[MiQP-Mail] Fwd: [ILQSO] State QSO party questions

[Hank Greeb]

Gerry:

Thanks for the "near flame."  You're entitled to your opinions, and 
flames don't bother me atall.  I'm glad I was wearing my (politically 
incorrect) asbestos suit when I read it.  So far I've not suffered 
asbestosis from the frequent need to wear it.

As for ILQP and its allowance for multiple county line operation....  A 
station working a four county line operation gets four QSO points and 
four multipliers - that's per the 2006 rules.  I was parked within the 
distance prescribed the the organizers of the event (it was either 200 
yards or 200 feet of the actual corner - I don't remember which.  It was 
a former wheat field.   I read and abided by the rules of the contest.  
As for logging, I use N3FJP's contest logger, and when I make a contact, 
the logging software does everything for me. It makes the four contacts, 
as prescribed by the ILQSO party rules, calculates the correct score, 
etc.   I sent CHAM/DOUG/EDGR/VERM as my county,   If I worked another 
multiple counties station I had to manually enter the individual 
counties into the logging software, but it then made multiple contacts 
for each of the counties in which I'm residing.  Voila! as many as 16 
log entries from my 4 county station working another 4 county station.

If you don't agree with this rule, c'est le guerre. You certainly may 
petition the ILQP rules committee for a change in the rules.  If you get 
them changed, I'll abide by the new rule.  If you entered ILQP and you 
worked N9Q, and only entered 1 of 4 contacts from my four county station 
I don't recall any penalty for your error. 

I happen to like the multiple county rule.  I've heard that MiQP had a 
similar rule in the past, but for whatever reason it was dropped.  My 
general comment on the subject is - if we all had to agree on all 
aspects of ham radio in general, and contesting in particular, we might 
as well move to a country where we don't have freedom of expression

I suppose there may be some folks who are surprized at the careful log 
checking of the ILQP committee.  I was a bit surprized, but it was a 
wake up call to be extra careful next year, to try to reduce the error 
rate.  As you say, some may be turned away if they have a high error rate. 

It seemed to me that Illinois didn't have as much activity as I've seen 
in the Ohio or Michigan QSO parties, but there was enough activity to 
keep me busy between "warm up times" in my vehicle because the weather 
was so unseasonably cold.   I'm taking a tent and propane heater with me 
this year, just in case the weather is inclement.

Finally, if you don't like what I've said about Michigan & Ohio 
operators, and MiQP and OQP, that again is life.  My perceptions are 
mine.  I believe I have every right to my thoughts, my observations, and 
the privilege of expressing them.  If I'm pariah for expressing them in 
the eyes of you, or the the respective contest committees, c'est la 
vie.   If everyone agreed on everything about the contest and the 
current rules, we'd have the same rules as existed when the very first 
Michigan and Ohio State QSO parties began, way back before my time in 
Ohio - when I was helping to run the OQP in 1978 or so.

I'll be looking for your 1 x 1 call during MiQP 2007.  Glad you're 
jumping in on the (hopefully) bandwagon to sign up for 1 x 1's for the 
event!

73 de n8xx Hg

k8gt at twmi.rr.com wrote:

>Pfui,   I don't think that MI or OH folks are any less friendly than IL and that phony baloney "park at 4 corners" is a PITA for logging, since you only get 1 QSO credit and 4 mults.  I guess if you actually parked right in the intersection of the two roads then you could claim that. As far as I'm concerned 1 QSO and 1 Mult.  The way some of the stations in the OKQP did it I didn't know that there were multiple counties coming and after the first one could have tuned away, but I was lucky I was a little slow and heard him sending more instead of a QRZ.
>
>I'm sorry, if I want a "bare knuckle, knock down, drag 'em out" type contest and log checking, I enter the major contests, but these are QSO "Parties" which are used to entice newbies and non contesters to get involved in a casual operating "event" and learn the basics of contesting.  If you then "draw blood" in checking their logs, they may just find something else to do next year.
>
>73, Gerry K8GT  
>Plans for MIQP still being formulated, including a 1x1 call, since my
>suffix first letter isn't included in "Mackinac".
>