QRP Club Contest 2014: Discussion

[sm5mek]

   You are right, it is five watts on any mode from the tx unit. (Antenna output) In some media you can find an acceptance of 10 W on phone. Here we use only 5W, its enough to make good qrp dx. i see digital and cw as the best media for long distance connections. In good conditions of course phoni (ssb) is also good. I have done some big contests on ssb and 5W. Today mostly operating cw for its simplicity.
Yes building own good antennas is a big and fun part of this hobby, i have some buildt tested and used once. After that i started on next and so on.   it,s just fun. Not always big is good, i have worked with small antennas on long distance. Best one this year is CO8LY on my vertical. 5W cw 2*599. on 15m.
Hope to hear from you on radio soon. See more antennas at http://sm5mek.se

[sm5mek]

Contest or not, maybee call it challenge like the NAQCC does on their long term contests. It is an challenge for the members of QRP Club to reach a goal to be best during 2014.
Calling it contest or challenge i think is just the different name on same product. Another name could bee activation program.

[IZ5ZCO]

Hi Vic, welcome aboard! Our "Contest" is basically a way to socialize. Thanks for your suggestion.

[G0BVZ]

OK, let's say I want to socialise with fellow QRP Club members....

If I want to QSO fellow GQRP club members I can call CQ CQ CQ GQRP DE G0BVZ  K and so on.  If a GQRP club member can read my QLF CW, then we can QSO...

If I want to QSO fellow QRP Club members do I call CQ CQ CQ QRPC DE G0BVZ  K   ?

I've not found mention of a 'standard club call' but maybe there should be one for this situation. QRPC may already be used by another club: I just used it as an example.  A directed call is useful to those without internet access and to purists who enjoy the challenge and rewards of traditional pre-internet hf operating. What do you think? Is this an idea worth following up?

Vic /off to make coffee......

[IZ5ZCO]

QRPCmay already be used by another club

CQ CQ QRPCLUB.ORG DE... 

[G0BVZ]

Hi Nicola,
Many thanks for the very fast reply. Maybe CQ CQ QRPCLUB.ORG DE... could be cut down a little?  I'm very old, not very bright and might forget where I an in the middle of my cq call!!    How's about CQ CQ QRPCL DE...   ? (Might be poor choice. Under bad condx CL may make listeners think station is declaring closedown!!!)

The GQRP-Club call of CQ CQ GQRP DE... is well known and, I think, effective, as is the ARCI one. Four club designator characters  seems a commonly used pattern.  Short and snappy is good, especially in QSB.

I'm short on ideas: QRPC, QCLUB, QRPCL is all I have come up with so far as mere suggestions. I believe we need something unique, short, snappy, easy to read under poor conditions which will in time become instantly recognisable across EU and possibly the world.

Just my opinion,

Vic GQRP #3078, ARCI #6211

[IZ5ZCO]

We are the only "QRP Club" (without other words or letters), so we can use "QRPC".

Who uses "QRPC" yet? 

[sm5mek]

I know there is some clusters marking some calls with for example WFF,and IOTA in the message/call. The logbook Log4OM has a cluster, a good one, i use it  . Why not get this function in this cluster with QRP club and just qrp as indication with a red flashing bar over the info. 
Also then using some call like cq cq cq de call call call - qrpcb ( or qrpc)

[G0BVZ]

We are the only "QRP Club" (without other words or letters), so we can use "QRPC".

Who uses "QRPC" yet? 

That's fantastic: I checked around & nobody seems to have claimed QRPC so I guess you can!!
 Are you going to write this in the Ship's Log to make it official, Cap'n?  Once published it should be all ours....

Vic /nipping off to swab the bilges

[sm5mek]

   Today I tried to send my cq with the addition qrpc, cq qrpc. It worked, I did get a dolphin on the hook hihi, thanks to IZ5ZCO which consequently gave me the first 3 points in club competition. As a by-catch came a VE1DX on the line even though my antenna was pointed at sse, down to Belgium, France.
Thus, we continue to execute well cq qrpc so we probably learn surroundings who we are.
72 the SM5MEK Jenny.

[GM0LVI]

Questions -
From 25th January to 30th November I will be able to use the prefix - "GA" so instead of or as well as GM0LVI I can use GA0LVI.
Would contacts made using "GA" count together with my "GM" contacts in the club contest? It would be the same member and same QTH.

Second question -
I'll be QRV for about 5 weeks as SV8/GM0LVI. Would contacts count in the contest? Same member but different QTH.

[PG4I]

Here is a weird question...

Suppose I make a QSO with a QRP station. Then I check if he is a club member. Let's say he is not. Then I look up is email on QRZ.COM and send him an e-mail, asking him to join our QRP club. Next day I check if he has become a member... Yes he has! Okay, so now I can send in a report for the club contest and I get 3 points. Is this valid? I have done it a couple of times.

Just trying to be honest... 

[GM0LVI]

Here is a weird question...

Suppose I make a QSO with a QRP station. Then I check if he is a club member. Let's say he is not. Then I look up is email on QRZ.COM and send him an e-mail, asking him to join our QRP club. Next day I check if he has become a member... Yes he has! Okay, so now I can send in a report for the club contest and I get 3 points. Is this valid? I have done it a couple of times.

Just trying to be honest... 

Um, that's a bit tricky. Strictly speaking the if the station wasn't a member when worked, then the contact doesn't count, though you ought perhaps to earn some brownie points for recruiting.
The main problem with working a station who later joins is the time factor between the contact and the worked station joining QRPC. If it's allowed, would a delay of a day, a week, a month.... be allowable?

[PG4I]

The report form accepts these type of contacts. If it is not allowed then there should be some check, e.g:

If (time of QSO) is smaller than (date joined) then there should be no points.

What do you think Nicola?

[IZ5ZCO]

Questions -
From 25th January to 30th November I will be able to use the prefix - "GA" so instead of or as well as GM0LVI I can use GA0LVI.
Would contacts made using "GA" count together with my "GM" contacts in the club contest? It would be the same member and same QTH.

Ok, but you must change the callsign here (from "GM0LVI" to "GM0LVI (GA0LVI)").

Second question -
I'll be QRV for about 5 weeks as SV8/GM0LVI. Would contacts count in the contest? Same member but different QTH.

Yes, you can.