Sharing to the group because there is a lot of great tips and information in this video.

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https://youtu.be/3IH1z5WUBfw?si=VHooz5GqpoyDVQzQ

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Chris KL9A shares a secret that a well know QRP operator uses to get thru all the time….

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They cover tips for both CW and SSB.

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73

Brian

NJ1F

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For those looking to get on the air this weekend no matter what your favorite mode is there are plenty of radio sport events happening.

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First up our friends just to the east in Vermont are having their QSO party.

The 67th Vermont QSO Party will take place during the first full weekend of February 2025.

It will begin at 0000 UTC Saturday February 1 and will end at 2400 UTC Sunday February 2, which is a 48-hour period.

In local time, this corresponds to a start time of 7:00 PM EST FRIDAY night January 31st and an end time of 7PM SUNDAY night February 2nd.

The VERMONT QSO PARTY provides the opportunity for Amateur Radio Operators to contact and exchange QSO information with Vermont Amateur Radio operators. All licensed amateur radio operators are invited to participate. Stations outside Vermont work Vermont stations. Stations within Vermont work everyone.

The discussion below is a summary of the QSO Party. Please download for specific rules.

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If FT is your thing you wont want to miss the LABRE-RS DIGI CONTEST is an international amateur radio competition, which aims to promote digital amateur radio in Brazil in an event alluding to the anniversary of . It starts on February 1, 2025 at 00:00 (UTC) and ends on 2 p.m. at 20:59 (UTC).

We will use the FT4 and FT8 modes in the bands of 80 meters, 40 meters, 20 meters, 15 meters and 10 meters.

Instructions: Put the radio frequency at the bottom of the sub-band and work the stations on audio frequencies within the radio pass band (usually 2.5 to 4kHz wide). If a sub-band gets crowded, increase the working frequency in increments of 3kHz as needed. (For example: 7,080; 7,083 and 7.086).

You will not be allowed to use more than one (1) streaming (multistreaming).

Exchange

Grid square with four characters

Score

QSO Points: QSO’s are scored only once per band, be it FT4 or FT8. QSO’s are worth 1 (one) plus one (1) point for each station in Rio Grande do Sul (3rd region – PU3, PY3,...) contacted.

Multipliers: Multipliers have a value of 1 (one) for each Grid Field of two different characters contacted in each band.

Totalization: The final score is the sum of the QSO points in all bands multiplied by the sum of the grids. Example: 800 QSO points times 40 grids achieved, equals the total of 32,000 points.

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Complete details at ? (You will need to use the translate feature of your browser)

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With the solar flux currently at 150 the 10-10 Int. Winter Contest, SSB should have some good conditions.

Spring Digital - held on the last full weekend in April - 0001 UTC Saturday through 2359 UTC Sunday.

EXCHANGE: 10-10 members send call sign, name, 10-10# and QTH (State, Province or Country). If received exchange does not have a 10-10#, then record a zero(0) in the log.

Complete rules at

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Enjoy RTTY? well check out the Mexico RTTY International Contest: ?Objective For Amateurs around the world to contact other amateurs and exchange QSO

information with as many stations as possible. Any station may work any other

station on different bands. Contest Period: Begins 12:00 UTC Saturday February 1, 2025, ends 23:59 UTC Sunday

February 2, 2025. The participants can operate the full 36 hours. Mode Baudot RTTY only, Bands All amateur bands, 3.5 to 28 MHz. (WARC Prohibited.)

Exchange: Mexican Amateurs: Signal report and State.

DX: Signal report and serial number, starting with 001

Complete rules and details at

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Well if you enjoy CW and SSB operation and want to work anyone anywhere then the European Union DX Contest fits the bill.

General

a.?Aim: It is a world-wide competition: everybody can work everybody
b.?Date and time: The contest is held on each first full weekend of February starting at?12.00 UTC Saturday and ending at 12.00 UTC Sunday?(24 hours). In 2025 the contest will take place on February 1-2.

QSO Points

Non- European Union stations:
QSO with European Union – 10 points,
QSO with your own country – 2 points,
QSO with a different country in your continent – 3 points,
QSO with another continent – 5 points.

Exchange

??European Union stations will send RST and a two-letter & two-number code to identify their regions (see point 7).
? Other stations will send RST and ITU zone. New York is ITU Zone 8

Complete details at

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Our friend in Minnesota are having a qso party, Time: Contest runs on the first Saturday of February from 1400 through 2359 UTC (8 AM through 5:59 PM CST).

QSO Rules: MN stations work everyone; all other W/VE & DX work MN stations. Work stations once per band & mode. MN mobiles and rovers may be worked once per band & mode from each county, & MN mobiles and rovers may work stations once per band & mode from each county. Bands: HF classes: 160m - 10m (excluding WARC bands). Modes: Phone (SSB, DSB, FM, AM all count as Phone) CW - only ?A station may be worked once on CW and once on Phone. Exchange: MN Stations: First name & county (three letter designator). W/VE Stations: First name and state / province (two letter abbreviation). DX Stations: First name only. Section should be logged as DX. Multipliers for W/VE and DX (outside Minnesota): MN counties: 87 maximum. Multipliers count once overall - not once per band or mode.

