Annual CW Pileup Competition

Kansas City DX Club Hospitality Suite

Competition History and Details:

The Kansas City DX Club has hosted its hospitality suite on Hamvention weekend every year since 1980. That same year, the club introduced its popular CW Pileup Competition, which was an instant hit, and quickly became a “must-do” for contesters and DXers from all over the world.

The Competition has been held each and every year since 1980, and has become a Hamvention weekend tradition.

The format is straightforward – Participants are seated at a table in an adjoining room,and are given a set of headphones and a laptop. They are charged with copying as many calls as possible from a pileup of about 100 calls. The pileup file (created anew each year by Russ, KØVXU) simulates a possible “on the air” experience, with some calls sent once, some twice, at varying speeds and pitches. Some calls are “in the clear”, but many are on top each other. After about five minutes, the test is over, and the current participants are ushered out one door while six more enter from another.

The entries are scored automatically, and the scores are quickly transcribed to a results chart on the wall in the main hospitality suite.

Beginning with the 2011 competition, those visiting the hospitality suite are able to view a live “Morse Race” on the suite’s big-screen TV! The display shows a live graph of the current participants as they actually copy calls, and the rankings are updated almost instantaneously as well. This exciting new aspect of the contest was created by Chuck, NO5W, whose software engine drives our entire system.

The last test is offered about midnight, and then great prizes, provided by generous donors from the amateur radio equipment industry, are presented to the winners.

If you make it to the Dayton Hamvention, don’t miss this event…Saturday nights beginning at 8:00 p.m. You’ll have a great time, and may take home a great prize!

Practice a bit for the next competition??
Check out NO5W’s great practice site right here:
http://www.no5w.com/PileUpNetPractice.html