Activity Period: The LARG Marathon begins at 0000 UTC January 1 and ending at 2359 UTC November 25, 2012.
Frequencies: Any authorized amateur frequency may be used. Contacts through repeaters or satellites are not allowed for credit, nor are contacts with maritime or aeronautical mobile stations. All contacts must be made entirely over amateur radio frequencies i.e., Echolink-type contacts do not count.
Submissions with all contacts utilizing a single band will be recognized.
Modes: Any authorized amateur mode may be used. Three modes will be recognized in the LARG DX Marathon: CW, SSB and Digital. All modes other than CW or voice modes will count as Digital. Submissions with all contacts utilizing a single mode will be recognized.
Categories: Each entrant in the LARG DX Marathon may submit one log each year per operating location. Participants submitting logs for single mode or single band entries must include only those contacts. Logs submitted with multiple mode or multiple bands will not be considered for mode and band awards. Entries with two or more call signs will only count as a single entry if all the contacts were made by the same (single) operator at the same station location using the same antennas. Entries that include contacts made with the assistance of remote receivers and/or transmitters in addition to contacts from a primary station are not permitted. There are two entry classes, "Formula" and "Unlimited."
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Formula: An entrant may choose one of two options in this class:
(1) All contacts must be made with a maximum output power of 10 watts, regardless of band or mode; or
(2) the operator may run a maximum of 100 watts output to a simple antenna, such as a vertical or dipole (see the appendix below for further rules on antennas used in either option for Formula class).
An operator in Formula class must select QRP (10 watts or less) or 100 watts and limited antennas at the beginning of the year's DX Marathon, and may not switch between entry modes during the year.
All contacts must be made without assistance of any sort, including but not limited to lists, passes, or use of higher power or prohibited antennas to initially secure the contact.
Use of spotting nets such as a DX Cluster is allowed.
Unlimited: Any antenna may be used, along with any power level for which the operator is licensed. Use of spotting nets such as DX Cluster is allowed.
Scoring: Each country worked is worth one point. Each CQ zone worked is worth one point. The total score is the sum of zones and countries worked, on any mode and any authorized band. There are no multipliers of any kind.
Each country and zone count only once. A single QSO may count for both a country and a zone. If in the course of the year you work 238 countries and 37 zones, your score is 275. If you work all 40 zones and 150 countries, your score is 190. The CQ DX Countries List and the CQ Zone List constitute the official lists. The lists are available on the DX Marathon web site. In the case of ties, the operator whose last scoring contact was earlier chronologically will be judged the winner. Decisions of the LARG Marathon committee are final.
Submissions: Submissions must be made to NC4S using the CQ DX Marathon log sheet available at the DX Marathon web site:
http://dxmarathon.com/Submission/2012/Submission2012.htm
All scores must be received by November 29, 2012 following the close of the LARG Marathon. Score sheets can be emailed or mailed to NC4S, Gary Quinn.
Verification: QSLs are not required. The operator is expected to claim contacts only from stations the operator has every reason to believe are legitimate, and only to claim contacts in which an accurate two-way exchange was clearly accomplished (see Appendix for further explanation). Claimed scores will be adjusted by the LARG DX Marathon committee for claimed contacts with pirates or any station not considered legitimate. Submissions may be penalized or voided in cases of fraud or poor sportsmanship.
Submissions that do not provide clear descriptions of Formula class antennas to show that the antennas meet the Formula class antenna rules may be re-classified to unlimited class. Decisions of the LARG Marathon Committee are final.
Results: The final listing of official scores will be posted on the LARG web site.
Awards:
Plaques and certificates will be given out at the club Christmas dinner.
Plaques: The LARG DX Marathon Committee will award plaques as follows:
Highest overall score in Unlimited Class (Plague sponsored by A12C);
Highest overall score in Formula Class 2 SSB only on 10 meters (plaque sponsored by NC4S);
Highest overall score in Formula Class 1 CW only (plaque sponsored by WB3AKD);
If you wish to sponsor a plaque for a category please contact Gary Quinn at [email protected]
Certificates:
Unlimited Category
Highest score for all SSB;
Highest score for all CW;
Highest score for all Digital:
Formula 1:
Highest score for all CW;
Highest score for all SSB;
Highest score for all Digital;
Highest score for mixed mode:
Formula 2:
Highest score for all CW;
Highest score for all SSB;
Highest score for all Digital;
Highest score for mixed mode: Single band only;
Highest overall score, in any one of the four modes (CW, SSB, Digital, Mixed Mode) for single band entries for the 10, 12, 15, 17, 20, 30, 40 and 80m bands.
WAS (Work All States):
Highest score for 5 bands contacting US States only (any five bands except 160) in Formula 1 and 2; Highest score for single band contacting US States in formula 1 and 2.
Highest score in any single band in any one of the four modes will receive a certificate. Only one award will be given to the highest score in each single band regardless of mode. No club member can receive more than one award.
Entrants may receive only one plaque per year. In the case of a participant qualifying for more than one plaque, that participant will receive a plaque for the highest level based on the above order. Certificates may be awarded to runners-up at the discretion of the LARG DX Marathon Committee. Plaque winners are not eligible for certificates. Only one certificate will be awarded per entrant. In the case of a participant qualifying for more than one certificate, that participant will receive a certificate for the highest level based on the above order. Certificates may be awarded to runners-up at the discretion of the LARG DX Marathon Committee.
In all cases, the rulings of the LARG DX Marathon Committee and the LARG DX Marathon Manager are final.
APPENDIX
Formula Class antennas, option 1: Operators selecting the 10 watt option are limited to antennas on a single tower and whose height does not exceed 65 feet or 20 meters above ground elevation within 330 feet or 100 meters of the tower base. Wire antennas may also be used but must meet the criteria of the 100 watt option, and may be tower-supported at only one point.
Formula Class antennas, option 2: Antennas for operators choosing the 100 watt option must be either simple verticals or wire antennas lacking significant gain. No arrays are allowed, whether vertical or horizontal, nor are long wires exceeding 130 feet or 40 meters, except on 80 and 160 meters. The base of vertical antennas used may not exceed 65 feet or 20 meters in height.
Dipoles or other wire antennas must not be more than 60 feet above ground.
Yagis, quads, or tower-mounted antennas (except wire antennas meeting the height limits above) may not be used in this category.
Contacts: Each contact for a claimed country or zone must be a solid contact. The station claiming a contact with another station is expected to have had his or her call sign fully and accurately received and transmitted by the other station, and to have copied his/her own call being correctly sent by the other station. For example, K2MGA may not claim credit for a QSO with a DX station who had his call as K3MGA, even though in many cases the DX station would QSL the contact with the correction made (after receiving a card from K2MGA, realizing the error and correcting his/her log). For a contact to count, both stations must correctly copy all of both call signs.
Marathon Committee members for 2012 are:
John Unger-Contest Chairman
Gary Quinn-LARG Marathon Manager
Rick Miller-LARG Marathon committee member
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