[PaQSO] PQP article

[John Myers]

Hi everyone,

I'm finishing up the local club newsletter (my final issue), and wrote a
short article on the PQP. If anyone is interested, here it is. feel free to
use it, if you'd like.

I'm getting impatient! Isn't it October yet?

73,

John, KD8MQ
www.qsl.net/kd8mq/

______________________________________

PA QSO Party!

Are you working on your Worked All States; Do you need that rare
Pennsylvania county for your worked all counties; or, maybe you'd like to
have a great time operating one of the friendliest contest on the planet?
Well, it's coming up in October. The PA QSO Party, sponsored by the Nittany
ARC . Held yearly on the the second weekend of October, I understand that it
is one of the most popular of the state QSO Parties.
 A lot of operators go to great lengths to activate rare counties, either as
mobile, Rover, or Portable. Mobile, and portable, If it weren't for these
fellows, a lot of the PA counties would be a lot tougher to work. I'm sure
you've heard about. Rover is a relatively new class of operation, where you
drive into a county, toss up an antenna, make a few dozen contacts (or
more), and move on to another county.
Activity for the PQP is always brisk. 40 & 80 meters are usually wall to
wall with signals during the PQP. But, folks are willing to help you out, by
sharing spotting reports, or letting you work a rare one on there frequency,
or by sharing a frequency with you. I've personally experienced all of this.
Is it any wonder I've worked every PQP since 1986?
Rules for the PQP are simple, but to long to list here. A complete listing
appears on the PQP web site at http://www.nittany-arc.org/paqso.html.
Another PQP website is http://www.qsl.net/kd8mq/paqso/paqso.htm. This site
does a breakdown by county of the scores since 1987. You can also find maps
that show the fifteen rarest counties for each of the last five years.
This years party will be held on October 12-13. It runs from Noon Saturday
to 6PM on Sunday. There's an 8 hour break from 1 AM to 9 AM Sunday.
So, if you want to work the best of the state QSO Parties, mark your
calendar for the second weekend in October, and prepare yourself for the
most fun you can have in front of a radio. (kd8mq)