[ILQSO] New ILQP sponsorship starting in 2006

[John Geiger]

I want to echo the thanks for everyone involved in making this a great
contest.  It is one of the contests that I really look forward to every
year.  I have operated as a fixed Illinois station while in graduate school
at NIU in Dekalb (1993-1995), as a mobile station from county lines (1999
and 2000), as out of state from Iowa (1997, 1998) and out of state from
Oklahoma (1996, 2001-2005).

73s John NE0P

----- Original Message -----
From: "Joe LeKostaj" <k9ly at comcast.net>
To: "Illinois QSO Party" <ilqso at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, January 02, 2006 5:29 PM
Subject: [ILQSO] New ILQP sponsorship starting in 2006


> To all Illinois QSO Party participants:
>
> The first Illinois QSO Party was held in 1963 by the Illinois chapter
> of the County Hunters Club. The Radio Amateur Megacycle Society (RAMS)
> was formed in Chicago in the mid 1960s by local hams, including some
> who were county hunters. RAMS became the sponsor of the Illinois QSO
> Party starting with the 7th annual contest in 1969. The QSO party
> became an annual club activity that members looked forward to.
>
> Around 1975, RAMS members using the club callsign K9CJU/9 operated the
> QSO party from the radio room of the retired WWII submarine USS
> Silversides while it was moored at Navy Pier in Chicago. The sub had
> been acquired by a group interested in preserving naval history. RAMS
> helped the group in their restoration work by repairing the radio
> receivers and transmitter in the sub's radio room.
>
> For 35 years RAMS has been privileged to sponsor the Illinois QSO
> Party. Over the last couple of years, the few remaining RAMS members
> felt that the contest needed a larger and more active sponsoring club
> to keep it going strong into the future. As ILQP committee chairman, I
> extended an invitation to the Western Illinois Amateur Radio Club
> (WIARC) to consider becoming the new sponsor. WIARC has many members
> who regularly participate in ILQP every year, and the club sponsors the
> "traveling plaque" for the IL Club category. I was delighted when the
> WIARC officers told me that their club accepted the invitation.
> Therefore, I am pleased to announce that WIARC is the new sponsor of
> the Illinois QSO Party starting in 2006! RAMS will publish the results
> of the 2005 ILQP in the near future, then turn the reins over to WIARC.
> I am confident they have the talent and energy to keep ILQP going for
> years to come. I wish them much success.
>
> There are many people who have helped ILQP to grow over the years, and
> they should be recognized:
> * the out-of-state and DX ops who participate in ILQP
> * the mobile and portable ops who go out of their way to activate
> "rare" counties
> * the IL fixed station ops who grow in number every year
> * Bud Frohardt, W9DY who managed the QSO party for 16+? years and still
> helps with log checking. He IS the quintessential "Elmer".
> * John Matz, KB9II for handling incoming logs and maintaining the ILQP
> webpage
> * Roger Scott, KF9D and Harold Burt, W9HB for donating their time to
> check logs (and help with the mailings in previous years)
> * Mike Pinkawa, KA9CLP for page layout of the rules sheet
> * Jim Funk, N9JF and Danny Pease, NG9R for implementing electronic log
> submission. This has greatly increased the number of entries received.
>
> It's been fun being the ILQP manager since 1985, but now it's time for
> someone new. Thanks for your interest in the Illinois QSO Party. Hope
> to work you in the 2006 ILQP.
>
> 73 & CUL,
> Joe LeKostaj, K9LY
> RAMS / outgoing ILQP committee chairman
>
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> ILQP webpage: http://my.core.com/~jematz/ilqp/ilqphome.htm
>