2018 Results – From the Chairman
2018 Results are now posted! – ncqsoparty.org/results
I don’t know how many saw my interview with Bob Heil on Ham Nation a week prior to the event this past February. I can tell you it’s very different doing it than watching it! I was honored to be on and get the word out. I think it helped because the QSO Party is continuing to grow! Despite band conditions being less than desirable this year, and down right weird acting, activity was up. We couldn’t do it without all you folks!
We’ve had some good moves forward this year: a new revamped website, increased presence on social media, better log scrubbing by our 8th committee member Logbot, killer statistical analysis by Marc W4MPS, and a very successful “CAROLINA” Spelling Bee. We can’t forget our great sponsors, new and old, sending in and renewing their pledges this year. RARS continues to provide excellent support as the NCQP host club. I need to remind everyone that RARS budgets money for NCQP over and above what we bring in from the award sponsors. Our Treasurer Greg Seamster, KE4PAX, does an outstanding job of keeping it all straight. He rarely gets any recognition, but surely deserves it.
I’m glad to see a good mix of CW and SSB QSOs as it is maintaining about 50/50 in the activity results. Digital is at about 2%. Should there be more? I remember in 2012 when RARS assumed the NCQP helm, everyone was clamoring to include digital. It’s there now. We’ll see if the new FT8 enthusiasm will get that activity up if the software authors perfect a “contest mode”. I have taken the time to look into FT8 from a contest perspective, and think it is an OK mode for NCQP. There are some rumblings about disallowing it because it removes too much human intervention to make a QSO, but I don’t think it is any more so than a CW operator using automation from a logging program to send.
We are up 4% over last year with 353 logs submitted and 35,310 QSOs made. Even though that’s the second highest QSO total, the count of logs submitted hit an all time high. I attribute that to more ops struggling with poor band conditions this year than in 2015. We received logs from 94 of our 100 counties. Looking at the trend from 2012 onward, there has been a steady increase in activity which puts us at double our size in those 6 years. Nothing we can do about band conditions, but we are certainly doing it when it comes to enthusiasm!
I need to say something about the Spelling Bee and our synergy with South Carolina. Teaming up with our good friends in our sister state has been, and continues to be a consummate pleasure — despite the fact that they put mustard in their BBQ! Seriously, South Carolina chairman Dave, WN4AFP came up with the spelling bee idea and it was a hit. We had 33 successful spellers and that gives each one pretty good odds for the $50 Wireman gift card drawing! Congratulations to those successful participants. It wasn’t that easy, was it? I consider it a great success.
There are so many to thank. The committee did a great job. There is not a better group assembled who care and are passionate about making this event the best it can be. My words here don’t give it justice. We’re saying goodbye to Joanne Mars, AA3N, our Clubs Manager committee member. Joanne has served with us since 2014 and has done a splendid job supporting the clubs in regards to NCQP. You’ll still hear Joanne on the air as she spends more time with her other responsibilities, family and NTS traffic handing, which she is an important part of here in North Carolina.
See you in 2019!
Vy 73,
Marty W4MY, NCQP Chairman