they reached the base. This was know as plugging. In the mid 1800s it was impossible for a pitcher to catch the corner of the plate … there were no corners to catch since the plate was a 12 inch diameter circle. Could this be where the name plate originated? For you stats guys looking at old home run records, some of the old players may have done better than you think. If the winning run was on base and you hit a homer to end the game you only got credit for what it took to drive the base runner home. For example, if a man on first scored the winning run off your HR, you only got credit for a triple since that was all that was needed to get the runner home and end the game. So that is how it was back then. Is the game better or worse for the changes? You decide. 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. 21 ACES UNDERHANDED PITCHING ONE FOOT DIAMETER HOME PLATE OUT ON THE FIRST BOUNCE PLUGGING THE RUNNER The 85 total letters and numbers contain these 20 different letters and numbers: A B C D E F G H I L M N O P R S T U 1 2 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! PRIZES: A choice of an item made by master woodworker Gregg WB8LZG as shown on our prizes page here goes to someone selected via a random drawing from all who participate and submit a report for this month's challenge. A person can only win once, then they become ineligible for future drawings. 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: |