The annual ‘Pennsylvania QSO Party’ is coming up on October 11th and 12th
Two Rivers ARC W3OC members will be participate in this years ‘PA QSO PARTY 2025’.
We will be operating, using the club call W3OC, from the
LINCOLN BORO VFD 184 SOCIAL HALL
4312 LIBERTY WAY
ELIZABETH PA 15037
HOURS:
SATURDAY OCTOBER 11th from Noon till Midnight EDT
SUNDAY OCTOBER 12th from 9am till 6pm EDT
This will be an all indoor operating event in which we Pennsylvania radio amateurs make radio contacts with radio amateur all over the world.
For those of you that are unfamiliar with this event, or events similar to it,
“It is helpful to understand the broader concept of a QSO party. In amateur radio parlance, “QSO” refers to a two-way communication between operators. A QSO party is an organized event designed to encourage radio operators to make as many contacts (QSOs) as possible with stations in a specific geographic area—typically a state or region—over a designated period. These events are not only contests to see who can log the most contacts, but also social gatherings on the air, where seasoned operators and newcomers alike share stories and experiences.” (Info from Two Rivers ARC webpage).
“Pennsylvania amateurs operating in the State of Pennsylvania, without regard to the amateur’s home address, may contact as many other amateurs in Pennsylvania, the United States, Canada, and the world.” (Rule 1.).
Obtaining a ‘Sweep’ of all 67 PA counties is a great accomplishment.
Now comes the nitty gritty of this operating event. Most of it comes from the ‘PA QSO PARTY WEB PAGE’
‘https://www.paqso.org‘, or its rules page
‘https://www.paqso.org/pa-qso-party-rules.html‘
Note: For those using the ‘N3FJP PA QSO Log Program’, please remember to enter your CALL and INITIALS (CTRL-S Keys).
The logging program keeps a list of which operator has made the QSO.
BASIC EXCHANGE BETWEEN STATIONS. CONSISTS OF:
1. CALL SIGN OF CONTACTED STATION
2. SEQUENTIAL SERIAL NUMBER (Ex: 001, 002, etc)
3. STATE, PA COUNTY, or ARRL/Candian Section, or ‘DX’ .
MODES USED THIS YEAR ARE: PHONE and CW. Phone modes can be SSB, AM, or FM. No DIGITAL this year.
SUGGESTED RADIO BANDS USED CAN BE:
160m, 80m, 40m, 20m, 15m, 10m (28.3 MHz), and any VHF/UHF simplex frequencies. No WARC Bands.
Although QSO’s are permitted on all ham band allocations authorized by the station licensee.
Note: Please remember that there are other radio amateurs operating on a specific band. Try to avoid having confrontation with those operators. They may not be participating in the PA QSO Party. Be especially wary of organized nets which may be operating near by.
SUGGESTED FREQUENCIES CAN BE:
CW– 40 kHz up from the bottom of a particular band
PHONE– portions of the phone bands allocated to General Class licensees.
although QSO’s are permitted on all ham band allocations authorized by the station licensee.
Some experienced operators use a strategy in which they operate:
PHONE (on the hour), and CW (on the half hour)
There are quite a few operating aids available including:
A PA QSO Party Spotting Page in which you can find a list of those stations who are showing there current operating frequency, etc.
‘http://qsopartyhub.com/paqp-spots.php‘
Although it is a contest, it is a fun event. All club members can operate using the club call sign, as we will have Extra Class licensees on hand.
The TRARC will also be providing food and beverages, courtesy of club members Joann Lentz and Mike Telling KC3UNE.
WE NEED YOU to come and operate the stations that will be setup. If you wish to, you can bring your own
transceiver or computer to operate. Radio antennas planned are an HF multi-band vertical, and other wire antennas.
We will be using the latest version of the ‘N3FJP PA QSO PARTY’ logging program (version 4.8.8) for all logging of contacts and final scoring.
Please let me know if you are planning on attending. I can be reached via email at ‘w3on@comcast.net‘ or
phone 412 466 0157.
73
Chuck W3ON
