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The NAQCC August 2026 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). LINKS: Challenge App: http://naqcc.wb5rvz.org Challenge Worksheet: challenge_tracker.pdf PERRY SPENCER AND THE MICROWAVE  PREMISE: Perry Spencer grew up in rural Maine, with little formal education and a large amount of natural curiosity. He worked at a nearby mill at age 12 and was hired to wire a local paper mill for electricity at age 14. The heroic actions of the Titanic's radio operators inspired Spencer to join the Navy to learn about the new wireless technology. He obtained textbooks and studied while in the Navy and left the service with a good knowledge of the subject. He found employment at the American Appliance Company which would later become the Raytheon Manufacturing Company. Raytheon is still a major defense contractor today. Spencer was working on the development of magnetron tubes for use in radar systems. One day, in 1946, as he was testing his magnetron, he put his hand in his pocket for a peanut cluster bar snack and found that he had a pocket full of melted snack. His curiosity drove him to try and understand what was happening. Placing an egg under the magnetron resulted in an exploding egg that covered Spencer's face. The next day he treated the office to popcorn that he had made under the magnetron. This was the birth of the microwave oven. 1947 saw the commercial Radarange hit the market. Sales were modest at best. It was a huge, expensive device that cost more than $2000 and weighed in at almost 750 pounds. A domestic microwave came on the market in 1955, but failed because of cost and its unknown technology. Finally, in 1967, the Amana, compact Radarange hit the market and became a massively successful product that, by 1975, was selling a million units a year. Spencer's fortunate accident gave birth to a technology that is now an appliance with a world wide market. 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. PERRY SPENCER MAGNETRON DEVELOPEMENT RAYTHEON MFG CO MELTED PEANUT CLUSTER SNACK AMANA COMPACT RADARANGE The 91 total letters contain these 19 different letters: A C D E F G H K L M N O P R S T U V Y 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! 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 August 2026 Challenge All entries must be RECEIVED before the 10th of the following month at 2400Z. |