1600 UTC October 5, 2019 to 2200 UTC October 6, 2019

CQP & improving your operating skills From an operating point of view, what do Public Service, chasing DX or working contests have in common? They all require accurate copy of information under stress – whether the stress of the moment, the adrenaline rush of rare DX or contest pile up, you have to accurately copy and relay information. Entering a contest either casually to give some points or as a serious effort, Contesting provides a great learning experience for information copy “under fire”. The first weekend of October (October 5-6 this year) sees the 54th running of the California QSO Party – a great opportunity for stations in California because everyone else HAS TO WORK US! We are the DX! Whether you are a “big gun” with stacked yagis and 1500 watts, or a “little pistol” with 100 watts to a vertical or a wire antenna, everyone else in the world wants to work YOU to pick up one of the 58 counties in our state. It’s a lot of fun being on the receiving end of a pile up or searching & pouncing for other states and countries. For California stations the object of the contest is to work as many stations as possible on SSB and CW. You can work the same station on each band and each mode for score credit. Every US state and Canadian province you work counts as a multiplier – 58 total for us just like the number of counties in California.