British Columbia QSO Party
Call: VA7ODX
Operator(s): VA7AM VA7BEC VA7KO
Station: VA7ODX
Class: Multi-OpMixed HP
QTH:
Operating Time (hrs): 12
Summary:
Band CW Qs Ph Qs Dig Qs CW Mults Ph Mults Dig Mults
-----------------------------------------------------------
160:
80: 4 10 5 9
40: 6 33 7 18
20: 90 286 75 46 54 39
15: 18 46 16 21
10:
-----------------------------------------------------------
Total: 118 375 75 74 102 39 Total Score = 327,230
Club: Orca DX and Contest Club
Comments:
A couple of weeks ago, I played in NAQP SSB to get an idea of what BC operators
might be facing during BCQP. CONDX was awful but Qs were still possible,
particularly on 20m and 15m. And so it was during BCQP as well.
The RTTY op lamented that these were the worst conditions he had seen in many
years. The CW op sighed in frustration too many times to count, especially when
NA Sprint took over the frequencies, even our suggested alternate frequencies.
For me, on PH -- which tends to have more activity than the other modes -- I
enjoyed some good, if short-lived, runs. But results are a far cry from what
they have been in past years.
Overall, the VA7ODX score is not even half the level achieved last year, but
not for lack of trying. But we were one radio short this year. For various
reasons, including CONDX, me and my CW op decided to share one radio and
alternate between PH and CW rather than set up separate stations for each mode.
As a result, PH runs were cut short a couple of times as I reluctantly
relinquished the chair.
On the high bands, 20m was the go-to band for all modes. 15m had moments but
only until mid-afternoon local time. We drew a complete blank on 10m. On the
low bands, 40m was okay but, like 15m, was not particularly productive. 80m was
a struggle.
We often have surprise DX in the VA7ODX log. I say "surpise," because
BCQP is by and large a North American event. That said, in recent years we have
had logs from Europe and Japan, and many BC logs have shown QSOs with stations
all over the world. Not a huge number but enough to be a pleasant surprise that
we cautiously look forward to seeing every year. Not this year. Not much DX at
all, if the sponsor log is anything to go by. Over-the-pole Qs were impossible
with the aurora at 7.0 or higher through most of the day, and signals over
great-circle routes just could not get through activity on the East Coast.
Along with disappointing band conditions came an unexpected amount of snow on
the southern coast of BC. In this area of the province, the snow tends to be
wet and heavy -- not fluffy, cornstarch-like powder -- and the resulting ice
that forms as temperatures drop is not an antenna's best friend!
It's the job of the team running the sponsor callsign to keep the on-air
profile of BCQP high, but we still like to put lots of Qs in our log. So
despite the challenges, it was great to hear so many familiar callsigns and to
exchange a friendly hello. And perhaps because the going was so tough, each and
every Q was all the more appreciated.
On behalf of the VA7ODX team and Orca DXCC, I extend a sincere thank you to
everyone who got on the air and/or helped others get on the air. BCQP continues
to be a fun event because of the people who get involved.
Hope to see you all again in 2018 -- February 3.
73
Rebecca VA7BEC
Koji VA7KO
Dave VA7AM
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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