"Americans are amiably ill-informed about Canada, while Canadians are
irritably well-informed about the United States."
This old chestnut is played out as truth every time I get on in a
US-organised domestic contest. I always run into people whose profound
ignorance about us, their neighbours, irritates the bejeebers out of me:
- Some whinge that their software does not recognise what multiplier I am (I
can't fix your software from here)
- Some ask me what "providence" I am in (the word is "province!")
- Some try to tell me that they know better that I where I am located ("No,
no, no - VO1 is New Brunswick!")
- Some just guess wildly when they have trouble ("My software doesn't
understand NL, so I'll just put in "NS.")
And it makes it a drag for me to hand out a multiplier you want to work.
Please commit the following to memory and make sure your various
easily-edited multiplier files understand this information:
Province: Newfoundland and Labrador
Likely prefixes: VO1 and VO2 (not VØ1 or VØ2)
Postal abbreviation: NL
Possible other abbreviations: NF LB NFLD LAB
Weird possibilities: While this is one province , for some unknown reason,
the ARRL 10m contest and the CQ 160m contests count the two parts of this
province as distinct multipliers. In those two contests, you are more likely
to hear VOs send NF and LB, but they are the exceptions, not the rule.
Newfoundland and Labrador have been a single political and administrative
entity since 1800 - long before Hiram Percy Maxim was in short pants. The
only recent change has been to the official name of this province from
"Newfoundland" to "Newfoundland and Labrador." Anyone who tells you
anything else should be regarded as a fool.
Province: Nova Scotia
Likely prefixes: VE1 VA1
Postal abbreviation: NS
Possible other abbreviations:
Weird possibilities: In ARRL SS and ARRL 160m contests, RAC sections, not
provinces, count as multipliers. NS, NB and PEI together form the
"Maritime" section. In those two contests only, look for MAR to be the
abbreviation sent.
Province: Prince Edward Island
Likely prefixes: VY2 ( very few VE1s)
Postal abbreviation: PE
Possible other abbreviations: PEI
Weird possibilities: In ARRL SS and ARRL 160m contests, RAC sections, not
provinces, count as multipliers. NS, NB and PEI together form the
"Maritime" section. In those two contests only, look for MAR to be the
abbreviation sent.
Province: New Brunswick
Likely prefixes: VE9 VA9 (few VE1s)
Postal abbreviation: NB
Possible other abbreviations:
Weird possibilities: In ARRL SS and ARRL 160m contests, RAC sections, not
provinces, count as multipliers. NS, NB and PEI together form the
"Maritime" section. In those two contests only, look for MAR to be the
abbreviation sent.
Province: Quebec
Likely prefixes: VE2 VA2
Postal abbreviation: QC
Possible other abbreviations: PQ QU
Province: Ontario
Likely prefixes: VE3 VA3
Postal abbreviation: ON
Possible other abbreviations: ONT
Province: Manitoba
Likely prefixes: VE4 VA4
Postal abbreviation: MB
Possible other abbreviations: MAN
Province: Saskatchewan
Likely prefixes: VE5 VA5
Postal abbreviation: SK
Possible other abbreviations: SASK
Province: Alberta
Likely prefixes: VE6 VA6
Postal abbreviation: AB
Possible other abbreviations: ALTA AT
Province: British Columbia
Likely prefixes: VE7 VA7
Postal abbreviation: BC
Possible other abbreviations:
Territory: Nunavut
Likely prefixes: VYØ
Postal abbreviation: NU
Possible other abbreviations:
Weird possibilities: In ARRL SS and ARRL 160m contests, RAC sections, not
provinces, count as multipliers. There is no RAC field organisation in the
territories. Notwithstanding that, they collectively count as one
multiplier, abbreviated "NT" for "northern territories."
Territory: Northwest Territories
Likely prefixes: VE8 VA8
Postal abbreviation: NT
Possible other abbreviations: NWT
Weird possibilities: In ARRL SS and ARRL 160m contests, RAC sections, not
provinces, count as multipliers. There is no RAC field organisation in the
territories. Notwithstanding that, they collectively count as one
multiplier, abbreviated "NT" for "northern territories."
Territory: Yukon
Likely prefixes: VY1
Postal abbreviation: YT
Possible other abbreviations: YU YUK
Weird possibilities: In ARRL SS and ARRL 160m contests, RAC sections, not
provinces, count as multipliers. There is no RAC field organisation in the
territories. Notwithstanding that, they collectively count as one
multiplier, abbreviated "NT" for "northern territories."
If you write software or update multiplier files, please make sure you have
this info right for the various contests you support.
For that suspiciously large minority to whom this is all news, if you're
going to make an effort in a domestic contest, take a few minutes to remind
yourself of the Canadian multipliers you'll be chasing. At least you'll
know what you're trying to work, and you might prevent yourself from
sounding like a boob, even if an amiable one.
Irritably yours,
Dave VO1AU
VO1AU@rac.ca
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