Complete details at

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If you didn’t get enough operating during last weekend WFD you can try FYBO Winter QRP Sprint (Freeze Your Butt Off) ?Here are the rules for FYBO (Freeze Your B___ Off) Contest: FYBO Winter QRP Sprint, sponsored by the Arizona ScQRPions First Saturday in February from 1400Z-2400Z QRP HF Only. CW or SSB (5W max). Near QRP calling frequencies (no WARC bands). Exchange RST, State/Province/DXCC Country (SPCs), first name, power out, and Temperature (Fahrenheit) at OPERATOR'S POSITION. Indoor stations must report INDOOR temperature. ?Example: 579 AZ Frosty 2W 40F Now the scoring is really kind of fun, IF you are participating primarily in a non-FYBO activity, send your normal exchange for that activity. Including Signal Report, SPC (State or Province or Country) and Temperature would be nice for us, but optional. Multipliers: 65+ F = x1; 50-64 F = x2; 40-49 F = x3; 30-39 F = x4; 20-29 F = x5; Below 20 F = x6. For contacts with NQ7RP, add 100 points. One contact PER mode PER band allowed. There may be multiple NQ7RP operations such as NQ7RP/5. Either one but not both, counts.

Complete details at

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Like to do CW with a straight key then the AGCW Straight Key Party is for you. Dates Straight Key Party 80m: Annually on the first Saturday in February, 16:00 to 19:00 UTC. Next date: February, 1st 2025. Only CW (A1A) with a straight key, single OP operation. The IARU Region 1 band plan must be strictly adhered to! This means 80m band operation only between 3510 kHz and 3560 kHz.Report: RST + consecutive 3-digit QSO number (starting with 001)/ Class/Name/Age.
YLs enter “xx” in place of the age. In principle, the indication of the age is voluntary, if you don’t want to indicate your age, you give “xx”.

Example: 569001/A/Tom/39, 589004/C/Rosel/xx

Complete details

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Just in case you wanted to join another QSO Party the is the British Columbia QSO Party OBJECT: Stations outside British Columbia to work only BC stations in the 42 BC Federal Electoral Districts. Stations in BC to work anyone, anywhere.
CONTEST PERIOD: The contest comprises two segments. The first segment starts Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025 at 1600z, and runs for 12 hours until 0359z Sunday Feb. 2, 2025. The second segment starts Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 at 1600z, and runs for eight hours until 2359z Sunday Feb. 2, 2025. Participants may operate during both segments or just one segment but not during the gap between the two segments. Participants may operate all 20 hours of the contest.
FREQUENCIES & MODES:Contest bands: 160m to 10m, no WARC bands. Contest modes: Phone and CW
Suggested Frequencies (+/- 5 kHz or so): CW - 1815, 3535, 7035, 14035, 21035, 28035 kHz. Phone - 1845, 3850, 7230, 14250, 21300, 28490 kHz. (check for US General)

EXCHANGE British Columbia stations send: RS(T) and District (three letter abbreviation) Non-British Columbia stations send: RS(T) and state/province/territory or DX.

Complete details at

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Now if you are up for a fun challenge the North American Sprint, CW Object: For North American stations to contact as many radio amateurs as possible. For non-North American stations to contact as many North American stations as possible.

Exchange: To have a valid exchange, you must send all of the following information: The other station’s call sign, your

call sign, a sequential serial number, your name, and your location (state, province, or country). Stations outside North

America may send “DX” instead of a country abbreviation. You may send the exchange information in any order, but the most

common format is for the station that will QSY after the contact (see Rule 11) to send both calls first. The station that will stay

on frequency sends their call last. Here’s an example if K7GM calls CQ and N6TR answers:

N6TR K7GM 154 RICK NC

K7GM 122 TREE OR N6TR

Before leaving the frequency, it is good practice to acknowledge the contact is complete, usually by sending R or TU.

Special QSY Rule: If any station solicits a call (e.g., by sending “CQ,” “QRZ?,” “Up 5,” or any other means of soliciting

a response, including completion of a contact where the frequency was inherited), that station is permitted to work only one

station in response to that solicitation. The station must thereafter move at least 1 kHz before calling another station, or at

least 5 kHz before soliciting other calls. Once a station is required to QSY, that station is not allowed to make another contact

on the vacated frequency until or unless at least one subsequent contact is made on a new frequency.

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Sharing this interesting video interview on the GA POTA

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73

Brian

Hi all:

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The club is planning on operating in Winter Field Day January 25th & 26th, 2025. We will start setting up at 9 am Saturday January 25th at the Saratoga County Fire Training center. WFD begins at 16:00 UTC (11am local)on Saturday and runs through 21:59 (5 pm local) on Sunday. The plan is to have multiple stations setup allowing CW, SSB and digital modes on HF bands. ???(The Saratoga County Fire Training Center is located behind the animal shelter at 6010 County Farm Rd, Ballston Spa, NY.)

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Please join us for Winter Field Day! ???Beyond the technical aspects, Winter Field Day fosters a sense of camaraderie among operators, bringing together a community of like-minded individuals who share a passion for amateur radio. It’s a chance to exchange knowledge, share experiences, and build strong relationships that can prove invaluable during emergencies. Whether you’re a seasoned operator or a newcomer eager to learn, Winter Field Day offers a rewarding experience that strengthens both your skills and the amateur radio community as a whole. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to prepare, connect, and make a difference!

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73,

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Michael Levy, K2ZIP

President, SCARA

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