05/01/2025
SBARA Radio in the Park / 7th Call Area QSO Party (7QP)
Hi there,
As mentioned at our last club meeting, in keeping with our annual tradition, the South Bay Amateur Radio Association will be hosting SBARA Radio in the Park in conjunction with the 7th Call Area QSO Party (7QP) on Saturday, May 3rd at Central Park in Fremont.
Radio in the Park is an informal event where club members and friends come out and setup a radio and portable antenna and participate in 7QP. It’s a great opportunity to test your radio and antenna out in the field. Unlike Field Day, this is an ad hoc event, so we will coordinate frequencies on the fly. Be aware that there may be a little rain in the forecast, so I suggest you keep an eye on the weather!
7QP is an amateur radio contest, held annually on the first Saturday in May. The stations of the US 7th call area (Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming) become "the pursued,” and the rest of the US, Canada, and the world tries to work as many of us, on as many bands/modes as possible, over an 18-hour period commencing at 6:00am Pacific Time (1300 UTC). More information about the contest, including the rules, can be found here. There is a link in the left navigation area to the rules.
Exchange:
7th-area stations send signal report plus 5-letter state/county code (e.g., ORDES; see list). County-line stations send multiple codes, e.g., UTRIC/IDBEA (state code needed only once, e.g., ORDES/JEF).
Non-7th-area stations send signal report plus state/province/"DX" two-letter codes. So we would send “CADX.”
Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10m.
NOTE: WSJT digital modes are not allowed, since they don't support the 7QP exchange.
It’s best to have a laptop with logging software to keep track of QSOs. One free logging app, that we use for field day, is N1MM Logger+. This is also an opportunity to learn how to use N1MM in preparation for Field Day!
I recognize that contesting isn’t for everyone, but this is a great opportunity to give it a try. Some are more serious about contesting than others. As with many areas of ham radio, there is something for everyone.
Date: Saturday, May 3rd
Time: 10am to 2pm (or whenever)
Location: Central Park/Lake Elizabeth, Fremont, CA
NOTE: We will setup next to the parking lot parallel to Paseo Padre Pkwy, near the intersection of Paseo Padre Pkwy and Sailway Dr. (https://maps.app.goo.gl/fnw8UWvPx45wUQUx7)
Hope to see you there!
73!
Steve K6WW
SBARA President
