FQP Results

WD4AHZ (sk) hard at work running 'em at K5KG's station

The 2018 Florida QSO Party (FQP) saw conditions slide a little closer to their nadir. Though it would seem to help to have great high band conditions for the FQP, it’s not a requirement. As with Sweepstakes and the NA Sprint for two other examples where there are no Multipliers by band, it is really only important to have one good band and one pretty good band -- two (or three) good bands are a bonus. 40 Meters took up the slack left by 15 Meters.

The sponsoring Florida Contest Group (FCG) was pleased to dedicate the 2018 FQP to Ron Wetjen WD4AHZ, who tragically became a Silent Key shortly after the 2016 FQP. Ron was a long-time FCG officer and had been involved in many of the big events in the club’s infancy and adolescence. Just to pick two of many examples, it was Ron who hosted the chat room (remember those?) for both the FQP rebirth organization in 1997 and when the FCG hosted W1AW/4 in IARU HF in 2000. Club members scattered throughout Florida used the chat room to pass QSOs, transfer the responsibility for bands as thunderstorms popped up and forced shutdowns, and keep one another motivated to post > 11,000 QSOs in 24 hours. And in 2014 for the ARRL Centennial celebration, it was again Ron who came to the rescue and hosted a scheduling app on his website for our second week to allow for reservations by club members of band-modes to operate again as W1AW/4, where ops throughout Florida notched 50,000 QSOs across all bands and modes over seven days.

To honor Ron’s memory, the 1x1 Spelling Bee in 2018 spelled “WD FOUR AHZ”. After having twenty 1x1 stations in 2017 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the revived FQP, we struggled a bit to even fill nine station hosts in 2018. Many thanks to all of our station hosts in 2018 for stepping up to the plate.

Please see the Silent Key Addendum for a list of those who have passed since the 2018 FQP and have been actively involved with the FQP over the years.

Not that anyone can fill their shoes, but we extend our thanks and congratulations to the newer hams of all ages who are giving contesting a try. It is encouraging to see non-contesters answering CQs (and occasionally calling CQ) in events like the FQP where they are sought after and competition for frequencies is not as cut-throat as in Sweepstakes or CQ WW.

Valid QSOs after log checking were up by about 5%, from 111,736 in 2017 to 117,216 in 2018. This increase is particularly notable considering that there were 20 1x1 stations racking up 33,484 QSOs in 2017 vs. just 9 1x1s in 2018 generating 16,268 QSOs. The increase in QSOs can’t be chalked up to solar conditions either. According to the ARRL’s Propagation Bulletin:

“Sunspots disappeared again this week, with a blank Sun on April 28, and continuing on every day since.
Spotless Days: Current Stretch: 6 days 2018 total: 73 days (59%)”

Without an exhaustive dive into the FCC’s database, it’s difficult to quantify the totals, but it seems that the FQP attracts more new hams. There were lots of KM4s and KN4s in the logs from operators outside of Florida who spent time CQing for Florida stations. The number of participants who have been licensed less than three years continues to grow. The vast majority of participants never call CQ, so it behooves all out-of-state participants, particularly Mixed-mode and SSB-only stations, to spend time calling CQ for Florida stations to maximize score.

After a down year for FL Mobiles in 2017, the number of Counties covered bounced back in 2018. FL fixed stations, US and VE entries were within a whisker of their high totals as well, but the declining conditions really hurt the DX log count with its lowest level since 2008. We’re still chasing the high-water mark from 2012 - the ARRL’s “Year of the QSO Party.”

Earlier Years:

• 2008-826
• 2007-778
• 2006-755
• 2005-589
• 2004-706
• 2003-662
• 2002-450
• 2001-403
• 2000-294
• 1999-215
• 1998-229

Illustrating the lack of 15M conditions is this table of QSOs by band by hour:

Someone flipped on the 15M switch at 1417z Sunday and the band produced over 70% of its FQP yield in the following 2+ hours, petering out at 1640Z. A string of Brazilians was logged on 10 Meters in the 20Z hour on Sunday at a time when nothing was happening even on 15M.

The band/mode high totals illustrate the strong shift towards 40M at the expense of 15M. 20M remains strong regardless of sunspot activity!

2018 saw a significant increase in 40M totals across the board. In-state stations had good runs on 40 early in the contest, including KU8E/m on Saturday evening with a big run featuring 200+ per hour rates on SSB -- highly unusual for Jeff from any station, but particularly notable from a compromise antenna.

283 operators achieved the sweep of all 9 1x1s in 2018, thanks to the hard work of the 2018 1x1 operators! (Details about the 1x1 sweepers appear toward the end of the write-up.)

The N4WW team set the high bar again in 2018 with their operation as K4W from Doc’s formidable many-tower station just outside of Orlando. Doc/Austin N4WW was joined by noted DX-peditioner and polyglot K1MM, CW pile-up guru NN7CW, FCG President WF3C, and two non-contesters -- NN7CW’s co-worker KN4BDC and Nelly, who is a business associate of K1MM’s and not yet licensed. This group lapped the field on SSB, notching over 2000 QSOs to go with 965 QSOs on CW. Their QSO count increased slightly to 3000 QSOs in 2018. K4W managed to scrape up 19 QSOs on 15 SSB, the only QSOs on that band-mode by any 1x1, by having a dedicated transmitter alternating between SSB and CW there during daylight hours.

Up in far Northwestern Florida, K4Z, featuring station host N4OX and guest KK4TE, was the only other 1x1 to exceed 2000 QSOs. K4Z took advantage of their northwesterly location to pace the 1x1s on 40 CW where they were the only ones to exceed 400 QSOs. They also did well on 40 SSB, where they logged 551 QSOs; the second-highest total on that band-mode behind K4W’s 578 with much bigger antennas.

