The California QSO Party 2012 You are the

The California QSO Party 2012 You are the rare DX !!!

Agenda The Competitive Side of Radio Why Contest The California QSO Party What’s Next

Agenda The Competitive Side of Radio Why Contest The California QSO Party What’s Next

The Competitive Side to Radio Emergency DX Contests Operations

Emergency Operations • • • Purpose: ease suffering and loss by facilitating communications Compete against time & conditions Speed and accuracy critical No advance warning Callsigns not vital information “Whatever it takes”—no rules Optimal station hardware unnecessary (HTs, portable, mobile) Post-event summary for major events Mostly VHF/UHF

DX Purpose: make contacts and collect QSLs for awards • Compete against other operators & conditions • Accuracy (callsign copying) & timing critical—but not speed • No predetermined schedule • – “Lie in wait” for months Prefers moderate to good station • No “post-event” • Mostly HF •

Contests • • • Purpose: maximize number of contacts in many different places during time limit Compete against other operators, time, and conditions Speed & accuracy critical; results are judged Callsigns very important Strictly enforced rules Scheduled far in advance; published rules Good-to-better station needed Post-event summary HF/VHF/UHF

Agenda The Competitive Side of Radio Why Contest The California QSO Party What’s Next

The Overlap – Contesting and Emergency Operations Accuracy and Speed Critical Band Conditions Operators Compete

The Better Operator Prepared Accurate Fast In control Practices to improve ◦ Measured Practice

Contests as Practice Measured event Preparation needed Rewards speed and accuracy Available every weekend Fun if you want it to be

Contest Operating Styles Running ◦ Operator must be in control ◦ Mimics Net Control for EO ◦ Generally highest contest scores Search and Pounce (S&P) ◦ You compete to be heard ◦ Mimics individual responder ◦ Generally lowest scores

Contesting is Fun • • • Great to make DXCC or WAS in a weekend Decorate your shack with awards Put a whole season’s worth of contacts into the log in a day Set your own goals—needn’t win to enjoy Beat your neighbor

Agenda The Competitive Side of Radio Why Contest The California QSO Party What’s Next

California QSO Party Best (and largest!) state QSO party 965 logs 295, 000 QSOs Lots of awards including ◦ ◦ YL Youth New Contester Participation Certificates Cool T-Shirt Most legal fun on the air !!!

Work those DX Barbados 8 P 9 SH Croatia 9 A 5 I 9 A 7 W Cuba CO 8 DM Portugal CT 1 BWW CT 1 FOH Germany F 1 IC DJ 1 ZU DK 3 KD DL 1 YGW DL 5 PW DL 9 LR DF 2 NZ DJ 3 FK DK 5 ZX DL 4 NGW DL 5 RMH DL 9 US DF 2 WF DJ 6 ZC Spain EA 3 AGB EA 3 GHZ EA 4 LH Belarus EU 1 SA France F/NH 7 A F 5 AIB F 5 IDJ F 5 OFK F 5 TYY F 6 BNH F 2 YT F 5 HGT F 5 LTT F 5 RU F 5 VEX F 6 IQX England G 0 LTX G 3 LVP G 3 UDA G 4 EZT G 4 WXO M 5 ARC G 0 SSK G 3 PJK G 3 VOF G 4 IIY G 4 XFX G 0 TSM G 3 PJT G 3 WPH G 4 IUF M 0 AGA G 0 VKL G 3 PVX G 4 ACS G 4 LYM Northern Ireland GI 3 OQR GI 3 VAW Scotland MM 0 AMW Wales GW 0 PNI Hungary HA 7 UG HA 8 TP HA 8 VK HG 8 W Switzerland HB 9 BIO HB 9 CVN HB 9 CYV HB 9 DCM Italy I 0 YKN I 2 TAO IK 2 MLY Sicily IT 9 AJP Japan JA 3 JOT JH 1 AZO JH 7 RTQ JL 1 KXL JR 9 NVB Hawaii KH 6 EV NH 7 C American Samoa AH 8 I Alaska AL 1 G KL 7 DY KL 7 FAP KL 7 GLL/4 WL 7 M US Virgin Is. NP 2 DJ Puerto Rico KP 3 A KP 4 TW NP 4 A WP 4 DFK Norway LA 5 JX LA 5 UF Luxembourg LX 1 NO Bulgaria LZ 2 RS Peru OA 4 DKC Austria OE 6 GRG Finland OG 3 JF OG 6 NIO OH 1 XX OH 3 MMH OG 3 JFT Czech Republic OK 1 ACF OK 1 DVM OK 1 JKR OK 1 NR OK 1 AVG OK 1 DCF OK 1 EW OK 1 KT OK 2 FD OK 1 CF OK 1 DTM OK 1 FHI OK 1 MGW Slovakia OM 3 XX Belgium ON 4 CAS ON 4 NA ON 4 UN ON 7 AC ON 7 NQ Netherlands PA 3 ARM PA 3 FGJ PA 3 GUY PA 7 BT Brazil PY 2 DCQ PY 2 NY Slovenia S 50 K S 54 G S 57 BFO S 59 Z S 53 EO S 57 AT S 58 AL Sweden 8 S 5 W SM 2 CEW SM 3 TLG SM 5 CZQ SM 7 NGH SK 5 EW SM 3 EVR Poland SP 6 KEP SP 6 NIC SP 9 CVY SQ 8 VS Greece SV 1 CIB European Russia RA 3 AJ RA 3 QK RA 6 AR UA 4 CJJ Ukraine US 6 UN UZ 7 U Namibia V 51 L Australia VK 2 CZ Hong Kong VR 2 BG Romania YO 3 APJ O 3 ZA YO 6 EX Yugoslavia YU 7 SF Macedonia Z 32 XX Europe was big in 2010

Multiple Ways to Play • Single op • Multi-Single • Multi-Multi • Mobile • Expedition • School • QRP • Club competition

Mobile

Expedition – Field Day Style N 7 CW - IMP

The Rules - Simplified Starts at 1600 z on 6 Oct (Sat morning) Ends at 2200 z on 7 Oct (Sun afternoon) 3 points for each CW QSO 2 points for each phone QSO Score = total points x multipliers (58 max) Multipliers = States/Canadian Provinces Work anyone, once per band-mode Exchange: N 6 RNO 123 SAN FRANCISCO

How to QSO CQ CQ AD 6 E W 7 RN 123 SFRA AD 6 E R 456 NV TU AD 6 E (QRZ) K 3 MD 124 SFRA R 96 PA TU AD 6 E QRZ Know the MULT names: 4 characters for CA counties 2 characters for states, VE Know your phonetics for phone Use Logging software - keeps track of DUPEs - keeps track of MULTS - keeps track of score - output Cabrillo log format

What Band / When ? 9 am 4 pm 8 pm 7 am 40 m 1 am 20 m 80 m 15 m

What Software Any contest logger CQPWIN N 3 FJP ($6) Excel Paper N 1 MM (Complex for beginner)

After Contest – Send your log http: //www. cqp. org

The California QSO Party 2012 Starts: October 6, 2012 1600 UTC Ends: October 7, 2012 2200 UTC Logs due October 31, 2012 http: //www. cqp. org

Agenda The Competitive Side of Radio Why Contest The California QSO Party What’s Next

Northern California Contest Club Premiere contesting club World class operators Sponsors The California QSO Party Monthly meetings (2 nd Monday) Website: http: //www. nccc. cc

The California QSO Party 2012 Starts: October 6, 2012 1600 UTC Ends: October 7, 2012 2200 UTC Logs due October 31, 2012 Hope to see you in the CQP!!!