[PaQSO] Run up to the party

[Michael Coslo]

Well, it's been an interesting and awfully busy summer. I've been  
traveling a lot, and still have one thing left to do for the 2007  
party - the club trophy, for which I have to send out my apologies to  
the Murgas group for that lapse. Last year we had some issues that  
caused a domino effect on the schedule.

This will not happen again.

So here we are, coming up to the 2008 version of the party. Hopefully  
band conditions will cooperate this year, but even if they don't,  
everyone should send in their logs. I've had Ops who didn't, and yet  
they would have won their county.

Another item of interest is that the "2 points for all CW QSOs" had  
been put on hold. I've been investigating automated log checking for  
the party, and want to bring those out at the same time, as there may  
be a few other tweaks needed to automate the process. I don't want to  
nit pik rules changes every year. But it is coming.

Remember to check out 6 meters, as we have at least one OP who is  
planning on doing exclusively 6 meters. Shouldn't be too much trouble  
to hop up there, and who knows - we could end up generating some real  
traffic on 6.

20 meters is another place to remember. I'll be working mobile and  
will spend as much as half my time in any given county on 20 meters.  
We want to give our southern and western brothers good reasons to join  
in. 2 years ago, I operated 20 meters from the club station and was  
generating pileups. It's really worth it.

I'll repeat that we're pleased to start offering the Beacon award for  
blind Ops. Its based on QSO's - not final score - so that Ops at multi- 
op stations will be eligible. This is a really late addition to the  
party, so spread the word to any Hams you think would be eligible.

NARC will be having an effort from the mountaintop station running  
under W3YA this year. I'll be operating under my own call sign on the  
road.


-73 de Mike N3LI -