Section Manager: Paul N Gayet, AA1SU, writes on the Vermont ARRL Members List:
Hello Fellow Vermont Hams,
The Vermont QSO Party is in another 3 days. Are you ready?
The event will start Friday night at 7PM and run 48 hours until 7PM Sunday night. Operate as much as you like. Conditions have been all over the place, so there is no telling what openings we might find. However, the best openings will not make up for failure to call CQ. Here is the link to the rules: http://www.ranv.org/vtqso.html. This includes various information, such as the correct abbreviation for your county.
The rules are pretty much the same as last year. A minor change in scoring was made to help the smaller scoring operators on FT8. This year, the grids will be divided by 3 instead of 4 for the FT8 multiplier total. FT8 (and FT4) are a lot more heavily used, so consider putting up an effort there as well. That’s an easy mode to make contacts on while you do something more useful, like watch TV or read a book!
Feel free to spot yourself whenever you change bands – just don’t overdo it.
Remember, that we run at the same time as the MNQP, BCQP, Eu-DX, NA Spring, 10-10, and XE RTTY contests. Know their exchanges, so you can cross pollinate and have more fun.
Before the event, make sure your logging software and your station is working correctly.
Remember, you cannot put Vermont on the air, unless you turn on the radio AND CALL CQ (tuning around doesn’t count). The guys are looking for us, and if you have a signal out there, they’ll find you!
Help make Vermont proud!
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ARRL Vermont Section
Section Manager: Paul N Gayet, AA1SU
aa1su@arrl.org
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