Behind K4Z and nearly breaking the 2000 QSO barrier is the K4A team. N4KE hosted a 9-man group from the North Florida DX Association at his station in once-rare BRA. Their log is tilted toward SSB. They actually logged two more valid SSB QSOs than K4Z, but their CW total is about 200 fewer than K4Z.

Next in the standings is the top-scoring Single-op 1x1. NF4A signed K4U from his home in BAY and turned in an outstanding effort. Charlie had a very balanced log, with nearly a 50-50 split between CW and SSB. Charlie posted the third-highest total of any of the 1x1s on 40 CW, where his 380 QSOs were only 14 behind K4R with N4BP at the key, and only 24 behind the aforementioned K4Z. Sadly, Charlie’s tower and antennas came down 5 months later in Hurricane Michael.

N4UU also operated Single-op from his station in ALC, easily visible as one travels along busy route 301. Martin made a lot of hay on 20 SSB as K4F, where he posted the high score for a Single-op 1x1 on that band-mode. Martin was only a few QSOs behind NF4A for top Single-op 1x1. Martin’s SSB total is literally a handful of QSOs behind Charlie -- 991 for K4U and 985 for Martin. However, Charlie logged more CW QSOs -- 870 to 813.

N1TO volunteered to host a 1x1 at his station in IDR for the first time and ended up giving his dit paddle quite a workout, signing K4H for the weekend. It’s a good thing he remembered which side it was on as usually the contact on that side of the paddle doesn’t get much of a workout! Ed did not venture to 15M at all, but he still exceeded 1500 QSOs for the weekend.

After moving around the State a bit, we circle back to Central Florida as WO4O hosted K4O at his station in LAK. Ric operated by himself and had the second-highest CW QSO count of all the Single-op 1x1s. Ric posted 497 valid QSOs on 20 CW alone; the highest count by far of any of the 1x1s except for K4W @ N4WW.

A bare six valid QSOs behind K4O is N4BP signing K4R. Bob also operated by himself from his relatively modest station in BRO and logged over 1400 QSOs with a heavy CW emphasis.

Last but not least is K4D, featuring KM4HI and K5AUP at K5AUP’s station in northern ORA. Jim and Jim managed to log over 1200 QSOs; slightly more on CW than on SSB. They had a very respectable 681 CW QSOs.

The Mobiles were out in force around Florida again in 2018. Mobile stations again covered all 67 Counties in Florida multiple times, so a sweep was possible without ever leaving the Mobile windows. Some of Florida’s Counties have no resident HF-active hams, so the only activity in the FQP from those Counties is from Mobiles as they pass through. In 2018, there were 19 Mobile stations who submitted logs and were active at various times throughout the weekend.

Thanks to Dick K2ZR for again operating his portable station down in Key West in MON and taking one of the difficult ones. Even with MON well-covered, there were no sweeps on Saturday. The first sweeps were earned when KN4Y crossed into GUL, activating that County for the first time just over 12 hours into the FQP. K0HC was the first sweeper at 1405Z, then K9CT and K9NW followed two minutes later. By 1422Z, VE3DZ and WI9WI had joined them.

There were no more sweeps for about an hour until VE3KZ worked N4LPD in GUL on SSB to finish his Mixed sweep at 1519Z. WJ9B and WB2ABD also needed GUL and worked KU8E at 1647Z and 1649Z after Jeff kindly changed his route on the fly to hit GUL on Sunday.

Timing is everything in most pursuits in life, and NO5W’s timing was excellent in the 2018 FQP. There had been some activity from OKA before they crossed over from WAL into OKA at the end of the 1900z hour on Sunday, but clearly lots of folks had missed it because Chuck and Ted made lots of people happy, finishing 10 sweeps between 2017-2029z, including a pair of fairly rare W7 sweeps from W7RN in NV and AA7V in AZ.

Propagation to FL from W7RN is no doubt greatly enhanced by the daily remote usage of the station by FCG co-founder Ellen White W1YL! And AA7V noted in his soapbox that the pile-up for NO5W/OKA on Sunday afternoon sounded like Bouvet!

The final sweeps were earned within a minute of each other. FQP multiple-time winner W8MJ earned his CW and Mixed sweeps when he worked KC4HW in FRA at 2110Z, then Les VE3NNT finished his amazing Sunday-only-Remote CW sweep and the last sweep of the FQP by working N4FP in POL of all Counties one minute later.

Actually, Bob K0HC noted in his 3830scores.com posting that he achieved a Sunday sweep at 2033Z in 8 hours and 34 minutes, even quicker than 'NNT.

As usual, the 66th and 67th Counties were concentrated in the Panhandle this year, with POL and BAK the only peninsular Counties that served as anyone’s “last one”. Amazingly, K4OJ, who provided over 3000 QSOs overall, was not the 66th or 67th County for anyone.

N4CW and his driver and son-in-law W4TMO notched an outstanding score in the 2018 FQP, amassing more than 2000 CW QSOs to go with a very efficient 85 SSB QSOs and 30 SSB Multipliers. Bert and Jim covered 36 Counties from their home base in STJ. Bert smashed W5WMU's (SK) Driver Mixed record with more than double Pat's 2009 score.

KN4Y restricted himself to CW-only on his usual 27-County route and logged almost 1200 QSOs. Ed is frequently active in the regional QSO parties in the Southeast (GA, AL, and FL). Ed’s route took him through a number of rare panhandle Counties, including activating GUL for the first time all weekend late Sunday morning as mentioned earlier.

