[PaQSO] Nuttin' ta do?

[K3YD@aol.com]

If you're looking for something to fill a few hours next weekend, try a bit 
of operation in the New England QSO Party, NEQP for short.  Not quite as much 
fun as PAQP 'cause there is less activity on 40 and 80 but from PA, short 
skip into NE is a possibility on the higher bands, depending on propagation.  
Like PAQP there are SIXTY-SEVEN COUNTY mults.

RULES FOLLOW:
New England QSO Party - CW/Phone - 2000Z May 3 - 0500Z May 4 and
1300Z - 2400Z May 4.  New England is ME, NH, VT, MA, CT, and RI.
Frequencies (MHz): CW - 40 kHz above band edge; Novice/Tech - 3.705,
7.130, 21.130, 28.130; SSB - 3.880, 7.280, 14.280, 21.380, 28.380; no
crossmode or crossband QSOs, all CW QSOs in CW band segments. 
Categories: SOAB (HP, LP, and QRP), MS (includes stations using any
kind of spotting assistance), mobiles use same categories.  Exchange:
RS(T) and S/P (non-US/VE sends "DX") or NE county/state.  Work
stations once per band/mode and mobiles in each county.  County lines
logged as two QSOs.  QSO Points: phone - 1 pt, CW and Digital - 2
pts.  Score: Non-NE stations - QSO points x NE counties; NE stations
- QSO points x S/P/C; mobiles total QSO points from all counties and

count multipliers only once.  For more information -
http://www.neqp.org.  Logs due 30 days after the contest to
logs@neqp.org (Cabrillo format preferred) or NEQP, PO Box 3005,
Framingham MA 01705-3005. 

Top Ten Reasons to Operate the NEQP

10. For a lot of U.S. hams, New England is halfway to Europe, and in the 
right direction, so you can try out your new European stacks and Beverages. 

9. If you're a W1 operating from your home, it's just like a DX contest where 
you only have to push F1 all weekend and run guys. The multipliers will come 
to you. 

8. Tell a mobile in Vermont or Rhode Island how loud he is and butter him up 
so you can get the mult in SS. 

7. The W1 big guns going mobile will have a chance to see how it feels to be 
weak for a change.  And if you're in Europe, you can hear what weak W1s sound 
like. 

6. You can try to figure out why there are Windham counties in Connecticut 
and Vermont, but not New Hampshire, where Windham is just a town.  You can 
ask every station you work in Rockingham County, NH, if the hams there are 
really rocking. (note - the aforementioned Windham, NH is in Rockingham 
County). 

5. If your call is K3WW, it's yet another contest for you to enter! (K3WW 
operated 52 different contests in 2001) 

4. Since the exchange is the first 3 letters of the county and the two-letter 
state abbreviation, this opens up all kinds of opportunities.  See if you can 
find a YL named Norma in Norfolk County, MA. Work K1TTT in Berkshire County, 
MA, and see if the ARRL will accept it for  XZ credit [that's BERMA].  See if 
K1KI/m has to stop the car for a rest stop in Piscataquis County, ME.  See if 
you can drive the ops at N1TN crazy by asking them "Where's Waldo?".  Ask 
W1UF if he knows a limerick that starts with "There was a young miss from 
Nantucket...".  Ask a mobile to drive from Washington County VT to Washington 
County ME to Washington County RI so you can get your WAWC award.  Be 
thankful there's no Eaton County in Maine. 

3. It's going to rain next weekend, so you won't be able to do antenna work 
anyway. 

2. Ask the ops at W1YK and K1EA how "Wissta County, Mass" gets abbreviated 
"WOR MA", and see how long it takes before they start saying they are in 
"Wor-sess-ter" county. 

and the Number One Reason to operate the NEQP..... 

1. Due to a lack of reminders on the Internet from K4OJ, you missed the 2003 
Florida QSO party, and you've been looking forward to operating a QSO Party 
for the last year! 
 

-- REASONS courtesy of Doug Grant, K1DG