[nrv-hams] VA QSO Party next weekend

[Kay Craigie]

The 2015 Virginia QSO Party will be next weekend. The hours are 1400 UTC on
March 21 to 0200 on March 22, and again from 1200 to 2400 UTC on March 22.
Local time, that's 10 AM to 10 PM on Saturday and 8 AM to 8 PM on Sunday.
The contest web site is at
www.qsl.net/sterling/VA_QSO_Party/2015_VQP/2015_VQP_Main.html.

The exchange is a sequential QSO number and (for us Virginians) our county
or independent city. Out of state operators will send the QSO number and
their USA state abbreviation, Canadian province abbreviation, or "DX."

There are official 3-letter abbreviations for the counties and independent
cities. This is posted on the contest web site at
www.qsl.net/sterling/VA_QSO_Party/2015_VQP/2015_VQP_Counties&Cities.html. Be
sure to learn the correct abbreviation for your location. Independent
cities' abbreviations always end with X. That's how you can tell, say,
Roanoke County (ROA) from Roanoke City (ROX). The confusing pair is Fairfax
County (FFX) and Fairfax City (FXX).

Virginia hams can work everybody else. Out of state hams work only
Virginians. We can work stations once per band/mode unless they or we change
counties or independent cities. In that case we can work again. For example,
I could work Carter N3AO on 40 meters phone and again on 40 meters CW and
again on 40 meters digital. If I am operating mobile and go from Montgomery
County to Radford City, I could work him again on all 3 modes on 40 meters
from Radford, and do it all over again if I go to Floyd.

Mobile operators travel to various counties and independent cities, so
listen carefully to find out if you can work the station over again because
the operator has moved. The mobile operators appreciate repeat business as
they change locations.

On CW and digital you'll hear people calling CQ VQP or CQ VA.

This is the contest where we Virginians are the most popular kids in school.
Some of our counties here in the southwest are not chock full of hams, so
even a short time on the air will help other people who are in it for a
serious score. 

Get on the air and have fun on the bands! 73 - Kay N3KN