7QP 2013
Greetings to all,
Daylight Savings has started and it already feels like spring. Lots more time after dinner to play outside. Next to raking the lawn and putting the snowblower away, this is the time to check out your antennas. Got may 4th marked on your calendar?
We are pleased to announce that the 2013 7QP will be held on May 4 this year (local time). In response to several suggestions from participants last year, two changes have been made to the entry categories. The new rules are below and on the web at 7QP site.
The County Expedition category has been split into single and county line entries to allow the singles to compete among themselves.
While neither of these affects the scoring, the new entry categories need to be accommodated by the various popular logging programs.
We look forward to seeing more mobile and county expedition entries as a result of these changes.
While neither of these affects the scoring, the new entry categories need to be accommodated by the various popular logging programs.
We look forward to seeing more mobile and county expedition entries as a result of these changes.
The Mobile category now has single and multi-op. Single ops are no longer competing with operator + driver teams that can operate safely while in motion.
If you are thinking of going mobile, it's time to make sure the whole system works as it should. I needed to find a quiet dc-dc converter for my laptop. The typical LT runs on 17 or 18V from its charger. It won't play from the 12 car battery. The solution is a dc-dc converter to boost 12 to 18. Most of these converters are very cheaply made and one of the things they leave out to save cost is RFI filtering. This can usually be fixed, as in my case, by the addition of bypass capacitors and some clip-on ferrites, but it takes time.
Got N1MM? (or another logging program?) 7QP is supported by most programs but you need to get one installed and working. About half of them are FREE. I pick on N1MM because it was used by over 80% of the stations submitting logs in last year's 7QP. No more paper, no crummy handwriting, and no grief sending in your log. Point and shoot. Adding a logging program could be the best thing ever to happen to your station. Automatic dupe checking in any contest and when it's over, load you log into any of several apps to track DXCC, WAS, USA-CA, etc., or even better: LOTW.
7QP is looking for a few good men to go mobile and light up the darker corners of our domain. This year we have split the mobile category into single op and op+driver. It makes things safer and levels the field. During the 7QP ops chase mobiles as they move from county to county. It is great fun. And unlike the fixed ops, you can work the same stations again from each new county. Last year 15 mobiles submitted their logs. It doesn't matter if the counties are rare or not. Buddy up and polish that mobile rig. We would be pleased to see a few new mobiles out there this year. Let us know too so we can put it on the Planned Operations table. See it here.
Whether you operate from home or on the road, the 7QP welcomes you. Not ready for the full 18 hour duration? No problem, operate when and as you can. We are an equal opportunity QSO party!
Got N1MM? (or another logging program?) 7QP is supported by most programs but you need to get one installed and working. About half of them are FREE. I pick on N1MM because it was used by over 80% of the stations submitting logs in last year's 7QP. No more paper, no crummy handwriting, and no grief sending in your log. Point and shoot. Adding a logging program could be the best thing ever to happen to your station. Automatic dupe checking in any contest and when it's over, load you log into any of several apps to track DXCC, WAS, USA-CA, etc., or even better: LOTW.
7QP is looking for a few good men to go mobile and light up the darker corners of our domain. This year we have split the mobile category into single op and op+driver. It makes things safer and levels the field. During the 7QP ops chase mobiles as they move from county to county. It is great fun. And unlike the fixed ops, you can work the same stations again from each new county. Last year 15 mobiles submitted their logs. It doesn't matter if the counties are rare or not. Buddy up and polish that mobile rig. We would be pleased to see a few new mobiles out there this year. Let us know too so we can put it on the Planned Operations table. See it here.
Whether you operate from home or on the road, the 7QP welcomes you. Not ready for the full 18 hour duration? No problem, operate when and as you can. We are an equal opportunity QSO party!