[OhQP-mail] Thoughts on OhQP Activity

[Jimk8mr at aol.com]

In a few months, when we're all tired of the cold and snow, the 2010 OhQP  
results will come out, and as always, we will have stats on how many CW and 
SSB  qsos were made.
 
My non-randomly sampled observations were that conditions and/or  activity 
were down on 40 and 20. (And of course just about non-existent on 10  and 
15). I had more Europeans following me on 20 than usual. At one point I  think 
I had about ten straight EU qsos on 20 CW. 
 
But otherwise there didn't seem to be the usual number of out of state guys 
 following me from county to county. Perhaps the weather throughout the  
northeastern US was too nice. Maybe propagation was still dragging from the  
coronal holes earlier in the week. Maybe the county hunters have already  
worked everything there is to work in Ohio.
 
Or maybe we were so busy having fun working each other here in Ohio on 75  
or 80 earlier in the day than we normally might, and those guys from out of  
state who might have shown up to work us didn't find as much activity and 
lost  interest.   I don't know.
 
But in any case, I was very impressed with the Ohio activity, both on the  
air and the interest shown while planning the OhQP.  QSO parties are  
multi-purpose contests.  At one level, serious contesters run up their qsos  and 
chase multipliers as they follow mobiles like me across the  state.
 
But at another level, these events are the ideal way to introduce new  
people to contesting.  Some of these people may new hams, and others hams  who 
have been around but never really got around to checking out contests. These  
events are a lot more laid back than the major world wide events you read 
so  much about in CQ and QST. The bands are not jammed end to end as in the 
big  contests. People take a little more time to be nice. They simply have 
fun.
 
And at this level, it looks to me like the 2010 OhQP was a major  success.  
Thanks to all of you who helped make it so. And we hope to  see you all 
back for the 2011 Ohio QSO Party!
 
 
73   -   Jim   K8MR
 
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