AmRRON Mid-Winter Exercise / Contest
This exercise / contest is intended to improve skills in multiple areas such as:
1 – One Time Pad (OTP)
2 – Geo location
3 – Message composition and formatting
4 – HF message relay
Overview
The exercise will commence 20190103-1400Z (Zulu Time) and end on 20190117-0000Z.
AmRRON members may participate and become eligible for prizes by correctly decoding a OTP message, using the alpha numeric coordinates embedded in the OTP and using those USNG coordinates to identify a specific location and then delivering the name of the closest major city to me by: (1) HF radio message or (2) email by the deadline date.
>>AmRRON Mid-Winter Exercise / Contest PDF<<
(1) Radio operators will participate by incorporating those coordinates into a “AmRRON Custom Blank Form” and deliver that message by Flmsg / Flamp or ARIM directly or by relay into my ARIM files folder. Operators and relay stations will accumulate points according to the rules that follow. The highest (2) scores will be eligible to win (1) Diymall Vk-172 G-mouse USB GPS dongle. In the event there are tied top scores, 2 winners from the top scores will be chosen by random drawing.
(2) Non Radio operators may participate by incorporating the name of the city into a standard email and emailing it to info@amrron.com. (1) A winner will be drawn from the properly formatted entries and will receive (1) Diymall Vk-172 G-mouse USB GPS dongle.
Non Radio Operator E-Mail rules
1. Decode the OTP message using the “tree series” OTP.
2. Identify the coordinates and closest major city.
3. Compose an email using the following directions:
▪ Address it to info@amrron.com.
▪ Title the subject line “Mid-Winter contest”.
▪ Enter the decoded coordinates along with the name of the major city closest to the decoded coordinates in the body of the message.
▪ Enter your AmRRON code name in the body of the message.
▪ E-mail to info@amrron.com.
Winners will be chosen from emails received at info@amrron.com that are submitted prior to the deadline date.
HF Radio Operator Rules
1. Each participant will independently decode a “one time pad” that will be posted on the AmRRON website. The OTP will be keyed to the “OTP tree series”.
2. The OTP decoded message will be an alphanumeric sequence that participants will use to locate a specific coordinate (city) on a USNG map.
3. Each participant will then use the name of the city identified from the geographic coordinates in an AmRRON Custom Blank Form V3.
4. The participant will then send the AmRRON Custom Blank Form V3 by FLmsg / FLamp or ARIM.
5. The FLmsg form must meet the following parameters:
● To be eligible for entry in the contest the AmRRON Custom Blank Form V3 It must be properly formatted with the standard AmRRON date/time group and Flmsg / Flamp naming convention.
● Address the message to: Mid-Winter FTX.
● It must have the correct city name in the (6) Subject line.
● It must arrive in my* ARIM / FLmsg / FLamp files prior to the deadline of 20190117-0000Z.
*Since some of you may not know my Amateur Radio call sign (AmRRON code name – Romeo Mike-08), you will need to disseminate the message by Flmsg / Flamp as broadly as possible for it to make it into my ARIM files folder. If you know my FCC call sign, you may send it directly by ARIM to my ARIM files folder.
Scoring for HF Radio Operators
Final determination of winners will be based on a “points system”. There are 2 ways to score points: (1) as a message origination station or (2) as a relay station. Scoring as a (1) originating station – Deliver a properly formatted message directly to my ARIM files folder or directly by Flmsg / Flamp. Deliver the message by ARIM or Flmsg / Flamp to my ARIM files folder through a relay station. Scoring as a (2) relay station – Edit the original message by opening it and adding your Amateur radio call sign to the body of the message. Relay stations may not alter the original formatting or date/time group!
Points
● 1 point for each message that arrives in my ARIM files folder (limit of 1 message per originating station).
● 1 point for the originating station and each relay station for messages that are sent by relay. Example: W1ABC sends a message by relay through W4ABC and K8ABC. W1ABC will score 3 points ( 1 for originating the message and 2 points for each relay).
● 1 point for each message that a station relays. Previous example: W4ABC and K8ABC would each score 1 point for the relay of the original message providing their call signs are in the body of the message. Relay stations can score multiple points by doing multiple relays from different originating stations.
● Originating stations may also score points as relay stations by relaying message traffic from other stations.
Examples
W1ABC originates a message through W4ABC and K8ABC that arrives in my ARIM file folder (3 points). W1ABC then relays 2 original messages from other stations that arrives in my ARIM folder (2 points). Total points for W1ABC would be (5 points). W4ABC relays 4 different messages that arrive in my ARIM file folder. Total points for W4ABC would be (4 points) plus (1 point for each originating station).
Notes
**** If you are an HF capable amateur radio operator, please participate in only the HF Radio component only! The email contest is for AmRRON operators that do not have HF Radio capability.
*****Important notes about my ARIM files folder and my station operation during the contest*****
You do not have to have ARIM to deposit messages in my ARIM files folder, My ARIM files are linked to Flmsg and Flamp so that any message that arrives via Flmsg or Flamp at my station will automatically be linked to my ARIM files. My ARIM station will be operational continuously on 40M from 1300Z to 2300Z daily during the contest (weather conditions may interrupt operations intermittently).
I will be available for Flmsg / Flamp traffic only during net times (check the AmRRON net schedule).
AmRRON Corps: I may have impromptu nets that will be announce on the Zello AmRRON main channel. Impromptu nets will be at my discretion and time line. So, stay tuned in to Zello main channel. I will answer questions about the conduct of the exercise / contest on the AmRRON main channel up till the day the exercise begins.
OTP encode
USE “AmRRON TREE SERIES”
Maple syrup is extra delicious on buckwheat pancakes!
29185 12511 29780 50002 09989
28093 88661 28559 61452 35087
99020 24407 49958 00648 99790
-Romeo Mike-08
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