The Huntsville Hamfest is scheduled for August 16th and 17th, 2008 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, AL.

The ACG is sponsoring and organizing some Contest Forums on Saturady. We will provide more information here as it comes available. At the Hamfest, please check the hamfest directory for the forum locations and times. KY5R/Tim has about 4 hours with many informative forum presenters. Thanks to each of you for volunteering your effort to make presentations. Here is the lineup so far:

N1LF - Les Reyburn  " Where There's a Will There's a Way - Deed Restriced VHF Contesting
 
K4TD - Rick Walker   " Skimmer  = Love it or Hate it  - Cutting Edge Technology for CW Contesting"
 
WX4TM - Tom Moore  " RTTY Contesting Today - All you need to know to get on the Bauds"
 
N4JDU  - Jeff Drew      " Radio  Sport in BY(China) "
 
KC4HW - Jim Johnson "Biggest Little QSO Party in the South - Alabama QSO Party"
 
KY5R - Tim Wininger    " Contesting from Scratch - Introduction to Contesting Today"

The SECC, TCG and ACG will be hosting, The First: "Sunny South Contest Hospitality Suite" on Friday, Aug 15th starting at 7PM to 11PM inconjunction with the Huntsville Hamfest. It will be hosted at the Holiday Inn adjacent to the Von Braun Center (Hamfest site). A pileup competition from 8PM to 9PM for CW and SSB will be conducted. There will be a prizes awarded to the winners in each mode. There might be a demonstration of skimmer as well, there is also a forum on skimmer on tap Saturday morning hosted by K4TD. The refreshments will include a two hour pay as you go bar.

We will be updating this page with additional information as it becomes available.

This is a joint effort with the SECC, TCG and ACG contest organizations. Would like to thank VE7ZO/Jim, NQ4I/Rick and KY5R/Tim (and many others) for organizing and bringing this first ever event to a reality! Thanks!

We are looking forward to see many of you at the contest hospitality suite and at the hamfest. Please feel free to bring your clubs banner and we will try to display them on Friday!

All are welcome!

FD-pedition 2008 - Molino, Florida!

Jay, N4OX will be hosting another effort for Field Day 2008 from Molino, Florida. Combining members from the Alabama Contest Group and the Florida Contest Group-Panhandle, participants will include but not limited to K4TD, KY4F, VE7ZO, KY5R, NF4A, K4PV, KB4ET, N4OGW and our host N4OX. There are others that may come along as the event unfolds. The anticipated category is 4A, but could change. There are plans for a VHF/UHF station and possibly a GOTA station. If you are interested in participating from just North of Pensacola, please contact jay at n4ox@frontiernet.net. Heck, if you are in the area, just stop by and say hello!

U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville K4BFT will be active in Class 4A, contact Tom, KG4CUY for more information. Added by N4KG: The Huntsville Amateur Radio Club (HARC - K4BFT) and the North Alabama DX Club (NADXC) will once again combine forces to put on a 4A Field Day operation under the callsign K4BFT  (Big Fat Turkey)

We will have stations outfitted for 80 / 20 CW,  75 / 20 SSB, 40 / 15 CW, and 40 / 15 SSB plus a GOTA station. There may be a VHF / Satellite station. Tom  N4KG  (40M CW Station Manager / LF FD antenna wizard).

Added by N4NM: K4BFT (Huntsville ARC), 20CW/80CW. We'll be 4A. We use three ops at this station: N4NM, KR4F, and K4ADK. Two el quad at 55' for 20M, and an inverted VEE with apex at 70' for 80. Orion II.

W4NTIGuess I'll fire up from the house and pass out some points.

W4LEE will be 2F AL 2F AL from the Lee County Emergency Operations Center..Tom WX4TM (ops: WX4TM, KI4ACW....)

The Heart of Dixie ARS (W4HOD)will be operating as 2A from our clubhouse in Loachapoka, Alabama. Loachapoka is 7 miles west of Auburn on Highway 14 West. Everyone is welcome to join us if you don't have other plans. 73, Cheryl AA4YL

One of the cool things about life is some of the people you meet along the way. You guys are the coolest!

