2020 EDITION OF BC QSO PARTY Feb 1 and Feb 2 2020

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British Columbia QSO Party 2020
presented by the Orca DX and Contest Club

Date/Time: 1600z Feb 1 to 0359z Feb 2 AND 1600z to 2359z Feb 2 (That’s Feb 1, local time, 8am to 8pm PST AND Feb 2, local time, 8am to 4pm PST)

Band conditions remain challenging, particularly from the perspective of operators in the Pacific Northwest, but that doesn’t mean QSOs are impossible. It just means we have to refine our operating strategies. 

Objectives:   BC stations contact anyone anywhere. (BC stations can contact other BC stations,stations in the U.S., stations in other provinces/territories of Canada, and stations in other countries.)

 Stations outside BC have to contact VE7/VA7s. 

Exchange:    BC stations give a three-letter code representing the federal electoral district in BC + RS(T)    Confirm district at elections.ca/home.aspx and use the multiplier list (see URL below) to determine the  corresponding three-letter code for BCQP.                 

 Stations outside BC give province/state/”DX”


*In BCQP, Hawaii and Alaska are not considered DX. Stations in KH6 and KL7 will give “HI” and “AK”, respectively. Stations outside the U.S. and Canada will give “DX”.


There is NO OTHER EVENT like BCQP for BC operators. The potential for a tangible award is super high for BC stations. 


Top scores in every class of entry receive a one-of-a-kind certificate showcasing beautiful BC — different photo every year taken especially for this event. In addition, top scores in each federal electoral district — the multipliers in BCQP — are awarded one-of-a-kind certificates, too. Very few contests hand out photo-based certificates and NO OTHER REGULAR ON-AIR EVENT uses a different photo each year. Collectible! Shack-worthy!
Follow links at http://orcadxcc.org/bcqp.html for rules, multiplier list, FAQs, in-depth event analysis/reports and scores from past years, and examples of photo certificates and plaques. 

Note that BCQP runs in two segments: 12 hours on Saturday and eight hours on Sunday. The segments are NOT split by mode. Operate PH, CW and/or digital as you wish, on one day or both during the designated blocks of time. Everyone can work all 20 hours of the contest or a few hours on Saturday and a few hours on Sunday, or just Saturday or just Sunday. Completely up to each person. There is no required off-time, but there can be NO activity during the gap between the 12-hour block on Saturday and the eight-hour block on Sunday. 

If you have questions, I am, as always, just an email — use my callsign @ rac.ca — away. 

GL and 73!  
Rebecca VA7BEC
BCQP Contest Coordinator

SEA PAC 2020.

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Important SEA-PAC Announcements

The SEA-PAC Committee is already hard at work for SEA-PAC 2020, June 5-7, 2020. With a newly remodeled Seaside Convention Center, 2020 is sure to be a great year.

The 2019 Workshop, “Power and Communication When Everything Goes Dark”, was videotaped and the final production is available for viewing. The 5 workshop videos are now available on the SEA-PAC website (https://www.seapac.org ) on the “Workshops > Past Workshops” page along with the 10 sets of presentation slides that are available on the “Workshops>Past Presentations” page.

It’s with some excitement that the Committee announces the key note speaker for 2020’s Gala SEA-PAC Banquet, Dr. Scott Wright, K0MD, editor of ARRL’s National Contest Journal, “dedicated to covering the competitive contesting aspects of amateur radio.” Scott is a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and an active Ham since 1977. He travels the world as part of his medical responsibilities but this travel also affords him the opportunity to take Ham Radio with him around the world. Scott’s sure to have fascinating stories to tell about his life in Amateur Radio and his adventures in contesting. After Registration opens in February, buy your banquet tickets early as they always sell out before the convention.

And don’t forget the SEA-PAC Collector Pin design contest. Entries are due by March 1, 2020. Fire up your creativity and maybe you’ll win 2 tickets to the SEA-PAC Banquet. See the SEA-PAC website and click on the SEA-PAC Pins tab for more information.

SEA-PAC is totally volunteered-driven. The Committee has identified the following areas that need your support: Registration, Security, Exhibitor Hospitality, Prize Committee, Workshops, Seminars, Flea Market, Exhibitor Setup and VE testing. If you’re interested in helping to make SEA-PAC a continuing success, please send an email to volunteers@seapac.org and indicate your call sign, contact number and your committee preference, if you have one, so that a committee coordinator can call you.

As a reminder, SEA-PAC 2020 Registration will open on February 15th, so keep an eye out for the email announcement and https://www.seapac.org for more information.

See you at SEA-PAC 2020.