For my SBARC hams. Dave AI6VX
From: Jacques KN6VQ via groups.io Date: Fri, Sep 12, 2025 at 5:06 PM Subject: [K6MEP] 2025 CA QSO Party Thread
Hello all,
We are now three weeks away from one of the most fun contests of the year: the California QSO Party (CQP)! It starts at 1600Z on Saturday, October 4th and ends at 2200Z on Sunday. That's 9am Saturday to 3pm Sunday our time.
You may be asking yourself, "Why is the CQP so fun, Jacques?" Well, I have answers! Most of the time in contests, CA is not that desirable. Getting a CA state or CQ Zone 3 multiplier is really pretty easy, so operators don't search for us like they would an elusive South Dakota or Wyoming station. During the CQP, however, we finally get to be the hunted!
Every single North American station who participates in this contest is specifically looking to make a contact with *you*! They really, really, really *need* to call you. That's why I suggest that anyone who operates this year, regardless of contest experience or station size, try calling CQ at least for a little bit. It can seem daunting, especially if you end up with a mini pileup of callers, but the only way to learn is by doing it!
If you are even considering giving it a go this year, I would suggest you register your participation here:
https://www.cqp.org/register.html
Once you sign up as being an operator from Ventura County (or another county if you want to operate mobile), you'll be more likely to get on the air when the contest starts.
I'll have a few more posts about the CQP in this thread over the coming weeks. If you would like to take a look at the rules now, they can be found here:
https://www.cqp.org/Rules.html
Feel free to ask me any questions you may have about this contest, either in this thread or directly. I look forward to seeing some of your names on the County Tracker Spreadsheet!
See you on the air!
Jacques KN6VQ