[3830] BC QSO VA7ODX Multi-OpMixed HP

[webform at b4h.net]

                    British Columbia QSO Party

Call: VA7ODX
Operator(s): VA7BEC VA7KO VA7AM
Station: VA7ODX

Class: Multi-OpMixed HP
QTH: 
Operating Time (hrs): 12

Summary:
 Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs  Dig Qs  CW Mults  Ph Mults  Dig Mults
-----------------------------------------------------------
  160:                                                 
   80:    9     14                8        11          
   40:   13     53       5       11        28         5
   20:   53    277      50       27        59        31
   15:   74    153      41       31        49        16
   10:   51    142      21       34        46        14
-----------------------------------------------------------
Total:  200    639     117      111       193        66  Total Score = 942,020

Club: Orca DX and Contest Club

Comments:

A word from the sponsor…

This year, there were a lot of potential distractions that might have prevented
the usual BCQP participants from getting on the air. It was a long weekend in
British Columbia -- Family Day on Feb 9 -- so a day at the radio might have
been replaced by other commitments. K1N was also a major draw for operator time
near and far, and trying to catch this most-wanted entity certainly trumps a
little QSO party. At the same time, the long weekend may have been an
opportunity for first-timers to get on the air, and K1N may have put people in
the chair at the radio when they might have otherwise been out and about. 

Band conditions were rotten. Many Qs at the VA7ODX station were a real
struggle, and I heard the same from other participants. People who only dabble
a bit in QSO parties might have been discouraged by the noise and figured there
was no hope for any Qs so they gave up before they started. I've learned,
however, that you don't know who else is listening, wondering if anyone is
actually out there, until you call -- maybe even for several minutes. I often
thought it was a lost cause to call CQ amid the noise but I felt obliged to try
as the sponsor station on PH, and lo and behold, I got quite a response. Some
signals were deep in the mud. Some not so bad at all. 

Moral of the story? It's always worth a try. Call CQ.  

On that note, I think BCQP has gained a high enough profile that stations
outside the province might be able to call CQ and attract BC stations tuning
through the bands looking for anyone anywhere. I've attempted that myself in
other QSO parties, with varying degrees of success. 

In the VA7ODX log, I see a lot more stateside representation -- notably, states
I rarely get to put in the BCQP log (like CT, HI, MD, ME, MT and WY) and more
contacts from the usual states, like CA, TN and TX. From Alaska to California,
from Maine to Florida, and lots of states between the west and east coasts…
great to hear you all. 
I also had more Qs with the rest of Canada. I have to say, sometimes, a Q with
a VE1, VE9 or VY2 is as smile-inducing as a DX Q.
I wish, though, that there were more VE7/VA7s in the VA7ODX log. That is not to
say there weren't lots of BC stations on the air. I think there were, but they
didn't hear me or I didn't hear them, or maybe we were playing the radio
equivalent of telephone tag as we switched between bands.

Speaking from the VA7ODX perspective, there was steady activity. The pace was
not that of the big contests, and CW and RTTY operators found the going slower
than I did on PH. But the rate was pretty good. As a sponsor station operator,
I spent nearly all my time CQing. Since I can't go hunting for multipliers per
se, it is a real treat when the multipliers, unbeknowst, of course, find me. :)
I love to see the multiplier count rise just like operators vying for a prize.

It was wonderful to hear so many familiar callsigns. I was delighted to give
out the sponsor station bonus points and multiplier to stations throughout
Canada and the United States as well as EU, JA, XE, YV, PY and even South
Africa, and I applaud these operators for their patience and persistence to be
heard and to complete the Qs despite the challenging conditions. The VA7ODX CW
operator, also focusing on CQing, logged quite a few DX stations, including JA,
VK, XE, DL and F, so interest was there for sure. The RTTY operator found the
going slow, and there were no VE7/VA7s in that part of the VA7ODX log. :(

On the CW topic, in BCQP 2015, we tried out alternate suggested frequencies for
CW after 0000z to help participants make more Q above the NA Sprint mayhem. It
will be interesting to see if this generated an increase in CW QSOs.   

Last but certainly not least, I would like to tip my contest coordinator's hat
to everyone who got on the air and/or helped others get on the air for BCQP
2015, wherever the QTH may be. I coordinate efforts to promote the event and
handle administrative details behind-the-scenes, but it is all of you who call
"CQ BCQP" and/or answer CQs who continue to make time in front of the
radio very well spent.

Thank you. 

See you again in BCQP 2016. 

MNI TNX de VA7ODX team (Rebecca VA7BEC, Koji VA7KO and Dave VA7AM)


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