[MiQP-Mail] K0RC QSO Party Tool is OK for MiQP

[David Pruett]

Hank,

Pre-contest planning aids such as K0RC Excel tool are completely within 
the spirit and intent of the MiQP rules.  What is not allowed is another 
person providing information in real time during the contest, either 
directly or through automated means.

Speaking as someone who has operated MiQP mobile from all 83 Michigan 
Counties, (a feat in all liklihood duplicated only by my operating 
partner Ken, W8MJ) trying to follow a mobile from county to county based 
on a schedule put together pre-contest is like trying to nail jello to a 
tree.  Weather, equipment failures and road construction can render the 
most carefully planned schedule obsolete.  IMHO trying to work the 
mobiles as often as possible is important to a good score, and while 
Bob's tool is a useful aid, I think a good operating strategy which 
recognizes when to run (to attract new counties) and when to S&P (to 
find new counties) is most important.

According to my records, nobody has ever achieved a clean sweep of all 
83 counties in a single weekend.  According to the records page on the 
MiQP web site, K8GU in 2003 came the closest with 80 counties from 
outside the state, while KR8V in MACO and N8TC from GRTR are tied for 
the best from inside the state, both working 70 counties in 2013.

73, Dave/K8CC


On 4/10/2015 4:04 PM, Hank Greeb wrote:
> Bob:
>
> Beware! The grate gods of rule making for the Michigan QSO Party hath 
> spaked: "Thou shalt NOT use external help, such as reverse beacon 
> network, DX Clusters, et. nausea, on the pain of being thrown into the 
> wolves of multi-op competition." Whether your "operating aid" of 
> posting "approximate arrival times" would be considered external help 
> is not to be judged by me. However, one might wish to run the though 
> through the "grate gods of rule making" to be absitively sure.
>
> But, if your tools would help folks make a "clean sweep" this might be 
> a milestone.  I recent years at least, I don't remember anyone making 
> contact with all 83 counties we have in Michigan. Maybe 81 or 82.  Of 
> course my memory may be failing, since onset of Alzheimer's or other 
> dementia is imminent at my age, so a clean sweep may have already been 
> made.  I do know that some state QSO Parties encourage their mobiles 
> to use APRS spotting, and have aids to show the actual locations of 
> the mobiles as they traverse their routes.  We in Michigan seem to be 
> Luddites in this respect, but who am I to say?
>
> I'll be pounding the brass (presuming my left foot is still 
> functioning on the 18th) and croaking at that funny thing called a 
> microphone (if I can find it amongst the other seldom used accessories 
> in the shack) on April 18.  I'll be using the special event call N8F, 
> in honor of Fisk Knob,the highest point in KENT county, from which I 
> hope to operate.
>
> Thanks for a FB operating aide.  I trust it will NOT be deemed 
> "external help."
>
> 72/73 de n8xx Hg
> QRP >99.44% of the time