2016 Montana QSO Party

Montana QSO Party 2016 Rules

1) Objective: To provide the opportunity for Amateur radio operators to contact Montana Amateur radio operators, and to activate as many Montana counties as possible in accordance with the rules of operation..

2) Montana QSO Party: 4th Weekend in January, 2016 Begin: 0000Z January 24rd., (Friday January 23rd., 5PM MDST) End: 0000Z January 25th. (Saturday January 24th., 5PM MDST) Total operating time = 24 hours.

3) Categories: (A) SO Single Operator, one transmitter (No assistance allowed) (B) MS Multiple operators, one transmitter. (Relief operators, loggers, spotting nets, CW Skimmer) No Multi-Multi operations allowed. (C) RS Mobile/Rover, No multi-operator. Non-contest driver & operator counts as single operator

4) Modes: (A) Mixed Phone/CW/Digital - Log each contact by actual mode used. (PH/CW/PSK/RTTY/ect.) (B) PH SSB, AM, FM (C) CW CW Only (D) RY Digital Only (All digital modes qualify)

5) Power multiplier: Category Description Multiplier (A) HP Any QSO�s over 150 watts X1 (B) LP Any QSO�s 150 watts or less X2 (C) QRP All QSO�s 5 watts or less X3 Stations must operate the same power category for the entire QSO party. Stations not indicating power level in their log will be scored as operating High Power.

6) QSO Party Exchange: (A) Montana Stations send signal report and 3 letter Montana county designator. A list of Montana Counties are shown below the rules or at www.fvarc.org (B) Non-Montana Stations send signal report and State/Province or DX. Call signs and exchange information must be received by each station for a complete QSO. No cross-mode contacts. CW contacts must be made in the CW portion of the band.

7) Scoring: (A) QSO Points: Each complete non-duplicate SSB contact is worth one point. Each complete non-duplicate CW or Digital contact is worth two points.

(B) Multipliers: Montana stations: Count 50 US States, (including MT, DC counts as MD) plus the 13 Canadian Provinces/territories QC, ON, MB, SK, AB, BC, NL, PE, NS, NB, YT, NT, NU, for 63 multipliers per mode of Phone, CW and Digital. (Not per band.) Total maximum multipliers = 189. (Montana Mobiles count as a new multiplier in each new county activated).

Non-Montana stations: Count Montana Counties for a maximum of 56 multipliers per mode of Phone, CW and Digital. (Not per band.) Total maximum multipliers = 168. Multipliers are counted once per mode of Phone, CW and Digital. (Not per band.) DX contacts count for QSO points, but not multipliers. (Enter DX in the exchange.) A list of Montana Counties are shown below the rules or at www.fvarc.org

(C) Final Score: Total QSO points by mode multiplier by state/province/county multiplier by power multiplier. Example: (200 SSB QSOs X 1 + 100 CW/Digital QSOs X 2) X 30 States/province/county X 2 Low Power = 24,000 Points

200 SSB QSOs X 1 = 200 100 CW/DIGITAL QSO�s X 2 = +200 Total = 400 30 States/Provinces/Counties X 1 = x030 Total =12,000 Low Power X 2 = x2 Total Points =24,000

(D) Invalid Contacts: Stations outside Montana may not count contacts with non-Montana stations or with DX stations.

8) Bands allowed: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, 2 and 70cm - Simplex only! Repeaters and WARC bands not allowed! All stations should operate with regard to the ARRL band plans!

9) Miscellaneous: (A) Use of remote receivers/transmitters is not permitted. (B) A multiplier may be counted only once per mode of Phone, CW, and Digital, regardless of number of bands which it is worked. (Mobiles count as a new multiplier in each new county activated). (C) No station may claim simultaneous operation in more than one county, state, or province. A mobile or rover station must move a minimum of 500 feet before claiming to be in a new county, state, or province. (D) Any transmitter used to contact one or more stations may not be subsequently used under any other call sign during the Montana QSO Party, with the exception of family stations where more than one call sign is assigned. Under these circumstances, no individual shall make a QSO utilizing more than one call sign. (E) For latest Montana QSO Party rules, goto www.fvarc.org 10) Reporting: (A) All stations include your station call signs & club's name in the log header or summary. (B) Do EACH of the following: 1.) Email your Cabrillo file format V 3.0 logs AND summary sheets to [email protected] 2.) Enter your scoring information at: http://fvarc.org/?q=MT-QSO-Entry (C) Deadline for entering your scores AND uploading your files to the fvarc.org web site is 1 week after the Montana QSO Party ends! (D) NO PAPER LOGS ACCEPTED! 11) Awards: Certificates will be mailed out for the following categories: (A) 1stplace certificates for each category of High Power, Low Power, QRP and Mobile. (B) All other participants who submit a log to the web page will be able to download from the fvarc.org website a certificate of participation via a PDF download.

73 and good luck! Lyndel Thiesen, N7LT MT QSO Party Manager

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