[PaQSO] Web Page Updates and general party notes

[Mike Coslo]

The PAQSO Party Web Pages have been updated at

http://www.nittany-arc.net/paqso.html

The new rules have been posted, as well as entry forms.

Plaque sponsors web addresses have been added. If you are an individual 
sponsor, and have a web address you would like added, let me know.

Details of the new rules are:

    Addition of digital modes to the party. Details are in the rules

     Frequencies are suggested instated of stated. Someone always asks....

    Additional frequencies added for RTTY and PSK

    Tech/Novice has been eliminated. No one enters any more.

    Club Award has been reinstated (odd thing here is that for as long 
as I have been aware of the party, the club trophy hasn't been given, 
yet the mention of the trophy has been in the rules. Whatever- it is 
back. The first place club gets a "keeper" trophy, and the second and 
third place clubs get certificates for the club and Ops.

Now the really important stuff...

    Extra Clarification has been added that all participants must send 
in a appropriate summary sheet. This has been a rule for as long as I 
can remember, but for some reason last year, it didn't happen for everyone.

    Logs without proper summary sheets will be treated as check logs. I 
will notify Operators if they didn't send one in, and they will have a 
chance to rectify the missing, incomplete, or illegible summary. But in 
the interest of having the Party conclude in a timely fashion, I won't 
check logs *twice* - once to generate a summary, and once more to check 
the log itself.

    To encourage Ops to send in a good summary, I have produced a PDF 
form on the website. You open the form, plug in your numbers, and the 
form calculates your score. Then you print it out, and mail it in. This 
method is highly encouraged. If you don't want to take advantage of this 
method, there is a non-form summary also on the site, as well as the 
summary form that we mail out.

    Now that we are on the subject of mail, there was a direct 
correlation between emailing of logs, and lack of a summary sheet. So 
that I can help us get back on track, we are returning to a policy of 
all Party people required to mail in a summary sheet. emailing of the 
logs themselves is still a perfectly acceptable practice.

    The mailing method is changing - and I think for the better. Instead 
of folding, stapling, and adhesive tabbing of around 700 mailers, I am 
switching to mailing the party announcements and the results in manila 
envelopes. The amount of labor saved  will be immense, and not having to 
staple and fold the material should make up for the additional costs of 
the envelopes. The mailing will happen as soon as we get a rubber stamp 
for our bulk mailing number.

    In summary, the most important thing for the party Ops to remember 
is to get the summary sheets to us in proper form, and that everyone 
needs to mail their summary sheet, not just the Pennsylvania Ops.

    My biggest single failing last year was not getting things done in a 
timely fashion.  I have made an aggressive schedule for the 06 party, 
and most definitely intend to stick with or better the schedule.

    So give the on-line form a test drive, and check out the rest of the 
pages while you are at it. I'm looking forward to a smoother 06 
post-party experience. Hope to hear you all on the air this second full 
weekend in October!

    - 73 de Mike KB3EIA -