Two Ohio transplants battled it out on both SSB and CW in the Single-Op Mobile No Driver category. K8MR won the battle in 2018 over KU8E. Jim is a veteran of innumerable Mobile QSO party entries up in OH and MI, though 2018 was only his third FQP entry. K8MR operated from 19 central and southern Florida Counties and posted the third-highest score ever in the Single-Op No Driver category, though WC4E’s 1M point record from 2013 remains comfortable.

Jim managed to do some operating while in motion in rural areas. Jim records the audio, then transcribes those portions of his log afterward. Note that the FQP organizers do not endorse operating while driving for obvious safety reasons. Jim’s 114 SSB QSOs were efficient as better than a third of his SSB QSOs were Multipliers.

Meanwhile, according to his post-FQP report, Jeff KU8E in particular found it a challenge to balance driving to new Counties with operating. Jeff estimates that he operated less than half of the 10-hour operating period on Sunday because he scrapped his planned route in order to drive from his hotel in LEO to GUL to offer some additional coverage. Jeff’s willingness to do so was admirable, though it caused his coverage to suffer as he only got to 11 Counties. Jeff did have a terrific run on 40 SSB in LIB on Saturday night, and logged 22% of his slightly more than 1000 QSOs on SSB. K4BAI, KU8E’s usual operating partner on Team W4AN, is known for his outstanding accuracy, but Jeff showed that he can hold his own with a sparkling 0.5% error rate to land himself on the log checking honor roll for 2018. Jeff found 46 SSB Multipliers to go with his 245 SSB QSOs; the most of any Single-op Mobile entrant.

There were more Single-mode entrants in 2018 than there have been in recent years. K1KNQ used his traditional route to cover 21 Counties on SSB-only. Jack operated as K4FCG and extended some well-needed SSB coverage for a number of central and Big Bend Counties. Jack always has an accurate log, but in 2018 he managed a golden log with no errors -- perhaps the first by a Mobile station ever! His SSB-only totals were less than KU8E’s Mixed-mode SSB total, so at Jack’s suggestion we awarded the Single-op Mobile SSB plaque for 2018 to KU8E.

Joining K4FCG in SSB-only was recent transplant NX4TT, who returned to FL and changed his call from NX7TT. Ed covered four counties in 2018 and plans to try the new Expedition category in 2019. He kindly is also sponsoring a new plaque for top Expedition entry.

Another former Floridian came back for the 2018 FQP and managed a very nice part-time score from 11 north Florida counties. KC4HW, who used to live in the Melbourne area, drove down from his home in Alabama and operated CW-only. Many of those northern counties have no resident ham population and most have no convenient access to I-10, so we count on locals like Jim who know their way cross country on some smaller, two-lane roads to cover those counties for the “deserving” sweep seekers.

The Mobile Multi-Single is perhaps the quintessential FQP Mobile category. Two ops alternate driving and operating duties and travel around the State managing raging pileups for 20 hours (at least, that’s how it always goes in our imagination).

2018 featured four teams who hit the roads without microphones, the return of a frequent winner and the return of a juggernaut who has mastered the art of the rapid QSY to 14151.

In CW-only, the carpetbaggers from Louisiana showed they were a little too spicy for the locals, as NO5W (+KN5O) dusted the all-Floridian competition to win the category. Chuck and Ted exceeded 2500 valid QSOs in 2018, the only ones in this category to do so. Their 63 Multipliers had them right in the thick of the race and coupled with their commanding QSO lead they took the crown. Not that Team NO5W needed any help, but their error rate is also best among all the Mobile M/S groups and tied for second best of any Mobile entry as they finished with an outstanding 0.5% error rate.

K1XX and W1MD are originally from New England, as evidenced by their callsigns, but they now call the Space Coast of Florida home. Charlie and Marty operated from Charlie’s SUV and covered 42 counties. Team XX finished with the 2nd highest QSO total in the category, just north of 2200, and managed the most multipliers at 63. They also bounced back nicely from 2017, when their effort was cruelly cut short after only 10 minutes when unfixable antenna problems took them off the air way out in ESC shortly after the starting bell.

N4FP gave his wife a break in 2018 and took neighbor K2PS along during his Mobile outing. Wayne and Pete covered 31 Counties, the fewest in the category, and came within a whisker of 2000 QSOs. They accumulated 64 Multipliers, one more than category winner NO5W. The men from MAO joined NO5W, KU8E, and K4FCG as the only Mobile entries to make the log checking honor roll with a final error rate of 0.9%.

After 6 years of hosting a fixed 1x1, K1TO found an opportunity to return to the roads where he had been a part of successful efforts with N4TO, K8NZ and N4KM in past FQPs. Dan joined Blake N4GI in 2018 and they signed N4TO in memory of longtime FQPer Vic Dubois N4TO (SK 2008). The pair covered Dan’s usual route of 51 Counties which was far and away the most in the category and tied for the most of any Mobile. However, they wrestled with noise problems that prevented them from hearing many stations and they ended up with the fewest QSOs and Multipliers in the category, not to mention the most soapbox comments about being deaf.

While the roads were crowded with CW-only Multi-Single entries, there were only two Mixed-mode entrants. VE7ZO and K5KG teamed up yet again as K4KG and dominated the category while posting the high score overall. Jim and George traveled to 51 Counties, tied for the most of any Mobile. They logged 2300 CW QSOs and found 77 Multipliers, the highest CW Multiplier total of any of the Mobiles. To accompany their outstanding CW effort, they found 334 SSB QSOs and 62 Multipliers, also tops among the Mobiles. This is Team KG’s 2nd best effort ever, behind only their 2013 score. Jim and George have entered this category 13 times since 2003 and they own the top 8 scores in the category.

