I got a beautiful certificate from the 2010 BC QSO Party this week. Lot
more activity heard last year than in prior years. Not sure it is a good
weekend this year with the MN QSO Party and the FOC Marathon and
probably others. 73, John, K4BAI.
The qsopartygroup seems to have a lot of U.S. members, so I would like to offer
a heads-up to anyone who might be involved in one of the QPs running the
weekend of February 5-6 that the British Columbia QSO Party is also running
that weekend.
BCQP 2011, sponsored by the Delta Amateur Radio Society (DARS), will take place
February 5-6, 2011 from 1600z Saturday to 0800z Sunday. The object of this QP
is for VE7/VA7 stations to work anyone in 36 federal electoral districts of
B.C., as well as Canadian provinces, U.S. states and DX countries. In this QP,
Hawaii and Alaska are considered U.S. states, not DX. Non-B.C. stations are to
work ONLY VE7/VA7 stations.
Very nice photograph-based certificates showcasing typical BC scenery are
presented to top scores in all categories -- see rules and other BCQP-related
information atwww.deltaamateurradio.com -- so the reward for a solid score
could be a pretty picture to hang on the shack wall.
The BCQP is still rather small, often falling under the radar despite efforts
to promote it through emails to clubs in Canada and the United States and
inclusion in contest calendars, both printed (read: ham radio magazines) and
online. It IS listed in recent issues of The Canadian Amateur and QST as well
as SM3CER and WA7BNM sites.
Nevertheless, to date, many ops in other QPs either aren?ft aware of the BCQP
or simply assume that anyone on the air is in the same QP they are. This causes
a bit of exchange overload. As an aside, my name is NOT ?gDre?h, as a huge
number of ops assumed when I gave the exchange ?g59 Delta Romeo Echo?h, which
is for the federal electoral district Delta-Richmond East . And yes, those ops
were responding to my CQ wherein I specifically said ?gBritish Columbia QSO
Party, sponsor station VE7SUN.?h I guess they weren?ft aware that listening
before responding to a CQ is a useful strategy in contesting.
I could write pages and pages about the frustration of running the sponsor call
in the BCQP or simply participating with my own call yet being treated as if
I?fm in the other op?fs contest, or the obstacles the contest committee has
encountered, from promotion to logchecking. But I?fll save that for another day.
What I?fd really like to emphasize today is the BCQP itself. It would be great
if stations play in our QP game and send in logs. Or at least, be aware that
the BCQP is on and offer to trade Qs, one with an appropriate exchange for the
op calling CQ and one for the op responding to that original CQ but AFTER the
first Q exchange is complete. A little give and take, yes?
Reminder emails have generated significantly more pre-QP interest than in the
past, and I am confident that the BCQP will garner greater participation from
stations in B.C. as well as from stations in other Canadian provinces as well
as in U.S. states. Obviously, the more the merrier.
I think all stations on the air that weekend, regardless of which QP they may
be in, can benefit from the wider Q potential that the various events will
generate. It?fs just a matter of awareness, so that the appropriate exchange
can be given/received and proper on-air etiquette can be maintained.
73 and happy contesting,
Rebecca VA7BEC
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