[ILQSO] ILQP thoughts, observations

Mon Oct 20 12:03:26 EDT 2025

Chuck, you raise some good points that are common, in some form or other,
to most ILQPs.  I'll be happy to spend some time addressing them as an
excuse to take a break from acknowledging receipt of logs.  I am the
"robot".  If  you sent a log already and haven't gotten a response, it will
likely happen today.

ILQP requires a lot of strategy, planning and luck to make everything
happen in the manner that makes the most people happy.  Ideally, one would
see the following:
1)Good weather, but not too good.   No big issues that create hazards for
mobiles and portables but not so good that people think, "It's too nice a
day to spend indoors by the radio..."
2)Good propagation on all bands, 80-10 meters.
3)No distractions like football or World Series.  Good luck with that!
4) Fixed stations in every one of the 102 counties with time, good
equipment, reasonable skills and multiple modes.
5) Failing #4, portable stations in the "missing counties" with good
equipment, reasonable skills, multiple operators and modes and no disasters.
6) Augmenting (4) and (5), mobile stations to cover long routes with
multiple bands and modes and skilled operators.

OK, so that's "the ideal".....

Here's what we have:
102 counties, some with virtually NO active fixed stations
Decreased number of portable operations this year, for whatever reason.
Somewhat decreased number of mobile operations this year.
Propagation that favored the high bands.
Mobiles are mostly CW.

Speaking from the viewpoint of a former mobile operator, you go where the
points are.  If your station is working better on 15 and 20 than on the low
bands, and you have a continuous pileup, that's probably where you stay.
>From experience, I can say that in the middle of an ILQP, sometimes you
find out that your antennas for 40 and/or 80 suddenly don't work like they
are supposed to.  You go with what works.  In an 8-hour contest, there
isn't a lot of time for trouble-shooting.

I think there was less "cheerleading" this year than usual.  I know I did a
lot less due to a host of other responsibilities and family health issues
prior to the contest.  W9DP did a great job of keeping the activity map
updated and prompting people to post their plans.  Most years, I send out
emails to all of the previous year's participants.  That simply did not
happen this year.

i'm still recovering from the weekend, but I think there were several
"positives" yesterday:

1) We did have some great mobile operations, most of whom came from out of
state.  I can't say enough THANKS!! to those guys!
2) We had some enthusiastic portable operators, including some
multi-multi's.  I'm betting they had a good time!
3) Propagation on 20 meters was as good as I've ever seen it for an ILQP.
I didn't even go to 15 meters and probably should have.  Conditions on 40
and 80 were OK, but things on 20 didn't quit at sundown.
4) I think there was a decent amount of activity on phone as well as CW,
but as a portable with compromised antennas, I didn't get in on much of it.
5) Spotting networks made an obvious contribution.
6) Portables in parks got a good boost in participation from the WWFF/POTA
chasers.

So......what do we do?

There were a lot of "new" calls heard yesterday.  Grab their enthusiasm and
get them back next year, more hours, more contacts, maybe a portable
operation?  Encourage the WWFF/POTA crowd to do more park operations during
ILQP.  Encourage new Techs to upgrade and get their privileges on the air
for ILQP.  Invite a newbie to join you at home or in the field.   Go
mobile. Unfortunately, after many years of mobile operation, I have pretty
much given up operating "on the fly", and my regular driver isn't
comfortable with that craziness any longer.  Age matters.  Enjoy it while
you can.  Yes, we miss K9NR,  K9ZO, W9DY, N9DT, and many others who were
stalwarts 10-20 years ago.

I'll enjoy reading follow-up posts to Chuck's, and maybe we can give ILQP a
shot in the arm for 2026?

Back to logs....  73, Jim N9JF

On Mon, Oct 20, 2025 at 10:22 AM Chuck Schneebeli <chuckschneebeli at gmail.com>
wrote:

> The main thought...HOW do we get more county activity?
>
> The "big" mobiles this year were AD4EB and NU0Q. I had 5 Q's with AD4EB,
> and only 1 with NU0Q. The counties they activated and I didn't work them
> in, were the counties I missed because NU0Q spent a vast majority of time
> on 15, and AD4EB spent a vast majority of time on 20. AND, I understand
> why--that's their bread and butter bands right now at this point in the
> cycle. And, they are needed to attract outside of state participation for
> sure!  Maybe the guys with a variety of high gain antennas can pick them
> out...but...not my little station.
>
> I only heard NU0Q one time. On 20. Even though I tuned his freq on 15 many
> times. AD4EB was heard a few more times on 20, but, very, very weak, and
> the pileup just covered him up (maybe 1-2khz split op next time?). He is
> fast, and he is GOOD! It was driving me nuts seeing my county total so low,
> while they were available.
>
> Looking back at my best score--in 2002 setting the SCLA record, I had
> nearly the same QSO total this year being a about 20 higher, but my mults
> in 2002 were 144, this year was 116. I missed breaking my best by 2000
> points. Scored 140k this year, and 142k in 2002. If I had the same mults,
> my score would have been 173k!
>
> What can we do to help us ins state guys to work the /M?
>
> Maybe incentivize 40/80 meter Q's for the mobiles? Bonus? Higher points for
> low band contacts?
>
> This would make this contest alot more interesting for us in state
> operators for sure. Possible generating more activity in the long run?
> During the bottom of the cycle when they spend more time on time on 40/80,
> its alot of fun chasing them-because we actually have a chance to work
> them.
>
> I am seriously thinking of doing a casual mobile op next year, making a
> priority to spend a little time on 40 in each county for the in state guys
> to have a chance at the mult. Not looking to win the class, but, to have
> some fun.
>
> Also, we need to figure a way to promote more portable stations. My
> adjacent counties -Clinton, Washington, Monroe were not heard from. Monroe
> borders St. Louis county, MO. And the others are maybe 30 min away from
> STL. Maybe promote as dual activation like K9I did? Set up for a Parks on
> the AIr/ILQP activation? That's going thru my mind also for next year.
> Mapping a route, setting up at POTA sites in dead counties, and doing a
> dual activation.
>
> Still had a blast this year!
>
> I sure miss hearing our friends K9NR & K9ZO.
>
> What do you all think?
>
> 73 Chuck KI9A SCLA
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