NYQP Operating F.A.Q

What is the NYQP?

The New York QSO Party is sponsored by the Rochester DX Association (W2RDX) based in Rochester, NY. RDXA is 60+ years old and has 80 members. We are a DX club with a number of members earning DXCC Honor Roll and other significant achievements. Many members are avid and skilled contesters.

Realizing that the NYQP had been inactive for about 25 years, Rick W1TY and Paul K2DB decided that it was a shame that a state the size of New York did not have its own event. With the ARRL designating 2009 the “Year of the QSO Party”, it was time to “re-boot” this event!
 
The NYQP is a chance for NY operators to be the “chased”. Other New York stations and everyone else will be looking to contact NY operators. Since the majority of stations will be from the US and Canada, signals should be strong and easy to work. No matter if you prefer SSB, CW or the RTTY/Digital modes, the NYQP has something for you! The most important thing is to have fun. Be there!

I am operating from NY State. How should I call CQ?

Logging software wants the Call, RST and County in separate fields. Logged as <their call> /MON     599     MON, will get kicked by the log checking software.

Mobiles always use <your call>/M

Remember to log all NY stations with the appropriate three letter County abbreviation. A printable list is available on the NYQP home page.

New York stations: Log DX contacts with “DX” as the County.

I am used to computer logging. Do I really need to check out software that I am already familiar with?

100% YES. Can we be any clearer? There are unique features that apply only to QSO Parties. No one wants to lose any points that should have been earned.

I don’t have contest logging software. What do I do?

Easy. Go to the main NYQP logging software page and see what packages are configured for the NYQP. Many are free and very powerful. Although you can use a general purpose DX’ing software, we don’t recommend it. You will find them very awkward for a contest and difficult to configure and produce a Cabrillo output file.

We can recommend two options that we are particularly impressed with. For fixed stations, check out N1MM Logger and Mobiles should like CQ/x.  Both are free and very powerful applications. If you are Mobile, CQ/x will interface to your GPS and automatically recognize your programmed County travels!

We are grateful to the authors for producing very sophisticated software. Don’t expect to master them the morning of the NYQP.

I want to operate Mobile class from a rare NY County. How do I choose?

The NYQP home page lists the number of licensed amateurs for every NY County. Check it out and plan a route. It is interesting that Richmond County (NYC) usually needs operators. Not much antenna space there!

I am operating Mobile from NY. Do I append my call with “/M” ?

YES. Why? If a station logs you with /M and a subsequent contact omits the /M, the logging software will not recognize the match. You could lose the contact and the logging software will not dupe check correctly. The Mobile might also lose the contact points. Other programs have not been checked for this yet. If you use /M there should be no problems.

I am working a Mobile station from NY State. How should I log the Mobile?

A mobile could send <their call>/M or not, but they should. If they don’t the logging software may show a dupe, even if the Mobile is in a new County. They should always send in the same format throughout the NYQP. N1MM software requires /M.

I am operating Mobile from NY. How do I change Counties without opening a new log for the new County?

Check your software manual. For N1MM (ver. 9.2.2) and above, the “RoverQTH” command has been added to allow “on the fly” County changes. See the N1MM manual for details.

NOTE:            Check Mobile stations for the duration the NYQP. Most will rove a number of Counties. New County means a new station and multiplier to work!

I am not an experienced contest operator. Should I call CQ?

YES. Whether in NY State or not, give it a go. You will quickly learn how it is done effectively. Your contact rate will increase dramatically. You will be amazed.

NOTE:            From NY State: CQ NY QSO Party <your call> Anyone, Anywhere
From outside NY call: CQ NY for the NY QSO Party <your call>

I am a contest rookie. What about me?

The NYQP has instituted an entry class for operators that have received their Amateur Radio ticket since January 1, 2008. The Rookie Operator Award will feature a NYQP plaque to the operator with the best NYQP score for 2011. (Jan 1, 2009 for the 2012 NYQP, etc.)

Compete with others rookies that are also new to our great hobby. Let the folks with towers, amps and experience fight among themselves! Just follow the NYQP rules ( http://www.nyqp.org/rules.php) and enter as a Single Operator – Rookie using Low Power. Remember: Low Power only. We will take care of the rest.

With a QSO Party primarily for US/Canadian stations, signals are sure to be strong. See if radio contesting is for you (it was for me!). Learn about propagation, search & pouncing, running, logging software and more. You will finish a better operator... guaranteed.

This award can only be presented to an operator once. See all the details at: http://www.nyqp.org/faq.php

I am an experienced contest operator. Should I call CQ?

Obviously yes, however… Remember that if everyone called CQ exclusively, none of those stations would ever work each other. Find a balance of CQ with Search & Pounce that optimizes your contact totals.

High power? Low power? QRP?

You are free to choose any power class you wish (except Rookie class). Once you have made a QSO with a higher power level you cannot go back. One hundred watts is plenty in a QSO Party. Feel like a challenge? Try QRP! (up to 5 watts CW or Digital and 10 watts SSB)

I am a little pistol. Should I operate? Should I send in a log?