Most years, Team KG has their category to themselves, but in 2018 NC2H joined AC4ZM as they traveled through four Counties. They emphasized SSB over CW, offering some much-needed SSB coverage in the southwest part of the State.

As has been the case for the past few years, K4OJ and K4KG fought it out for the high overall score. ‘OJ wins when their sheer lead in QSOs outweighs ‘KG’s advantage in SSB Multipliers. In 2018, K4OJ managed nearly 3800 QSOs and their CW Multiplier count is 68; the most of any of the CW-only Mobile entrants, but 9 Multipliers behind ‘KG’s CW Multiplier count. All that is to say that it just wasn’t K4OJ’s year to set the scoring pace overall regardless of category.

However, K0LUZ, NX4N, and N4KM still had a fabulous weekend as K4OJ. N4KM set a new high-water mark on 40M with 1446 QSOs after log checking, to go along with their nearly 2400 valid 20M QSOs with K0LUZ at the key. NX4N was the driver and navigator, pointing the Suburban (with more than a quarter million miles on the odometer) through 47 Counties, third-most of any Mobile. This is K4OJ’s 5th straight entry in this category, and though they’ve had different numbers of stations active and have cycled a few operators through the chairs, they’ve posted at least 3000 QSOs each year. With no sunspot cycle rebound in sight, his success in 2018 puts more pressure than ever on Kevin to push the record for 40M QSOs higher. Will he reach 1500 valid QSOs on 40M in 2019? Fingers crossed!

Anyone who has driven through the Melbourne area in the past few years could be forgiven for wondering what local business has the initials “FQP.” The full-size van with “FQP” emblazoned on the side in 18-inch high letters doesn’t belong to “Flo’s Quest for Progressive” or “Florists Quarterly Publications” or “Farrah’s Quinoa Parties”, it belongs to AD4ES who uses it as a delivery van for his mail sorting business the other 363 days per year. Chuck was joined in the FQP-mobile in 2018 by KE4YGT, N1ZZ and first-time CW hotshot W4SO. Eschewing their usual Mixed-mode effort, they concentrated on CW in 2018 and managed a very respectable 2467 QSOs through 29 Counties.

A number of the current and former North Florida ARRL section leaders participated in the 2018 FQP as they’ve done for a number of years. The N4DAB team operated from 8 Counties in 2018. Unusually when compared with the other Mobiles, they chose to operate with semi-portable antennas at each stop, which enabled them to have a stronger signal on SSB. They were very efficient on SSB, where over half their QSOs (22/40) were Multipliers. They logged almost 400 QSOs on CW while operating Field Day-style from a number of parks and other stops in the east central part of Florida on Saturday only.

Beginning in 2019, we have chosen to implement the Expedition category which more accurately reflects the category of N4DAB and a few others. The Expedition category is intended to include Single-op and Multi-op entries that operate using antennas that are not capable of motion. Temporary masts with dipoles and inverted vees, trapped verticals, Spider Beams, and the like are all (presently) not permitted in the Mobile category, as the Mobile station must be self-contained and capable of operating while in motion. Our intent is that Mobiles who use compromised antennas should be competing with other Mobile stations, not semi-permanent stations with larger antennas. Similarly, Expeditions who cannot quickly travel from County to County and naturally cannot cover as much ground in the operating period should not compete with Mobiles who can activate 30+ Counties during the 20 FQP hours.

In 2018 we received Fixed Station logs from 43 of Florida’s 67 Counties. The other 24 Counties included many of the usual suspects in the Big Bend and Panhandle without any resident HF ops such as LIB, GAD, GUL and LAF, although it also included well-populated Counties such as STJ (St. Augustine) and LEO (Tallahassee). We did receive fixed station logs from rare Counties MON and OKA, and encourage any operation from the rare ones.

Pictured above is the WD5F antenna farm, home of the 4-time champion in single-op mixed from within the state of FL for the FQP.

Congratulations to WD5F in SAR for another well-deserved win, his fourth in a row in this category! Fred uses 100W from his modest station (a log periodic @ ~40’ and a wire for 40M). He made slightly more QSOs on CW than SSB, though his SSB Multiplier total is particularly impressive with 57; one more than the top High-Power Mixed-mode entrant was able to find.

Behind WD5F, thanks to the 3x QRP Multiplier, is K3TW from his all-wires station in CIT. Tom worked more than twice as many on CW than on SSB, as would be expected when running only 5 watts. However, he didn’t twiddle his thumbs on SSB, as he managed 44 Multipliers in only 165 QSOs. Tom worked a lot of his FOC friends on CW and his accuracy is again exemplary as he finds himself on the log checking honor roll with a 0.7% error rate. K3TW has the top 6 QRP Mixed scores from outside FL in the FQP, all in the 2003-2010 period.

Next on the Mixed-mode scoreboard is a newcomer to the FQP. W8RA, who bought and is refurbishing the second iteration of the K4XS super-station, used his wife’s call and placed third as K4YL in HER. Bruce is a DXer at heart and he logged the most Multipliers of any LP mixed-mode entry. We look forward to continued big scores from that big station in the years to come.

In fourth in Mixed-mode is the top High-Power entrant. Health problems have kept K9ES from joining the rest of the AD4ES/m crew for a year or two, so Eric operated from Chuck’s station in BRE and left his amplifier on. Eric took advantage of the 2x bonus for CW QSOs, logging over 700 QSOs and 86 Multipliers on CW (the top Multiplier total for CW of any in-state station), though it cost him some QSOs and Multipliers on SSB. Eric did top 1000 QSOs across both modes -- kudos!

