[ILQSO] Bonus station thoughts and other comments

[James Funk]

Paul, I was really glad to hear you had gotten back on the air.   You were
a good friend when you lived in Quincy and associated with WIARC. I'm sure
everyone who worked you in Cass was happy  for the multiplier!

I'm a bit surprised that HRD (or any auto feature) could decode W9AWE, as I
was sending with one side of a set of paddles "back-handed".  No, that was
NOT the original plan!  I'm wondering how many people heard me and just
kept on cruising....

We apply the bonus points manually after the scoring, so it doesn't matter
what the logging programs did or did not do.

73, Jim N9JF

On Sat, Nov 8, 2025 at 8:56 AM <pzlists01 at zerkelhome.com> wrote:

> I thought it was "kind of interesting", but probably would have had just
> as much fun with or without them.
>
> I was able to work W9OAB. I heard W9AWE (okay, well HRD decoded him). I
> tried pounding out my call a couple times, but in hindsight I do not
> think I had my radio set right for CW. And TBH, with my slow speed and
> poor fist, I was almost ashamed to try too long.
>
> Being in Cass county, I was reasonably close to Adams county. That may
> or not have been an advantage for contacting the bonus stations. W9OAB
> did tell me "I was a new one" (as did most of my QSOs.)
>
> I only had a 40m low dipole, which took me way too long to put up. So I
> did not get on the air until about 4:30.
>
> This was my 1st IL QSO Party after a 17 year hiatus from ham radio. I
> want to thank WIARC and their members for all the work they put into it.
>
> The ILQP was and still is one of the very few "contests" I enjoy. Though
> I have become kind of intrigued with some of the VHF contests recently.
> The big HF contests are pretty much the reason I have a 17m dipole up at
> home.
>
> I had a modest score with 24 QSOs and just over 500 points according to
> N3FJP, which I do not believe accounted for  the bonus station(s) in its
> calculation. My motto (borrowed from "Whose Line is it Anyway") is "The
> points don't matter". I had fun and looking forward to next year
> already, when I am hoping to add some 6m and 2m.
>
> Paul, N9PCS
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