Jason,
Welcome to the world of HF contesting! It's great that you had fun in the
NAQP, and I'll be looking forward to working you in future contests.
A good thing about HF contests is that there is one (or more!) going on
nearly every weekend. This weekend is the Ohio QSO Party.
The OQP runs from noon to midnight (EDT) on Saturday. The full scoop is at
_www.oqp.us_ (http://www.oqp.us) From WV you should have a good shot to
Ohio on 40 meters for much of the contest, and 80 meters from late afternoon
on.
State QSO parties like OQP are great training grounds for contesting in
general. There will be top ops in there showing their skills, and there will
also be a lot of slower, more casual guys. The pressure is less intense, with
fewer frequency fights. Though time in the chair is good in any contest, you
don't have to spend every moment at the rig to do well, and most parties have
lots of certificates and plaques for those who do well.
Especially when operating from out of state, it helps to have a map of the
counties, both to serve as a multiplier check sheet and to familiarize you
with the county names. A great source of such maps, for all 50 states, is:
_http://www.census.gov/geo/www/maps/stco_02.htm_
(http://www.census.gov/geo/www/maps/stco_02.htm)
I hope you'll stop by and join us Buckeyes for the fun on Saturday. And
BTW, West Virginia has its own QSO Party, held in June.
73 - Jim K8MR
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