The California QSO Party in particular depends on County Expeditions to cover remote locations with minimal resident ham population. That’s less usual in Florida, but the fifth-place finisher in Single-op Mixed-mode decided to give it a try. W4MY, who has operated Mobile in the FQP with AA4XX and AA4NC in the past, traveled “way down” to SUW, erected a temporary antenna and did an outstanding job. Marty favored CW over SSB slightly, though he made plenty of people seeking the double sweep happy on SSB as well.

WD5F posing with the 2017 FQP SO-Mixed winner's plaque after an in-person presentation by FCG VP (and A-1 Tower Service CEO) K1TO

Reed WW3A operated Single-Op Mixed Assisted from VOL and emphasized SSB over CW, making 22 CW QSOs to go with almost 400 SSB QSOs. His SSB multiplier total was equal to WD5F’s and tied for the most of all the mixed mode entrants.

N4TB lapped the 2018 field in the CW-only categories, gathering in almost 900 QSOs -- 2nd best among all CW-only logs regardless of power. Terry’s Multiplier total from his well-engineered station in northern HIG is an impressive 72, tied for the second-highest CW Multiplier total across all entries. Terry again put his SO2R skills to work, logging 59 QSOs on 15M. His accuracy is very admirable as well, as he barely missed the Log Checking Honor Roll with a 1.0% error rate across his 900+ QSOs.

The race for second in the CW-only category is as close as they come as just 0.63% separated #2-3-4. “Mayor” Ed Koch N4EK came out on top by a whisker. From his station in CIT, Ed logged just over 600 QSOs and 70 Multipliers. As a past Top Golden Log plaque winner, he not surprisingly posted a sparkling 0.7% error rate, vaulting him into 2nd. Right behind him is WF3T from the heart of DIX. Steve finished with a 61-QSO advantage over Ed, but his Multiplier total is six shy. Right behind WF3T is W4SPR in MRT, who split the difference with more Multipliers than WF3T but fewer QSOs. Interestingly WF3T worked slightly more QSOs on 40 than on 20M and also made six QSOs on 15M. N4EK, just one County to the south, had 59% of his QSOs on 20M and made only one QSO on 15M. W4SPR logged 63% of his QSOs on 20M and eschewed 15M altogether.

N4KS operated from his modest station in VOL. Ken used High Power and thus missed the 2x score multiplier for 100W/below. He set the pace for all single-op entrants with 955 valid QSOs. He spent more time running than S&P, which caused his multiplier total to lag. He logged 71, one fewer than category winner N4TB.

Also notable was the one-hour effort of KD2BGM who used a remote station in DAD to rip off nearly 100 QSOs. Stefano is also IZ3NVR and has operated in the FQP from Italy in the past. He is on a unique quest to operate in each of the 50 States’ QSO Parties – remotely.

WD5F (L) and K1TO (R) exchanging Fred's 2018 plaque...a brilliant smile from K1TO after a long day of tower work !

In the Assisted ranks, Dick K2ZR traveled down from NY as he does each winter to the furthest-south County in the USA. With minimal resident contester population, out-of-state entrants usually are waiting on a mobile station to reach MON following a long trip through CLR or DAD. But in 2018, as in years past, thanks to K2ZR, MON was an easy one on CW. K2ZR logged 472 Low Power QSOs and his log was extraordinarily accurate with a final error rate of 0.4%.

Longtime FCG Newsletter Publisher Extraordinaire and Secretary K4LQ also operated CW Assisted in 2018. Fred turned his amplifier on and banged out 683 QSOs, the most in the category. As expected for an Assisted entrant, his high multiplier total of 72 was tied for the most of any single-op.

The winning formula for single-op SSB is often different than for CW or Mixed. Where the winners for Mixed and CW generally run 100W to take advantage of the 2x power multiplier, the SSB winners have typically operated High Power in order to lure in a greater number of casual ops from the much deeper pool.

KM4SEG followed this strategy in 2018 and found himself on the top of the heap. Rich finished with 865 QSOs and 77 multipliers, both tops in the category. Moving his Hex Beam to a new QTH within CIT, and sporting the shorter callsign N4DY, Rich will hopefully return in 2019.

Topping the Rookie group and thus earning a plaque for his efforts, KM4ZQE finished second in the category in 2018. Licensed less than a year and a half, Carl made almost 800 QSOs and found 67 multipliers. ‘ZQE’s 20M total was particularly notable, as he made 687 of his 790 QSOs there. The Silver Springs Radio Club has some great mentors and Carl learns quickly!

MON was also very active on SSB, thanks to KJ4LQX who ventured down I-95 from his home in Melbourne. That is a long drive and we deeply appreciate Marty’s efforts again this year. Marty used 100W from his portable station in the camper, managing 427 QSOs and a very admirable 54 multipliers. He has operated from rare OKE in past FQPs.

Moving from the furthest-S Florida County to the furthest-NW, N7EO operated from his home in ESC and finished in fourth place in what turned out to be a competitive race in this category. Despite his location far to the northwest in Florida which would be favorable on 40M, Gene made all of his QSOs on 20 where he uses a KLM KT-34XA at 75’.

Despite no SSB Skimmer, there are still plenty of ops who prefer to use assistance on SSB for any number of reasons. Alain K4KKC again operated from his station in BRO and finished with nearly 700 QSOs and 63 multipliers to lap the competition in his category.

Another year, another plaque for the husband-wife team of W4EE and KJ4GDL. Jim and Michelle operated from their home station in BRE and used Jim’s call. They emphasized CW over SSB, as over 80% of their QSOs were on CW. They did not ignore SSB though...nearly half of their 70 QSOs on phone were multipliers.

On the opposite coast, the team from the Tampa ARC used N4TP and treated FQP like a training opportunity, running a number of new operators through during a part-time effort for the weekend. Because they had a number of less-experienced ops on their team, they made nearly 80% of their QSOs on SSB.