YES to both. The NYQP is meant to be fun. Not everyone wins a category but that should not affect having a good time. Do what you are comfortable with.  We are betting that you will make far more contacts than you first expected to.

No station is required to send in a log, but would be great if you did no matter how many contacts you made. As long as you reach the 50 contact minimum, you may qualify for an award certificate or sponsored plaque! Also it helps the logs checkers verify other received logs. Your contest logging software makes this very easy. It also helps the NYQP to know what and where the activity levels are. That makes for better future NYQP planning.

I plan on operating the RTTY/Digital modes. Which one do I choose?

You are free to operate any digital mode such as: RTTY, PSK, AMTOR, Olivia. The real question is, where will I find the activity? We believe that most all stations will be on 45 baud RTTY. PSK is also a possibility. Others modes are probably a waste of time.

The NYQP requires a Cabrillo style log file submitted. What is that?

Cabrillo is a standardized format for logs. Each field (call, UTC time, county, etc) is expected to start in a specific column. This allows the contest sponsors to use computer log checking to cross check logs. It is very important to submit in this format. In fact, the NYQP will only accept logs in this format. The NYQP confirmed contest logging programs do this automatically.  But it still pays to verify against the Cabrillo sample on the NYQP web page.

I am paper logging. What do I do?

For those that log on paper, look at the NYQP logging software page web page. We will have a web based Cabrillo generator available just prior to the start of the NYQP. You can enter contacts manually and it will produce a Cabrillo file for you to submit.

I hear another QSO Party at the same time as the NYQP. I am confused.

We have heard that the Iowa QSO Party has chosen the same date as the NYQP. Just make sure that you are working and logging actual NYQP stations. Iowa is also using 3 letter Country abbreviations, so be careful.

What stations can I contact in the NYQP?

New York stations: Anyone, anywhere: NY stations, all 50 U.S. States, Canadian Provinces and even DX.

Non-New York stations: Contact stations within New York State only.

Could I win a sponsored award plaque?

That is up to you! However we have over 30 sponsored plaques in a variety of categories. Put in a good effort and… who knows? There are also very nice certificates to be mailed to many stations.

What is the NYQP Forum?

The NYQP Forum gives participants a place to exchange ideas, ask QSO Party questions and is a great place for the Mobile class operators to post the Counties that they plan to activate. Logging into the Forum is quick and easy. Go to http://forum.nyqp.org/ and join in. We only ask that your posting is related to the NYQP.

Can I use Packet Cluster or CW Skimmer?

The NYQP allows the use aids such as the Packet Cluster spotting network and CW Skimmer. We do not allow “self spotting” however. This is not an acceptable practice in any contest.

Where will I find NYQP activity?

It is always hard to predict band openings and the NYQP is open from 160 meters all the way up to the highest Amateur allocations.

We expect the primary bands to be 20, 40 and 80 meters. After sundown in NY we expect (?) that 40 and particularly 80 meters will be the place to be. The NYQP Rules suggest frequencies, but operators will still choose where they want to be.

Don't forget to always re-check the Mobile entries. Remember that once they change Counties, you should work them again. It is very important to check 75/80 meters during the daylight hours, especially for NY stations. Once the Mobiles leave a County, don't except them to return there.

Each station can be worked 3 times on each band, once each on SSB & CW & RTTY/Digital. Again, if they change Counties they are a new station. Go get'em.

Why are RTTY/Digital contacts worth 3 points per QSO?

The first consideration is the time it takes to complete a QSO. SSB is considered the easiest with RTTY/Digital the most difficult.

Past that, should activity slow towards the final hours of the NYQP, RTTY/Digital gives all stations an opportunity to migrate to an alternative mode. Additionally RTTY/Digital is the highest point mode. It pays to make as many of these contacts as possible. It can have a major effect on your final score.

Remember that there are single mode entry (and power output) classes for each: SSB, CW and RTTY/Digital.

I sent my log to the NYQP. How do I know it was received?

Every log received at Logs@NYQP.org will receive an automated reply to confirm receipt. Received logs are automatically sent to multiple NYQP team members. We are making sure that any computer malfunctions will not cause your log to be lost.

When will the NYQP results be posted?

The release of results is set to roughly coincide with the annual RDXA Awards Banquet, usually held in mid-April.

Expect results to be posted on the NYQP web page prior to that, we are targeting March 15th.

How do I contact the NYQP?

See the NYQP home page at www.NYQP.org

P.S.

The NYQP team members are all volunteers. Please recognize that we do not have the manpower to repair individual logs. It is your responsibility to learn your software before the contest starts and to send us a Cabrillo log that is correctly formatted.

I had a blast in the NYQP. When is the next one?

October 15, 2011 (Always the third Saturday in October)
October 20, 2012
October 19, 2013