Minnesota QSO Party Rules

11th Annual Minnesota QSO Party
Saturday, February 07, 2009
1400-2400 UTC (8AM-6PM CST)

2007 Changes and Additions

Awards added for top Minnesota Phone Only winner
Awards added for state / province winners

Contest Rules:

Time:

Contest runs from 1400 until 2400 UTC (8 AM to 6 PM CST) 02 February 2008.

QSO Rules:

MN stations work everyone; all other W/VE & DX work MN stations. Work stations once per band & mode. MN mobiles may be worked once per band & mode from each county, & MN mobiles may work stations once per band & mode from each county.

Bands:

HF classes: 160m-10m (excluding WARC bands).
VHF Classes: 6M and above.

Modes:

Phone (SSB/FM both count as Phone)
CW (CW/RTTY/PSK all count as CW)

A station may be worked once on both CW and Phone mode on each band.

Spotting Networks:

Use of Packet or Telnet spotting networks is permissible in all categories but no self-spotting is allowed.

Exchange:

MN Stations: First name & county (three letter designator).
W/VE Stations: First name and state / province.
DX Stations: First name only. Section should be logged as DX.

** NOTE ** MN Mobile stations must sign call sign with county three letter designator, in addition to the exchange; for example KØBUD/HEN for Hennepin County.

Multipliers:

Multipliers for Minnesota Stations:MN counties (87 total) plus states/provinces (49 states excluding Minnesota + DC + 11 Canadian provinces + 3 Canadian Territories = 64 W/VE mults total); 151 maximum.

Multipliers for W/VE( outside Minnesota): MN counties. 87 maximum.

DXCC countries may be worked for points only-no multipliers.

Multipliers count once overall - not once per band.

Scoring:

Score 1 QSO point for Phone QSO, 2 QSO points for CW QSO. Final score is QSO points total times multiplier total.

Operating Classes-MN:

Single Op Low Power
Single Op QRP (5 watts or less)
Single Op Phone Only
Mobile - Single Transmitter (No Limit on the Number of Operators)
Mobile - Unlimited (Two or More transmitters Operated Simultaneously)
VHF
Multi-Single (Single Transmitter - Multiple Operators)

All classes (except Phone Only) are mixed modes only. Mobile entries are strongly encouraged to have a separate driver and operator.

Note: Output power for all Minnesota operating classes is limited to 100 watts except for Mobile Unlimited (1500 watts PEP) and QRP (5 watts).

Operating Classes-W/VE:

Single Op Low Power (100w or less)
Single Op High Power
Single Op QRP (5 watts or less)
Multi-Single (Single Transmitter - Multiple Operators)

Operating Classes-DX:

Unlimited

Club Competition

An aggregate trophy is awarded to the club with the highest collective point total submitted by it's members (who MUST SPECIFY club affiliation on the summary sheets turned in with the log). Minnesota Wireless Association itself is not eligible for this trophy.

Suggested Frequencies-CW: 1.850, 3.550, 7.050, 14.050, 21.050, 28.050.
CW QSOs in the SSB Portion of the HF Bands are not allowed. For CW on VHF bands, follow common practice.

Suggested Frequencies-SSB: 1.870, 3.850, 7.250, 14.270, 21.350, 28.450.

Suggested Frequencies-RTTY: Within the ARRL suggested band plans for all bands.

Logs:

Logs must be submitted by March 15, 2009. Electronic logs are strongly encouraged and should be sent to MNQP@ISD.NET according to the following guidelines:

Cabrillo format is preferred (.LOG or .CBR extensions). Other text editor readable files are accepted. .BIN files should not be submitted.
Separate summary sheet not required with Cabrillo submitted logs (standard for major contests).
The subject line of the e-mail submitting the log should contain only the call used in MNQP.
Confirmation e-mails will be sent out to those who supply an e-mail address, however you should check the MNQP website to verify that the log has been received.

Paper logs can be sent to MNQP, 4745-170th Lane NE, Ham Lake, MN 55304-5233 by 15 March 2009. Log & scoring summary sheet available on the Internet at WWW.WØAA.ORG. Paper logs generated by a logging program will require submission of electronic file to be considered for awards.

Prizes and Awards: 1st place in each MN & W/VE class receives plaque or certificate depending on the number of entries. The top twenty W/VE entries outside Minnesota will receive a special gift of Premium Wild Rice from the State of Minnesota. First place winners in each State/Province will receive a certificate. Certificates will also be sent to Minnesota stations who set new a scoring record for the county they operate in. The Contest Committee reserves the right to limit prize distribution based on the level of financial support received by sponsors.

MN Three Letter County Designators: The 87 counties of Minnesota are each assigned a 3-letter designator. A list of these counties is available at www.wØaa.org. These should be used if designing a template for your contest software of choice. The following programs support the Minnesota QSO Party: NA, TR, WriteLog, N1MM, N3FJP, and a special MNQP Logger written by WRØDK. All support files are available at WWW.WØAA.ORG.

County Line Operation: Mobile or portable stations that change geographic area (counties for Minnesota stations, state or province for others) are considered to be a new station and may be contacted again for QSO points and multiplier credit. No station may claim simultaneous operation in more than one county, state, or province. A mobile or portable station must move to a location clearly within the new county before claiming a county change. Common sense and safety should be considered when making county changes.

Rev 13 - January 27, 2008