There was a tight race for third place in this category, as two teams that chose to operate only SSB ended up just a whisker apart. Just as in the mixed-mode world, the two teams were on opposite coasts. The team at the Kennedy Space Center used N1KSC and finished on top by a nose, with 583 QSOs and 69 multipliers after log checking. N1KSC is a club composed of employees and friends of the Kennedy Space Center, and they operate on the KSC grounds.

Just a hair behind the KSC team was the W4AC team operating from SAR. They had an advantage of 76 QSOs after log checking, but had six fewer multipliers than their counterparts in BRE. The final margin between the two teams was just 0.6%.

The East/West Coast divide arose in the Multi-Multi category, too. The teams at W4TA in PIN and W4MLB in BRE battled it out all weekend, and finished within a nose of one another. After log checking, the team in PIN had 50 more CW QSOs than the team in BRE and the two teams had identical CW multiplier totals. The MLB team made enough QSOs on SSB to overcome W4TA’s advantage on CW, yet the east coasters spent lots of time running on SSB and didn’t attract as many multipliers. W4TA had a crucial 10-multiplier lead on SSB which led to their victory by 35,000 points, or about 7%. Congratulations to the groups at both W4MLB and W4TA for their training efforts and hard work year after year!

The Loften High School ARC operated from their station in ALC. They had three operators, including advisor W4GJ. They emphasized CW, where they made 90% of their QSOs. This is our first School Club entry in FQP from within the State in quite some time. We encourage other school and university clubs within FL to consider operating the FQP in 2019 and beyond.

Another year, another new winner in Single-op Mixed from outside Florida. In 2018, it was N8II in WV who took the crown. After 20 years with only three winners (WA3HAE, W8MJ, and N6MU), VA3DF was a first-time winner in 2017 and now N8II is also a first-time winner. Congratulations to Jeff for his excellent score. Atypically, Jeff managed the win despite missing one County (HOL) on CW. Following in the footsteps of the prior winners, his excellent SSB total (more than twice the QSOs of his competition and more Counties to boot) put him over the top. Jeff also had a very clean log, with a final error rate of 0.9%, enough to put him on the log checking honor roll.

Behind N8II is last year’s winner VA3DF. Doug got the sweep on CW and is only 12 QSOs behind N8II on that mode, but he fell a bit short on SSB and had to settle for second place in 2018. He and N8II were the only two out-of-state stations to break the 200K score barrier this time.

The top of the Mixed-mode standings is crowded with former winners, as WA3HAE finished third from PA. Keith always turns in a very accurate log, and true to form he easily made the log checking honor roll again. Keith managed a County sweep, but his CW QSO total is more than 100 behind VA3DF. He made up some ground on SSB, with four more Counties and 30 more QSOs, but it wasn’t quite enough this time.

Behind Keith is former winner of multiple categories VE3KZ. Bob used 100W in 2018, missing GUL on CW but nabbing it on SSB for the Mixed sweep.

The typical 20M skip zone in the FQP favors those outside W4, so ops in this call area usually emphasize 40M. In fact, the fifth-place Single-op Mixed entrant is in SC and made all of his QSOs on 40. WN4AFP did an outstanding job on that band, where he posted the second highest totals on both modes (on CW he is second to K9CT and on SSB he is second to K0OO). 66 Counties, missing only GUL, is quite an achievement. Dave’s energy and enthusiasm are infectious and he made QSOs in all 20 clock hours.

For the first time in the FQP, there were more Mixed Assisted entries (69) than Mixed unassisted (66). Mike K9NW (@K9UWA) turned in an outstanding score, among the most QSOs ever from outside FL in any category. Mike logged a CW sweep and an outstanding 61 Counties on SSB. His effort smashed the US & Canada record set a few years ago by K9PG, though Mike used infinitely more aluminum to achieve that feat.

Finishing second in Mixed-mode Assisted is former Mixed-mode Unassisted winner W8MJ. During the years when he was wallpapering with FQP plaques, Ken mastered the art of CQing for casual FL operators on 20 SSB from his station in MI. He edged out K9NW on SSB QSOs, though Mike found three more Counties on SSB.

Finishing third is VE3UTT. Art did an outstanding job on CW, where he completed the County sweep. He was very efficient, working 44 Counties in his 91 Phone QSOs.

The fourth-place finisher in Mixed-mode Assisted is K0RC. From his “tri-bander + wires” station in MN, Bob managed another County sweep on CW and a very respectable County total on SSB. Bob also made the log checking honor roll with a final error rate of 0.5%. We applaud Bob’s annual efforts to provide very detailed spreadsheets to track the Mobiles!

The fifth-place finisher is part-time Floridian K9OM, operating from his WI QTH. Dick spends the winter in VOL and the spring/summer at his home in WI, no doubt confusing to some. Dick did very well on CW as usual, where he exceeded 400 QSOs with a sweep. His expeditions to SSB were also fruitful, as he logged over 100 QSOs. His 43 Phone Counties were down slightly from the rest of the Top 5.

Single-op CW is again our most popular category for those outside of Florida with 134 entrants. The winner in 2018 was VE3DZ. Yuri is well known as a high scorer at WRTC and in many major contests and has also been known to operate from Florida, including at least one stint as a 1x1 operator with N4BP. He put together a very commendable score from his station in ON. Yuri’s error rate is sparkling, as he survived the log checking process with only 2 errors across his 489 QSOs and a sweep.

Behind Yuri is another frequent FQP CW entrant. From up in northern MI, K8IR finished with over 400 QSOs and a County sweep in 2018. Jim joined the crowd finishing his sweep by working NO5W/OKA on Sunday afternoon. His 66th County was KN4Y/WAL.

