All amateur radio operators and radio clubs:

The Great River Amateur Radio Club is happy to announce that this summer, 2022, it will sponsor an on-the-air event celebrating Iowa’s rich railroad history. It will be called IRROTA, or in other words, Iowa Railroads on the Air. The event will run through the months of July and August 2022. This will be a great opportunity to remember Iowa’s railroad history and the railroad depots across the state.

Website: The Great River Amateur Radio Club will have a website where you can upload the name of the depot(s) you worked from and the contacts you made. It will also contain the rules pertaining to the IRROTA event.

 https://www.american-rails.com/support-files/iowa-railroad-stations.pdf 

Iowa has approximately 375 former railroad depots. Most have been abandoned, others are active railroad depots, some, such as the one in Dubuque have become museums, some have become business buildings, and some have been drug to other sites to serve other purposes. You can operate from any of these train depots. However, if you work from one that has become a business you will of course need to have permission; and if you work from one that is an active train station you probably also need permission. Of course, you’ll want to stay out of the way so there are no accidents or problems.

Certificates and QSL cards:

The Great River Amateur Radio Club will provide a certificate of acknowledgment to any individual or club activating five stations. And a special certificate will be given to the club or individual who activates the most railroad depots. The Great River Amateur Radio Club will also provide a QSL card to any hunter station who sends the club a SASE.

Rules:

1. Activators cannot use any terrestrial repeaters. Communications must be by HF or VHF/UHF simplex.

2. Activators can use any suitable mode, such as SSB, FT-8, CW, PSK-31, etc. 

Iowa QSO Party

The Iowa QSO Party is sponsored by the Story County Amateur Radio club.

Here are the links to Midwest Division (IA, KS, MO, NE) QSO Parties.

April 2-3, 2022 - Missouri    https://www.w0ma.org/index.php/missouri-qso-party 

April 9-10, 2022 - Nebraska   https://nebraskaqsoparty.com/ 

Aug 27-2, 2022 - Kansas   https://www.ksqsoparty.org/ 

 Sep 17-18, 2022 - Iowa   http://www.w0yl.com/IAQP 

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QSO Party Frequently Asked Questions From http://stateqsoparty.com/

FAQs – State QSO Parties

What are state QSO parties?

A State QSO Party is a contest where you try to work as many stations as possible in a specific state or group of states. Because multipliers are usually counties of that state, you also try to work as many counties as you can. Many in-state stations operate mobile, driving around the state to activate as many counties as possible. Typically, State QSO Parties are a little more laid back in intensity so they can be a fun activity for newer contesters. Many SQP sponsors give plaques or other awards for leaders in the different categories. Some offer awards for spelling out different words with callsigns worked.

Anyone striving for the United States of America Counties Award (USWAC) or Worked All States (WAS)maward will benefit from working state QSO parties.

For a complete list of State QSO Parties, click here. To assist you, here’s a handy map resource: US Census State-Based County Outline Maps. And remember to read the contest rules carefully. They vary by state.

Does every state have a QSO party?

No. Some states are too small to have their own QSO party. They band together to form area QSO parties such as the 7th Call Area QSO Party and the New England QSO Party.

How do I know when the state QSO party for my state occurs?

There are several contest calendars available. A popular one is the WA7BNM Contest Calendar https://www.contestcalendar.com/index.html. This website has a tab at the top for State QSO Parties.

How do I participate in a state QSO party?

Before participating in any contest, including state QSO parties, it is advised to read their rules because every contest has individual variations. The rules can usually be found by Googling for the state QSO party that you are interested in. There will be a link to the state QSO party’s rules on the WA7BNM Contest Calendar.

You can either employ the “Search & Pounce” (S&P) or the “Running” methodology. With S&P, you tune through the band looking for stations calling “CQ <state> QSO Party.” To call them, transmit your call, using phonetics, one time. If they don’t come back to you right away, call one time again. When they do respond, they will say “59 <county>”. They may give the full name of the county or an abbreviation which can usually be found on their website. Your exchange will usually be “59 <your-state.” You do not need to give your county if you are out-of-state. If you are in-state, say “59 <your-county>.” If you are using a mode other than SSB, give the RST as “599.” Always give an RS(T) of either 59 or 599 in a contest.

For some states, the out-of-state exchange is RS(T) and a serial number starting at 001 and incrementing by one for each new contact. The other station will then say thank you (TU) and/or call CQ again.

