ARRL Prepares to Manage Contest Changes

Changes, Challenges Loom as 2000-2001 Contest Season Nears

NEWINGTON, CT, Oct 15, 2000--As the "contest season" approaches, ARRL Contest Branch Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, is reminding ARRL contest participants of changes that become effective this year. His department also is gearing up to face the challenges that lie ahead as the Contest Branch starts implementing new log-handling methods.

ARRL Contest Branch Assistant Kathy Allison, KA1RWY, works through an incoming batch of contest entries and mail. [ARRL Photo]

Starting November 1, 2000, the ARRL standard file format for electronic submissions will be the Cabrillo format. ARRL November Sweepstakes will be the first operating event to fall under the new electronic logging standard. The CW weekend is November 4-6 and the SSB weekend is November 18-20 this year. (Rules appear in October QST, page 102.)

First announced more than a year ago, the Cabrillo format will result in electronic logs that adhere to a uniform standard that allows them to be processed more expediently. Henderson says the change to the new format will mean the Contest Branch can post the list of "Logs Received" for a given contest much sooner--once the non-electronic logs have been processed into the database.

"Approximately 80% of W/VE logs and 65% of DX logs arrive in electronic format," Henderson said. "The Cabrillo format will allow us to verify entries and initialize the database more efficiently, with fewer data entry errors."

Henderson says that one of the most common questions his department hears these days is, "Where do I buy this Cabrillo program?" He points out that Cabrillo--pronounced kuh-BREE-oh--is not a program but an electronic file format that specifies what information is contained in certain fields in the file document. "The major contest logging software programs spent much of the past year incorporating the Cabrillo format into their products," Henderson said. "If you're using a current version of one of those programs, you should have the ability to generate the Cabrillo file already."

Henderson said those using older software versions of contesting programs should check with the software manufacturer or distributor to get the latest version.

Details on the format appear in the "General Rules for all ARRL Contests" in the November 2000 issue of QST. Specifications for the Cabrillo file format also are available on-line. In addition to the file specifications, there are sample templates for various ARRL contests, a history of any modifications to the format, and some insight into the development of the Cabrillo file format.

Faced with more 18,000 contest entries during the 1999-2000 contest season, Henderson says his department's biggest task is routine data entry. "Right now all data must be entered by hand--a very time-consuming process," Henderson said. "It becomes a larger challenge due to the number of entries that are received for each contest that are incomplete or inaccurate."

Henderson says that Contest Branch staffers estimate that approximately one out of every five contest entries--electronic and paper--arrive incorrect or incomplete.

"The most common error is omitting required information that allow staff to properly code the entry, such as not listing a valid entry category, not listing power level, giving a state of residence or ARRL division instead of ARRL section for location," Henderson said. Another common problem is the submission of the wrong log files for the contest being entered.

ARRL Contest Branch Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, proofs contest-related material prior to publication in QST. [ARRL Photo]

Henderson said each inaccurate entry requires a significant amount of staff attention. "We employ a wide range of tactics to try and resolve the problems internally," he said. "For example, other competitors' logs may be searched to try to determine what the entrant sent for an exchange. If a claimed score does not agree with the claimed QSOs and multipliers, the log has to be searched to find the answer." Henderson says all of this must be done just to get the entry initialized into the contest database. "This occurs before any log checking of contacts takes place," he said.

Some problems are relatively easy to identify; others are more difficult. "When a problem can not be resolved in-house, we attempt to contact the participant to clarify the situation," Henderson said. "If the participant doesn't respond, then we revert to certain entry defaults to code the data."

Henderson hopes to use computer automation to reduce the time needed to score submitted contest logs. For example, to cut the time needed for initial data entry, the Contest Branch is developing a "robot reader" that will take information from the Cabrillo format header and initialize that entry into the database.

"It's important to remember that these changes are not a finished product but rather a work in progress," Henderson said. "There will be adjustments needed as the robot reader is used. As the needs arise, we will continue to work them out."

Henderson said non-electronic entries will continue to be done by hand. "We will still need to deal manually with electronic submissions that contain errors and problems," he said, "but we're optimistic that as we refine the process, we'll reach the ultimate end result--providing accurate results for our contests in a timely manner."

Henderson also reminds contest participants that with the addition of West Central Florida this past January there now are 80 ARRL/RAC sections. "If you log by hand, please obtain current submission forms--an SASE with a note to the Contest Branch will do the trick," he said. "With great band conditions, we can all look forward to an outstanding contest season!"

Henderson says his department is always open for questions and comments about the ARRL Contest Program. Address them to Dan Henderson, N1ND, 860-594-0232 or [email protected] or by US Mail to ARRL Contest Branch, 225 Main St, Newington CT 06111.

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