Next in the standings is former Floridian WJ9B who relocated to ID after teaching at the University of Florida in the mid-2000’s. He managed a rare sweep from W7 (joining AA7V and W7RN in 2018) to go with 337 QSOs. Will had missed GUL when KN4Y went through earlier on Sunday, so he waited for KU8E to cross the border and get on the air.

Craig K9CT found all 67 Counties easily and an astounding 659 QSOs after log checking. That extends his prior CW Assisted record by a whopping 127 QSOs and is now the highest number of CW QSOs made in any category from outside FL. Craig’s 651 CW QSOs in 2012 remains the Unassisted record. FB!

The second- and third-place finishers in this category managed to score highly despite missing a single County each -- K9CW (OKA) and N2CQ (GUL). Drew K9CW submitted a particularly clean log, as after log checking he had only one QSO removed.

The next two finishers in the category used High Power and found all 67 Counties. Finishing in fourth was Lon W2RR (WA2AOG, opr), who sadly became a Silent Key after the 2018 FQP. In fifth was Bill K3WJV.

KI4MZC's QRP Assisted CW effort from neighboring GA was a mere 1 QSO and 4 Counties short of the all-time record, also set from GA interestingly enough by W4QO.

The SSB-only winner in 2018 is repeat winner ND4Y, topping a field of 73 entrants. Dave has been on top of the leader board for this category for a number of years. In 2018 he split his log 50/50 between 20M and 40M from his station in KY and found 43 Counties.

The second-place finisher in this category is another frequent FQPer, Dave W9QL, who found 40 Counties in his 94 QSOs from IL.

Kudos to 3rd-place finisher Sandy WA1SAY who topped both Daves in 20M QSOs (82) and Counties (45).

The USA M/S winner is N2BJ, who operated with his wife Paula from their home in IL. They found an impressive 48 Counties on SSB to go with 63 Counties on CW.

WA3EKL has assembled a Multi-op crew that’s active on all modes from his station in MD. Alan’s team operated as K0OO in our first ever Multi-Multi High Power effort from outside FL. Team OO found 63 Counties on CW and 53 on SSB.

12 operators, including long-time FQP supporter Joe W8KNO shared the duties at K8BF in Ohio, representing the Portage County ARS.

After a number of years with a single entrant in this category, we had a nice increase in School Club participation from outside Florida in 2018. Joining K0HC (W0BH) were the clubs at RPI (W2SZ), The Glen Raymond School (W9GRS) and Cal Poly (W6BHZ).

The category winner is once again Bob K0HC representing Hesston College in KS, who finished the earliest County sweep in 2018 and notched 60 SSB Counties.

The top finisher from outside the USA and Canada in 2018 is Alex HC2AO, who used 100W and the nice antennas at the club station in Guayaquil (HC2GRC). He found 66 CW Counties, missing only JAC. His SSB totals are more nominal, but thanks to his choice to run Low Power and take advantage of the 2x score Multiplier, he won the category handily and had the second-highest score ever in this category from DX.

In second place in the category is former Floridian K9VV again signing NP2X. Fred used his amplifier from his station in St. Croix and finished with 140 CW QSOs and 59 Counties along with a very tidy 44 SSB Counties out of 59 QSOs. Fred’s FB station was decimated by hurricanes in 2017 so we are very glad to see him QRV.

In the Assisted ranks, Claudio I4VEQ used the terrific antenna array at the club and posted the high score from Europe. This is a personal record for Claudio which says a lot given his numerous entries in the FQP and is also the third highest ever for DX.

HI8A again finished on top of the ranks for CW-only. Rafael used 100W and found 63 Counties in 151 valid QSOs. Thanks to the US Post Office, his 2017 plaque was shipped to Russia – twice – before being returned to shipper K1TO after several months. We hope that the plaque eventually reached its rightful owner!

The DX entrant with the most CW QSOs in 2018 is perennial FQP entrant Sam LY5W, who logged 287 QSOs and 65 Counties from Europe running High Power. His score is only 14 QSOs short of the DX record which is remarkable from Lithuania in a zero-sunspot year.

The DX SSB winner is HI6LT, who logged 110 QSOs and 42 Counties from the Dominican Republic, good enough for an all-time record! This is the only new DX category record in this zero-sunspot year. Amazingly it took only about 4 hours and 30 minutes of operating time to achieve this record, showing how wide open the bands are between the DR and FL!

While the Contest Club Ontario (CCO) followed up their resounding 2017 victory with 28 more entrants, 4,593 QSOs and another 1+ million-point aggregate in 2018, it is their lack of a Mobile entrant that finds them looking up at the Mad River Radio Club and Potomac Valley Radio Club (PVRC) this time out. Mad River sprung to the top on the strength of the K8MR Mobile effort and PVRC benefited from N4CW/m.

Starting in 2018 with these results, we are publishing the total number of QSOs made by the entrants as another way of evaluating the top club. In fact, we are considering whether to switch to that as the new method by which to award the Club plaque. This rewards the efforts of the casual operator whose final score is low because of a lower Multiplier. All other events with club competitions use aggregated scores which heavily weights the high scorers. There are probably some operators who don’t bother to get on for an hour or two because they think that their score won’t matter to their club. In this scenario, their first (or only!) 10 QSOs are just as valuable to the club as the next 10 for an entrant who already has 1000.

There are other metrics that could also be applied such as number of hours operated, although that is a bit hard to determine as listening time is not recorded in the Cabrillo entry.

