Arkansas QSO Party

[KD8IZZ]

I'm looking forward to the Arkansas QSO party this weekend. AR is a perfect distance for my vertical.

Does anyone know how many counties are activated or the routes of the mobiles?

[N5NA]

I'd be surprised if there's much, if any, activity.  Their web page doesn't have any info about the QSO party other than their standing rules.  It takes promotion to have a good state QSO party.

73,

Alan  N5NA
http://qsoparty.eqth.net/

[KD8IZZ]

I noticed that myself. Most state parties list the activated counties, thus my question. I need a lot of AR counties so I will listening and calling most of the day, but luckily there are two other contests this weekend.

Just got a 5 element beam for 6 meters, for my first VHF contest.

[W5ESE]

Looks like you all were right.

I had fun in the event, but all my contacts were
with one very dedicated mobile station (all on
40m; AR is too close for 20m for me)! Maybe other
stations were just on 20m?

AR is an interesting state, with lots of
interesting features (the Hot Springs, Ozarks,
Mississippi River, etc). It's a pity to not
see more vitality in their state QSO party.

Might help a bit if the AR stations were allowed
to work each other, too.

73
Scott
W5ESE

[KD8IZZ]

I had one AR QSO, and it was to an AM operator who wasn't in the contest. My first AM QSO!

[KB3LIX]

I heard VERY LITTLE activity out of Arkansas.

Want to work two DECENT QSO Parties with
LOTS of activity and LOTS of counties active

California October 3 & 4

And the BEST QSO Party of them all:

PENNSYLVANIA  October 10 & 11

[W5DQ]

We had planned to combine the ARRL VHF Contest and the AR QSO Party into one event but while I was in AR from Sept 8th thru 18th, a load of problems prevented it. Car issues and the fact it rained everyday, almost all day long for most of the time really put a damper (no pun intended) on our efforts. Only time I saw the sun was a few minutes on the afternoon on the 14th. Myself and a couple buddies attended the Queen Wilhelmena Hamfest atop Rich Mountain near Mena, AR with plans to do the VHF contest from a old fire tower lookout point high above the surrounding terrain. I had worked Field Day from that spot in 2006 and worked almost 50 grids on 6M with a loop and 100W. This time we had 6M thru 1.2Ghz but the rain and storms were too much. Maybe next year we'll be there putting EM24 on the air on 6M and Polk County on other bands.

Gene W5DQ

with
Steve NS0M
Jerry NR4VT

[AD5WI]

Sorry to hear that there was such a poor showing from the Arkansas hams. I had planned on sitting here at the radio and operating the entire event from Benton Co. but the day before found out about an illness in the family and hit the road for LA. Then spent some time with my oldest son. If nothing happens next year look for me on ssb and cw.

73 to all, Mark AD5WI

[N5NA]

I wonder if there will be an AR QSO Party next year?  

There was absolutely ZERO effort by the sponsor to promote the QSO party this year.  The only reference to the QSO party on the website was a link to the "standing rules" and that link was taken down just a few days after this year's QSO party.

I'm originally from El Dorado in Union County and am interested in the AR QSO Party so it's disappointing to me that no one in AR is interested.

[K5END]

I wonder if there will be an AR QSO Party next year?  

There was absolutely ZERO effort by the sponsor to promote the QSO party this year.  The only reference to the QSO party on the website was a link to the "standing rules" and that link was taken down just a few days after this year's QSO party.

I'm originally from El Dorado in Union County and am interested in the AR QSO Party so it's disappointing to me that no one in AR is interested.

Well, I see they have their standing rules back up, but otherwise little information.

I hope they at least have the contest and if so I would probably go mobile for AR QSOP September 2010.

My hope is to get one or 2 QSOPs in and get more experience before the TXQP in late September.

Kansas and Colorado QPs are on weekends during August and September also. If they don't have ARQP I may do Kansas. It's a long drive from Houston to anywhere in CO.

My OKQP 2009 was my first mobile, and was a lot of fun.

TXQP 2009 was a rush, and I placed low my category. Not bad for a beginner, hi. At least I got a score that was not so low as to be embarrassing. Part of my problem is I screwed up the score submittal and actually scored better than I had thought.

My OKQP in 2010 was beset by logging problems, but at least this year I had a dandy antenna that works very well (HiQ.)

One of these times I might even get a competitive score.

But for now I'm having fun.

When you go into a "rare" county and call CQ, you will find yourself under a pile up.

It's a lot more fun to be at the bottom of a pile up than outside trying to get in.

Hope AR does a QP this year. Let me know. I just drove thru AR back and forth to around Memphis a couple weeks ago.

[N5NA]

Well, I see they have their standing rules back up, but otherwise little information.

I was just looking on the ARKAN website and didn't see anything about the ARQP.  The rules do come up if you do a Google search.

For logging you need to check out CQ/X by NO5W if you haven't already.  It's way cool for mobile QSO party logging!

Alan

[AD5WI]

If there is a ARQP this year look for me. Unless something comes up I'll be roving around the north of the state. My plans right now are to work my way east along the AR/MO border for half a day, then drop down one county and work back west. Will be operating cw so you speed demons will have to slow down cause I'm a code crawler, around 16-18 wpm, if your going too fast I'll skip you for the next one.

I don't know how many counties I'll get to, I'll have to set up & take down each county, but any is better than none.

Not a super mobile contest station, just a FT-840 and a MP-1 antenna, and a borrowed deep cycle battery for power.

Hope for the best.

73, Mark AD5WI

[K5END]

For logging you need to check out CQ/X by NO5W if you haven't already.  It's way cool for mobile QSO party logging!

Thanks. CQ/X is all I've ever used. Chuck has done FB for TQP, and is the Elmer who inspired me to try contesting.

[N5NA]

Thanks. CQ/X is all I've ever used. Chuck has done FB for TQP, and is the Elmer who inspired me to try contesting.

Oh yeah, I forgot you'd done a review of CQ/X!  It just keeps on getting better!

[N5NA]

If there is a ARQP this year look for me.

Mark, thanks for the QSO's in the NM & TX QSO parties.  I hear you quite a bit in the other state QSO parties too.  Since you're in AR maybe you could contact the ARKAN folks and offer to help coordinate the ARQP.  Apparently there is no one in that group that is particularly interested in actively promoting the ARQP.  Without someone promoting a QP and recruiting mobiles the activity level is usually low to non-existent.

Alan