British Columbia QSO Party - 2022
Call: VA7ODX
Operator(s): VA7BEC VA7KO
Station: VA7ODX
Class: Multi-OpMixed HP
QTH:
Operating Time (hrs):
Summary:
Band CW Qs Ph Qs CW Mults Ph Mults
----------------------------------------
160: 5 6
80: 21 6 18 6
40: 39 28 25 17
20: 239 452 68 58
15: 203 140 60 41
10: 94 171 36 36
----------------------------------------
Total: 601 797 213 158 Total Score = 1,483,258
Club: Orca DX and Contest Club
Comments:
I think I could do a cut-and-paste of my post from last year. The only real
differences would probably be that 10m was open for us in BC, at least in the
Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island areas, and there were more VE7/VA7 teams on
the air and some new callsigns in the mix.
We had sunspots! Yeah! Ranging in the high 80s to low 90s, compared with
negligible last year. On Saturday morning, the A-index was 22; on Sunday, 12.
The K-index hovered at 3. Looking at band-by-band propagation data, potential
participants might have thought, "Why bother?", since the best outlook
was "fair" and most were "poor" and "closed". The
level of auroral activity was 5.8 on Saturday morning and 6.7 on Sunday morning.
Given that BC operators typically go over the pole to Europe, auroral
precipitation made that very challenging.
Nevertheless, there was a lot of activity, with three QSO parties in full-swing
as well as 10-10 Winter PH and other contests. It is possible to maximize this
activity while staying true to the spirit of the party/contest of priority.
I have a behind-the-scenes perspective, but from sponsor station VA7ODX activity
and comments that accompany log submission, I sense that BCQP 2022 prompted a
more intense hunt for BC stations. Greater competition for the Top US plaque
maybe? I think some previous records might have been broken. Well done! But the
fun factor that spurs participants to persevere through QRM and QSB is entirely
dependent upon QTH and mode of preference. I say this based on the number of
logs already received and a quick scan through these logs as I check details for
confirmation-of-receipt.
In BC, particularly in the Metro Vancouver area where most of the federal
electoral districts - mults in BCQP - are clustered, we often struggle in a
black hole. Lately, the effect has been very noticeable on 10m. For several
years, very few of us have enjoyed 10m activity even though stations to the east
and south have raved about great conditions. Lo and behold, this past weekend
saw a workable and extended opening on 10m. CW ops are not affected by 10-10
Winter - they only have to deal with the impact of NA Sprint and FOC, mostly -
so CW frequencies were available regardless, but because 10-10 Winter is very
well attended, the organizers created a quiet zone for operators not necessarily
in that event so that non-10-10ers can use the band as well. BCQP PH ops thus
had the opportunity for pileups in the quiet zone (28.490 - 28.510). I went
there, threw out "CQ BCQP," and WOW - what a pileup!
Despite noise on all bands and terrible QSB - and that’s why phonetics on PH
are so absolutely important - an incredible number of operators near and far
persevered and put lots of Qs in their logs. It was not easy, I know. Many
operators on Vancouver Island called and called and called, but were not heard
to the extent they were hoping for. Or perhaps, they didn’t hear the stations
trying to catch their attention.
Skip is definitely a factor as well. From the Lower Mainland - essentially, the
Metro Vancouver area - signals tend to bounce right over most of Vancouver
Island. That's northward. Same holds true southward, to WA and OR. This makes
20m Qs quite rare over this geographical area. Higher Q potential on 40m and
80m. I tend to go to the low bands in the late-afternoon and evening during BCQP
but someone suggested first thing in the morning (1600z - 16:30z), based on
activity in a local net. The VA7ODX CW op tried, actually, unbeknownst to me.
But no joy. Perhaps other BCQP participants will consider that strategy for next
year? Probably a lot depends on QTH. Worth a try, I guess.
I sense that CW was mode du jour. Again. Many BC stations were two-mode, so the
pool of CW operators might have seemed shallow at times if a lot of two-moders
switched to PH at the same time. Similarly, the PH pool might have gone shallow
when CQing shifted back to CW.
Participation by BC stations was solid though not everyone would agree. As I
described last year, in addition to the single-op mixed station multi-tasking
situation, there are many reasons for an apparent lack of BC stations. And I say
"apparent" because it's all subjective, isn't it? Factors that might
impact perceived depth of BC participation vary depending on the individual and
range from specific issues, like QTH and local noise, to broader issues, like
CONDX and timing. Add in operator ears and QSB, and you'll hear or not hear the
VE7/VA7s on the air.
At VA7ODX, we experienced the good and the bad. And we persevered. Yet, I know
there were more stations calling us than we actually put in the log. We're sorry
we couldn't translate all the whispers in the wind - more like a sandstorm! -
into Qs in the log. But we enjoyed our pileups, hearing so many familiar
callsigns and extending the annual February "Hi! How are things?" to
so many repeat participants.
And it's always great to see so much support from across Canada. We BC operators
will have to return the favor, especially now that there are two new QSO parties
(Canadian Prairies and Quebec) joining BCQP and Ontario.
Thanks to everyone who participated in BCQP 2022 - to the many BC operators who
stayed in the chair and called CQ on Saturday and Sunday and to the many
operators inside and outside BC who diligently searched for lucrative BC
districts. I hope everyone who amassed QSOs has gotten off to a great start in
the State QSO Party Challenge.
See you again in February 2023 – Feb 4-5.
Stay well. Stay safe. Enjoy radio.
73
Rebecca VA7BEC (PH op @VA7ODX)
Koji VA7KO (CW op @VA7ODX)
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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