For a number of years, Tom, K1KI has been managing the New England QSO Party (NEQP) that takes place the first weekend of May, usually right after NEARfest. This year’s event will be held May 7 & 8. The NEQP has become very popular among county hunters since many of the Yankee Clipper Contest Club members get on the air from New England with several of them going mobile. The small size of the NE states and counties make it ideal to spend a few hours in the car running pile-ups from county lines.
If you’re new to the hobby, this is an excellent time to experience the thrill of being a sought-after station. Stateside QSO parties are a great stepping stone to larger operating events like Field Day. Whether you go mobile or not, there are plenty of stations looking to work NE.
Lest you think you need to slog it out for hours to get anywhere, I won the NH Hillsborough Low Power category, using N1FD, for 2015 with only 162 QSOs. Tom spreads the wealth to maximize enjoyment.
If you’re interested in giving it a try, check out NEQP.ORG for details. In past events, NARC has used an interactive spreadsheet for those who would like to operate with the N1FD callsign so that folks can select a time and frequency for operating.
Finally, as a warm-up, look for me from Marion county, FL the weekend of April 30 – May 1.
73 de K2TE
