British Columbia QSO Party - 2019
Call: VA7ODX
Operator(s): VA7BEC VA7KO
Station: VA7ODX
Class: Multi-OpMixed HP
QTH:
Operating Time (hrs): 20
Summary:
Band CW Qs Ph Qs Dig Qs CW Mults Ph Mults Dig Mults
-----------------------------------------------------------
160: 2 3
80: 4 8 5 9
40: 45 48 34 31
20: 179 477 36 60 60 24
15: 18 28 16 22
10:
-----------------------------------------------------------
Total: 248 561 36 118 122 24 Total Score = 596,112
Club: Orca DX and Contest Club
Comments:
Band conditions were rotten. Terrible. Awful. QSB. High noise floor. (sigh)
I had checked propagation data before showtime at 1600z: -1 sunspots, aurora
level of 6.7, geomag unsettled, and all the bands except 20M given a
disheartening "closed". 20M was better, at "poor". Oh
dear… this does not bode well.
But a band is never dead or closed or a waste of time or whatever you want to
call it if someone somewhere is calling CQ and someone somewhere hears that CQ.
Indeed, band conditions, while most definitely challenging, did not seem to stop
operators near and far from getting into the hunt for BC stations. In fact, it
would appear that activity was extremely high.
As Saturday progressed, I sensed that the CW pool was much deeper than in
previous years. This continued on Sunday, too. There also seemed to be more
activity on RTTY, amid the XE RTTY contest, with lots of trading going on. And
on PH, solid pileups.
At times, five, six and sometimes more BC stations were spotted, clumped fairly
close together but not enough to cause interference, and this presented stations
near and far with an opportunity to pick up several VE7/VA7s in a relatively
short period of time as opposed to tuning up and down the bands and through the
modes for too many minutes between QSOs.
Granted, it was hard to discern callsigns in the noise. Many stations that are
always booming were hardly more than whispers in the wind. The surprise DX that
we have come to cautiously expect in BCQP was almost nonexistent even though the
CW op and I could "feel" stations out there calling us. SRI.
And then, as if a magic wand dispersed the noise, stations came in 59+, loud and
clear from the east coast. The grayline effect was noticeable, as the sponsor
station log filled with states and provinces in a westward movement.
20M was by far the best band for pileups, but 15M and 40M presented potential at
various times. Apparently, there was an opening on 10M. We missed it. :(
Trading QSOs with in-state MNQP operators was so smooth this year. I think more
operators in MNQP were aware of BCQP and the benefits of trading QSOs. The large
number of "MN" in the sponsor station log reflects this expanded
activity.
Another noteworthy trend is wider use of phonetics, not just for callsigns but
also for states. Even at the pace of a casual QSO party pileup, it is so easy to
mistype the abbreviation of states. I know Missouri is MO but my fingers always
hit MI and I have to delete. LOL So when someone says, for example,
"Missouri, Mike Oscar", that's a time-saver.
I think there were more federal electoral districts activated this year. Another
move in the right direction.
Overall, activity was high and steady. The solid on-air presence of more BC
stations — both multi- and single-op stations — definitely piqued interest
in and sustained awareness of BCQP. This brought more and more people to the
party in search of VE7/VA7s. The snowball effect. Wonderful!
Sunday operating hours appear to have been well-received again this year. I know
it was Super Bowl Sunday but for non-football fans, the Sunday option allows
operators who have limited time on Saturday to have a few more hours of fun in
BCQP.
The sponsor station is not eligible for any awards, but it's still nice to watch
the Q count rise, to see a just-entered callsign light up in red or green
(indicating a new mult) , and to challenge the brain cells amid a steady pileup
in less-than-ideal conditions. BCQP 2019 was a lot of fun.
From the VA7ODX team (me, VA7BEC, and the CW/RTTY op VA7KO), I extend our most
heartfelt thanks to all who participated in BCQP 2019 and/or helped others to
participate and to all who encouraged operators near and far to get on the air
either to call CQ or join in the hunt for VE7/VA7s.
See you again next year – Feb 1-2, 2020.
33, 73 and 88, as appropriate,
Rebecca VA7BEC
Koji VA7KO
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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