[SECC] Announcement, NS Ladder Series Begins This Week

[k4bai at worldnet.att.net (John T. Laney III)]

I encourage all to participate.  This will be come the most fun half 
hour of the week!  73, John, K4BAI.

The popular NCCC Sprint (NS) Ladder competition, now in it's 6th year, 
begins this week, Thursday night, 0230-0300Z (Friday, UTC).   Thirty 
minutes earlier at 0200-0215Z we hold the Slow NS (SNS) at slower CW 
speed of 20 wpm (W9RE).

In Summary  .. .

    -- NS Ladder is an envigorating LP (100 watt or less) 14-week ladder 
competition based on sprint rules. Stations compete for in three main 
divisions plus a category for NCCC members:

                  -- Description of NCCC Thursday Night Contesting:  
http://www.ncccsprint.com/
                  -- Description of Ladder Competition:  
http://www.ncccsprint.com/ladder.htm
                  -- Schedule: http://www.ncccsprint.com/next_ns.htm
                  -- Score information (this year and 3 previous 
ladders) at http://www.ncccsprint.com/results.htm
                  -- Logging s/w for NS: 
http://www.ncccsprint.com/software.htm

   -- RULES for NS Ladder, see:
                http://www.ncccsprint.com/rules.htm 

    -- Each NS Ladder session is a fast 30-min CW competition, this year 
14 sessions on 20, 40 and 80 meters (40kHz from band edge) with 100w. 
power limit.  But you need only participate in 9 events to fully qualify 
for awards, so plenty of time for those vacations, graduations, weddings 
etc.
                   -- Ladder occurs most Thursday nights, 0230-0300Z  
(Friday UTC). Last session is August 7.
                  --  Bands are 20, 40, 80 m CW around 14040, 7040 and 
3540 (Please s p r e a d out!)
                   -- EXCHANGE:  Serial #,  Your Name, Section
                              ---   (Mults are combined NAQP/Sprint, 
i.e. NA States (include AK/HI), Canadian Prov,  NA Countries
                
                  -- SCHEDULE, see:  http://www.ncccsprint.com/next_ns.htm
                  -- SCORE SUBMISSION via the WA7BNM score report form 
at http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/ 
                  -- Logs need to be saved but are not submitted in 
unless requested.

    -- NS Ladder Rules:  see http://www.ncccsprint.com/rules.htm    
Changes from last year:
             
               --  Awards based scores in 9 of 14 events for East,  West 
Divisions and NCCC; fewer (tba) for Newcomers Division.
               --  Divsions:
                          E. of Ms. River  (Canada, East of 
Manitoba-Ontario border)
                          W. of Ms. River
                          Newcomers -- for those who have not 
participated in NS Ladder previously, or have done so just once or twice.
                          NCCC Members.
                            -- Change for this year:  You will declare 
yourself to be in "Newcomers" division.
              --  No use of packet or skimmers

   -- Why would you want to participate in this "summer fun" event"??  
Here are some of the purposes/goals of NS Ladder:

                A) Experience a few minutes of contesting fun on 
Thursday nights. . relax and enjoy  (as per K7NV).
                B) Stay in practice over the summer when there are fewer 
contests.  The ladder's unusual dupe rule keeps rates extraordinarily 
high even under poor propagation conditions.
                C) NS Ladder is a summer 'laboratory" for new antenna/ 
station designs: get into NS Ladder, establish a baseline, then put up 
your 6-el 80m Yagi and see the effect on your score.
                D) Only ladder competition in ham radio -- Provides a 
metric for station and operator improvements.
                E) Interesting rules, e.g.  the dupe rule and band-mults 
under sprint conditions.
                F) Locust X Prize, an NCJ Subscription to first NS 
Ladder participant to make 3000 points in a single 30-min session.
                G) Snappy 30 minute format.  The 30 min limit, with the 
dupe rule,  makes NS Ladder a true Sprint in the athletic definition of 
the word.  The 100-watt limit increases the fun for smaller stations.
                H) CA wine prizes to the Division winners.

New to sprints or shy of the fast code speeds required??  Participate in 
our Slow NS (SNS), run by Mike W9RE.  The SNS is 30-mins prior to NS 
Ladder at 0200-0215Z on the same bands, but with a suggested code speed  
20 wpm.  Try this one for a while, and when you are ready,  add the 
regular NS Ladder.

Questions??
Please  contact Bill N6ZFO,  n6zfo at arrl.net <http://arrl.net>,  or 
another member of our MS Ladder BOD:  Mike, W9RE; Howie, N4AF; Jim, 
N3BB; John, K4BAI; Ted, W4NZ; Chris, VA3NR.

We hope to see many of you on this and subsequent Thursday nights. 

73 Bill, n6zfo
NCCC Sprint Ladder, Contest Director

[We thank Ed, W0YK for his extensive work on the NCCC Sprint web pages, 
and Bruce, WA7BNM and Dink, N7WA for weekly score reporting assistance. 
N6RO,K6VVA, K7NV and others within NCCC have been major contributors in 
formulating the concepts and details of the NS Ladder over the past 6 
years, as have the members of the NS Ladder BOD.]