Contesting

University Study

Tim, K3LR, writes: "Registration is now OPEN for Virtual Contest University 2021 on May 20, 2021 and for 2021 Hamvention Forums on May 21, 2021. Both events are being held live through Zoom webinar and are free. You must register to be included in the webinars. You need to register for each event (2) separately. Four Icom radios will be given away at each (2) virtual events (8 radios total). The radio drawing times are random, and you must be registered and on Zoom, present at the time of the drawing to win. Both events (2) will be recorded and available on YouTube at the conclusion of the events (2). For more information please go to the Contest University website at https://www.contestuniversity.com/, or view the Hamvention schedule at https://hamvention.org/forums-2021/. 73! (Tim, K3LR, Contest University Chairman) Don't forget that Saturday, May 22, is the Hamvention QSO Party. The W4DXCC DX and Convention Contest and Expo will be held in person on September 24 and 25 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. According to the convention's sponsor, SEDCO, hotel reservations must be made by phone. Friday's activities are focused around "the Ham Radio Bootcamp...to provide knowledge to new and experienced hams alike" while Saturday is "the main convention (with) numerous well-known presenters, giving you the inside scoop on what is going on in amateur radio." Oh NOW, with already worrying about certain death by a juiced-up microscopic bug, the REAL danger emerges! Tin Pest Also known as tin disease or tin blight. Tin, and other materials, can have different physical forms for the same physical state. For elements, this is called allotropism; for crystalline materials, polymorphism. Tin, in its metal form, can change into a crumbly non-metallic form, which is also non- conductive. The transformation can be accelerated by low temperatures; the presence of other elements, like germanium; or amounts of the non-metallic form already present. Some electronic parts are plated with tin, or use tin alloys. The tin in these parts can degrade and crumble, and pins and connections can lose conductivity. What's more, the non-conductive crumbles can disperse to other parts of an assembly, and then through heating become conductive again, causing short circuits. Tin pest can be avoided by careful use of other materials as an alloy to tin. - ARRL Contest Update