How do I call CQ in my in-state QSO Party?

If you want to use the Running methodology, you must find an unoccupied frequency and call “CQ <state> QSO Party. This is <your-call>” Always give your call phonetically. When someone answers you, say “<their-call> 59 <your-county>.” When you give your county, it is often helpful if you give it both as the full name and as the abbreviation (using phonetics). After they give their exchange, you should say “Thank you. This is <your-call> QRZ.” Please do not just say QRZ without your call because someone using S&P may have just come upon you and doesn’t know your call.

How do I call CQ in a state QSO party if I am out-of-state?

If you are out-of-state, simply call “CQ <state>. This is <your-call>, <your-call>.” Always give your call phonetically, at least twice when calling CQ. Calling “CQ <state> QSO Party” would indicate that you are in-state., so always call “CQ <state>” without saying “QSO Party”. You might further elaborate by saying something like, “This is <your-call> calling CQ anyone in the state of <state>.” The point is to make it clear that you are not an in-state station.

How do I log my contacts?

There a quite a few contest loggers for your computer. Some of the most popular are N1MM+, N3FJP’s contest loggers, WriteLog, Win-Test, DXLog, GenLog, and more. See https://www.n5pa.com/contest.software.php and https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-category?id=27. You can also use paper logs, although some contests are now requiring electronic logs.

How do I submit my log?

When the state QSO party is over you should submit your log as directed in the SQP’s rules. Usually you can submit a Cabrillo log electronically. Most contest logging software will export a Cabrillo log for you to submit. There are websites that will convert data keyed in from your paper log to a Cabrillo log.

I only have a few contacts. Why should I submit a log?

Contest sponsors appreciate your log even if it is small. They compare all contacts reported with all logs received to determine if the contact reported is valid. Your log will serve as verification for all the contacts that you made. Without your log, the contact may be disallowed in the other logs. It also gives them an idea of the total number of hams participating.

What is the State QSO Party Challenge?

The annual State QSO Party Challenge recognizes all radio amateurs’ participation in the U.S. State and Canadian Province QSO parties. It is open to any radio amateur who participates in any of the approved State QSO Parties (SQPs). Participants are recognized for reaching five levels of achievement – Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond. See StateQSOParty.com for complete information.

How do I enter the State QSO Party Challenge?

Participants must simply submit their scores to 3830Scores.com to be included in the Challenge.

How do I find the results of the State QSO Party Challenge?

The results of the State QSO Party Challenge are posted monthly on the State QSO Party website http://stateqsoparty.com/sqp-challenge-results/ and announced on the QSOParty.io reflector. You can also find the current up-to-date results on 3830.com. There is a link to the results on the Home page https://3830scores.com/sqpsummary.php.

How are the scores calculated for the State QSO Challenge?

The participant’s Score is based on the total number of QSOs made in each State QSO Party as reported on 3830Scores.com multiplied by the number of State QSO Parties entered in the current year. Total Points = (Sum of Individual State QSO Party QSOs) * (Number of State QSO Party Entries)

What if I am participating in a multi op station?

Each operator receives the station’s total contacts divided by the number of operators. The report to 3830Scores.com should include all operators’ calls and the station call. For example, four operators at a multi-op station that makes 2,000 contacts: 2000 / 4 = 500 Qs each, which would be multiplied by each individual’s total number of SQP entries

I had 400,000 points in the XXX QSO Party. Why aren’t I included on your list?

You have to participate in more than one SQP to qualify for an award level. One objective of the program is to encourage you to participate in many SQPs.

I made a contact in the XXX QSO Party but didn’t get credit for the entry.

You need at least two contacts in an SQP to get credit for it. The program rewards you for participation, not for just touching base.

I reached the Platinum level last year, but now I am only at Bronze. Don’t I get credit for all the SQPs I entered last year?

No. The program renews annually. On January 1, everyone returns to zero for another challenging year.

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North American QSO Parties to Recognize Young Contester Entries

http://www.arrl.org/news/view/north-american-qso-parties-to-recognize-young-contester-entries

ARRL Iowa Section SET 2022 October TBD

Cyber Attack II! “This is a drill”

Information and calendar at: website: https://www.arrliowa.org

Registration, discussion, calendar, files, meeting, event, and update notifications at: https://groups.io/g/IowaARES/topics

IOWA SECTION SET Managers:

 LGarner WA0UIG IA_SM/SEC

JHoepfner AE5EI IA_STM