54th Running of Calif QSO Party

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.