NAQCC Alphabet Challenges

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Some of our members have said the alphabet challenges are too complicated. I disagree and offer this page to show how I keep track of the challenges very simply. This example is from the November 2007 challenge.

First of all I set up a piece of paper as follows. The row of letters across the top are all the different letters contained in the words for the challenge.


 A E F G I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

 S                       T                    V              
 Q                       U                    E
 U                       R                    N
 A                       K                    I
 N                       E                    S
 T                       Y                    O
 O                                            N
                         M
 M                       A
 A                       Y
 I                       F
 Z                       L
 E                       O
                         W
 P                       E
 U                       R
 M
 P                       P
 K                       I
 I                       L
 N                       G
 P                       R
 I                       I
 E                       M
                         S

When I work a station, I put his call in the lower right part of the paper somewhere as shown here after working W8BJO:


 A E F G I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

 S                       T                    V
 Q                       U                    E
 U                       R                    N
 A                       K                    I
 N                       E                    S
 T                       Y                    O
 O                                            N
                         M
 M                       A                    W8BJO          
 A                       Y
 I                       F
 Z                       L
 E                       O
                         W
 P                       E
 U                       R
 M
 P                       P
 K                       I
 I                       L
 N                       G
 P                       R
 I                       I
 E                       M
                         S

I look at the letters at the top, and see there is no B there, nor is there a J, so I cross out those letters in W8BJO . Then I put his call next to the letter W in MAYFLOWER, the letter O in SQUANTO and the O in MAYFLOWER (A letter from a call can be used twice). Since there is no other W, I cross out the W in the list of letters at the top of the page. Now my sheet looks like this:


 A E F G I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

 S                       T                    V
 Q                       U                    E
 U                       R                    N
 A                       K                    I
 N                       E                    S
 T                       Y                    O
 O W8BJO                                      N
                         M
 M                       A                    W8BJO          
 A                       Y
 I                       F
 Z                       L
 E                       O W8BJO
                         W W8BJO
 P                       E
 U                       R
 M
 P                       P
 K                       I
 I                       L
 N                       G
 P                       R
 I                       I
 E                       M
                         S

My second QSO is with WB4FDT. There is no B or D in the challenge and the W is no longer useful so they get crossed out in his call. I put WB4FDT next to the appropriate letters (one F and two T's) in the words. Since the F is now finished, I cross out that letter at the top. I see both T's are finished also and cross out the T at the top and we have:


 A E F G I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

 S                       T WB4FDT             V
 Q                       U                    E
 U                       R                    N
 A                       K                    I
 N                       E                    S
 T WB4FDT                Y                    O
 O W8BJO                                      N
                         M
 M                       A                    W8BJO          
 A                       Y                    WB4FDT
 I                       F WB4FDT
 Z                       L
 E                       O W8BJO
                         W W8BJO
 P                       E
 U                       R
 M
 P                       P
 K                       I
 I                       L
 N                       G
 P                       R
 I                       I
 E                       M
                         S

One more example, then you are on your own. Next worked is K9AAM. Since the challenge rules state if a call contains duplicate letters, only one can be used - I cross out the second A. Then I fill in K9AAM next to the appropriate letters (2 K's, 2 A's, 2 M's). I made the most of that call! That finishes K, so out it goes at the top.


 A E F G I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

 S                       T WB4FDT             V
 Q                       U                    E
 U                       R                    N
 A K9AAM                 K K9AAM              I
 N                       E                    S
 T WB4FDT                Y                    O
 O W8BJO                                      N
                         M
 M K9AAM                 A                    W8BJO          
 A K9AAM                 Y                    WB4FDT
 I                       F WB4FDT             K9AAM
 Z                       L
 E                       O W8BJO
                         W W8BJO
 P                       E
 U                       R
 M K9AAM
 P                       P
 K K9AAM                 I
 I                       L
 N                       G
 P                       R
 I                       I
 E                       M
                         S

I hope this little tutorial has helped those of you who felt overly challenged by our NAQCC alphabet challenges. We have toyed with the alphabet challenge rules in the past, but they are now fixed so this example (with the words changed of course) will apply to all future alphabet challenges.