WINDHAM, NH Issued June 13, 2014… WRTC 2014, Inc., host of the 2014 World Radiosport Team Championship competition, is pleased to announce the callsigns that will be used by the 59 teams competing in the event.
The WRTC competitors will use 1×1 callsigns from the USA first call area. Sixteen of the available 75 callsigns will not be used, including the longest and shortest CW suffixes (“J”, “Q”, “Y”, “E”) and suffixes that are frequently miscopied on CW (“H”). Note that the “X” suffixes are not available in this callsign series.
“We wanted to have calls for the teams that were distinctive and fun,” said Doug Grant, Chairman of WRTC2014. “This will make it easy for those chasing the WRTC2014 teams to identify them. It also provides a connection back to WRTC-1996 in San Francisco, which was the first time that 1×1 calls were used in the United States.”
Following the tradition of previous WRTC events, teams will not know the callsign they will use until the referee hands them a sealed envelope just 15 minutes before the contest begins. This puts all teams at an equal starting point and helps maintain the anonymity of the teams.
Participation awards are available for anyone who works a WRTC2014 team during the competition. These include QSL cards, awards for working all 59 teams, and awards for working teams on the most band-modes. Contacts with the WRTC2014 teams will count 5 points in the ARRL Centennial QSO Party. Full information on the available awards can be found at http://www.wrtc2014.org/competition/participation-awards/
A checklist that can be used to keep track of the WRTC2014 stations will appear in the July/August issue of the National Contest Journal and on the WRTC2014 web site.
Fifty-nine (59) teams of top amateur radio contest operators from 38 countries will travel to the New England area July 8-14, 2014 to compete in WRTC2014. Participation is based on qualifying scores posted in major contests between 2010 and 2014. A group of referees and judges, themselves well-known contest operators, will oversee the competition and confirm the results.
About WRTC2014
The World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC) is held every four years and consists of 50+ two-person teams of amateur radio operators from around the world competing in a test of operating skill. Unlike most on-the-air competitions, all stations are required to use identical antennas from the same geographic region, eliminating all variables except operating ability. Previous WRTCs have been held in Seattle (1990), San Francisco (1996), Slovenia (2000), Finland (2002), Brazil (2006), and Russia (2010). More information is available at www.wrtc2014.org or contact WRTC Chairman Doug Grant, K1DG, via e-mail at k1dg@wrtc2014.org.