I sent an email to the ACG about being in North Alabama this evening and maybe we could meet for dinner... blah blah... I hoped for maybe three or four to show up.. Well I was a little late getting there and let me tell you that there was standing room only. Twelve folks were there!!! Three wives! We had a great time. Those in attendance were Tom (W4NBS) and Anita Schwinn; Tom Russell, N4KG; Jerry Montgomery, K4SAV; Johnny (KR4F) and Melanie (N4HIX) Winters; Tim (KY5R) and Patty Wininger; and Rick Walter, K4TD.

Additonally, there was an unknown gentleman, that I later learned was invited by N4KG, that joined us Sy Moskowicz, W4IFG. The remarkable thing about Sy was that he has confirmed 305 DX on CW and 318 DX on PH -- get this he operates only MOBILE! After dinner we all went outside to look at his installation and setup. I think there were some serious negotiations between he and Rick. He went into a great amount of detail about studies that he had done on the best location for a mobile antenna--turn out that a van is best with the antenna mounted in the center of the roof. Just uses 4 magnet mounts and the Hustler mobile system. No ground. He also uses capacitance hats on 40m and below... Very interesting fellow, of course I invitied him to operate in the AQP and join the ACG... I should add that he also uses a Hercules Amp at about 700 watts for most of his contacts.

Rick, K4TD invited Jim Roberts, VE7ZO of the WRTC fame (2007 Winner)! He blended right in with out group. The thing that was most interesting was his CW practices techniques using Morse Runner. I found it interesting that he uses all the different modes: pileup, HST, single call, etc. He said that he really like the single call mode at 45WPM, he copies 20 calls in 5 minutes. Rick, K4TD said that he could do 17 calls in 5 minutes. Many of the guys at the table said that they used MR to keep their CW up to snuff....

After I got back to my hotel room, I thought I would tried to see how many I could copy in 5 minutes but I had to set the speed at 35 wpm (which is way more than I can really copy)... I got 11 the first time and 9 the second time, I decided to quit while I was ahead. Guess I still need a lot of practice.. hi hi

Here are a couple of photos of the group in attendance...

Birmingham Hamfest coming up the first weekend in May.. Maybe we can have a lunch get-together there!

Jim/KC4HW

A small group of us got together at a local resturant in Athens, Al on the Feb 27th. Present were KR4F/Johnny, N4HIX/Melanie, K4TD/Rick, N4KG/Tom, KY5R/Tim, Jerry/K4SAV and myself. We had a pretty good time. Mostly talking about the VP6DX missed contacts. Tom's solutions was to just send them an email and tell then! Wonder if that would work if you did not work then at all... hi

We also presented the plaques for the 2007 Alabama QSO Party for Top Alabama Phone and CW scores to Tim/KY5R and Jerry/K4SAV.

Congratulations to both of you!

Jim/KC4HW

The results from the 2007 AQP are available on the AQP website. http://www.alabamaqsoparty.org/2007/2007AQPResultsV2.pdf (opens a PDF window)

A number of members of the ACG were 'in da house' for the 2007 running. And I am especially pleased that the Auburn University ARC effort won the LP multi-multi but in a dead-heat with the Russel County ARC! Only three ops manned K4RY. Carey/AI4TZ, Don/KA4NDY, and I had a great time but should have eaten less and keyed the radios more!

Congrats to all participants and award winners.

Cheers es 73 de Jay/N4CBK.

2007 Alabama QSO Party Results and Scores.

The 2007 results and scores are available at http://www.alabamaqsoparty.org

We certainly appreciate all that participated both in and outside of Alabama. We have a record number of folks that participated. 149 total logs submitted in 2007!

The 2008 AQP is shaping up to be a great event. If you haven't planned to participate, please check your calendar for Jun 7th and 8th, 2008 (first full weekend in June) and plan to get on board with great little QSO party.

If you have any questions regarding please do not hestitate to let me know at kc4hw{at}alabamaqsoparty{dot}org.


Jim/KC4HW

I am happly to report that I received confirmation from David Thompson/K4JRB that we will sponsoring the Plaque for the high scorer for the Japan station in 2007 and 2008 CQ 160 CW Contest. Additionally, K4TD and KC4HW will sponsor (in the Alabama Contest Group name) a plaque for the high scorer in VE.

I am sure that David/K4JRB will be contacting us soon for our sponsor fees.

As soon as we can, I will post a pic of the two plaques here on the website.

I want to thank all that partcipated in the voting process.

Jim/KC4HW
President - ACG