W2LJ QRP - When you care to send the very least!

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For those of you out there

Posted: 31 Jan 2020 05:51 AM PST
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who have a real yen for Amateur Radio contesting and Radiosport competition
in general ........... I ran across this announcement on the ARRL Webpage
the other day.


The State QSO Party Challenge is a competition comprised of other contests,
namely state and provincial QSO parties. As explained on the website, the
annual cumulative score program is open to any radio amateur who
participates in any approved state QSO parties (SQPs).

Participants just need to submit their QSO party scores to 3830scores.com
to enter the challenge. Participants’ cumulative scores will be calculated
by totaling up the number of reported contacts and multiplying by the
number of SQPs entered in the year to date. Periodic standings will be
posted to 3830scores.com, the QSOParty Groups.io forum, and the
StateQSOParty.com website.

“Using the number of QSO parties entered as a multiplier is expected to
encourage radio amateurs to enter more state/province QSO parties,� the
program’s organizers said. “The first SQPs in 2020 are the Vermont,
Minnesota, and British Columbia QSO Parties in the first weekend of
February.�

Entrants must make at least two contacts in a QSO party for it to count as
a multiplier. Full details are available on the State QSO Party Challenge
website. Challenge sponsors expressed appreciation to Bruce Horn, WA7BNM,
for developing the SQP Activity Tracker on 3830scores.com.

This is interesting in a few ways. Even if you decide to not formally
participate in this, it can be taken on as a real personal challenge. "How
many State QSO Parties can I participate in?". For me, it would be a big
deal to participate in all fifty, plus Canada This kind of reminds me of
the QRP-ARCI Golden Jubilee event a few years back, where the goal was to
work K6JSS stations in all 50 states.

Secondly, would I be able to make "at least two contacts" in all of these?
With band conditions the way they are - the state QSO parties in Alaska and
Hawaii and some of the Canadian Provinces might prove to be a real
challenge. But then, going back to the QRP-ARCI Golden Jubilee event,
Alaska and Hawaii were NOT the two states I missed!

Thirdly, this would be a great way for those who are on their way to
earning Worked All Sates to actually accomplish that.

Fourthly, for those of you out there who complain about the bands
being "flooded with contests" every weekend (you know who you are), this
would actually make that a good thing. Instead of disdaining these QSO
Parties, it would be an incentive to jump in and make them into an
enjoyable and an interesting experience for you. After all, you don't have
to stay in them for the entire event if you don't want to - but can you
make just two QSOs in each?

I just might be tempted to take on the personal challenge myself!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!