We are grateful for those clubs who drum up activity in our event. A few years ago, the Swamp Fox group in SC scraped together more than 10 entrants and we noticed. This time out, the aforementioned CCO led all clubs with 28 entries. The PVRC posted 21 entries and 5,565 total QSOs, almost 1000 above the others. Usually one week following the FQP are the dual events of the 7QP and the NEQP (really the “1QP”). As such, the YCCC posted 20 entries across 5 States and Quebec, while the NCCC which extends into NV and OR greatly increased their presence to 18 entries. Perhaps many of their members are warming up for their own event. We also duly note the big increase in entries from the Niagara Frontier Radiosport group, several of whom are very long-time FQP supporters.

(The tables below are presented as images to keep them readable)

The overall error rate for all submitted logs in 2018 is 2.62%, which is down very slightly from 2.74% in 2017. Non 1x1 fixed stations in FL had a 3.2% error rate in 2017. 1x1 stations were again at 2.9% and FL Mobiles led all groups with 1.9%, presumably because they work the same stations repeatedly. Meanwhile, out-of-state stations (DX, W, VE) show a 2.5% error rate with the Canadians again ahead of the pack at 2.0%.

For each busted call, busted QTH and not-in-log, a one-QSO penalty is assessed. Duplicates, out-of-state to out-of-state, and QSOs outside the 20 FQP hours are removed without penalty. We will continue to adhere to high standards of log checking, as it remains a high priority to us to fully certify our results. Each line score reflects the total number of valid QSOs. Penalties are subtracted before calculating the final score. Don’t worry about logging stations in various formats. K4OJ, K4OJ/m, K4OJ/LAF, K4OJ/m/LAF, and K4OJ/r are all equivalent, provided the received QTH field shows LAF for the QSO in question.

While a few sponsors remove all uniques from logs, the FQP and most others take a different view – even if a callsign appears in only your log, it cannot be assumed to be busted. There are many casual participants on the air in a given weekend and in an event like the FQP there are many valid reasons why a callsign might appear in only one log.

Cheerleading is somewhat related to unique calls. Cheerleading is the practice of working exclusively (or almost so) one station that weekend in hopes of benefitting them because the cheerleader is not also working their competitors. In the FQP, with many Mobiles hitting 30+ Counties, the impact of a cheerleader is markedly amplified over a traditional contest where only a few QSOs can be made between two stations. A sophisticated cheerleader might try to work a nominal number of other QSOs so their call does not appear to be a unique, but the vast majority of their QSOs will be with their target station. We consider cheerleading to be a form of poor sportsmanship and we strongly discourage it.

Similarly, if you hold a club callsign, please do not make contacts with both your regular and your club callsign interchangeably. If you want to use one call one day and the other call the second day, go for it!

Any attempt to spot yourself will result in your entry being reclassified as a Checklog. While self-spotting is routine in the world of DXing, it gives the spotter an unfair advantage in contesting over those who wait for others to randomly spot them. One exception -- since we want to maximize exposure of every 1x1, we permit reasonable levels of self-spotting to increase the number of folks who can sweep the 1x1 letters.

As a reminder, there is no 10-minute rule or band change restriction in the FQP. Entrants in all categories may change bands and modes as often as they wish. Just don’t transmit at the same time on multiple frequencies if you are Single-op and if you are Multi-op, one signal per band at a time, please.

Please pay close attention to the Mobile windows. If you are a fixed station and you call CQ there, you will be detected and may be given a warning.

We request that all logs be submitted in Cabrillo format. Updated information on the specific Cabrillo items that apply to the FQP is available on the FQP web site. If you don’t use computer logging and would still like to submit an electronic log, there is an online log entry page at www.b4h.net/cabforms/flqp_cab.php where you can transpose your paper log to a 100% compliant Cabrillo log.

We support and encourage maximum activity from inside and outside Florida. If you operate with a Multi-op and then also want to operate from home, that’s great! Please submit both logs as they’ll both be eligible for awards and you might just get a prime spot in the results write-up!

Thanks to the many volunteers who make the FQP possible!

Webmaster Seb W4AS continues doing consistently solid work on the many pages on the website (as well as the FCG site).

Continued thanks to Trey N5KO who produced the robot for log submissions that has chugged along silently and perfectly for many years now and also manages the storage of the logs on servers that also support CQWW and other major contests.

Many thanks to KU9C for managing the QSL cards and the QRZ.com pages for our 1x1 calls.

Charlie K1XX created a time-saving automated process to look up the USA unique call signs.

Chuck NO5W, part of the top Mobile MS CW in recent years, creates activity maps from the posted Mobile routes for those sweep-seekers to use in stalking the various Mobiles.

In a similar vein, Bob K0RC creates very useful Excel-based data from the Mobile routes and fixed station activity that is posted to assist in tracking all of them across their many Counties.

Chuck and Bob have done this for a number of years now and we have failed to recognize them in this write-up until now – sorry!

Dan K1TO continues with thorough log checking plus the charts and spreadsheets that appear in this writeup. Dan also maintains the all-time FQP records and now the plaque program.

Chris NX4N loves his role as head FQP cheerleader and pitches in in many other ways as well.

The plaque program, which includes soliciting payment, finding new sponsors as needed and getting the plaques distributed, has been managed by Eric K9ES for quite a few years now, but Eric asked to retire from that role, so K1TO is doing it for the foreseeable future.

Chris W4WF does the hard part of the write-up, assembling information provided by K1TO as a part of the log checking process into the skeleton of a document, then K1TO helps flesh it out from there. Chris’s XYL Taylor KI4GHK professionalizes it, adding in the pictures/captions/tables and formatting to turn it into the presentation that you are reading.

And finally, to everyone reading these results and planning to operate in the 2019 FQP. You are the real reason the FQP continues to be a great success year after year. Your most important contribution is your time - please make plans to join us on the bands on April 27-28, 2019!

Life’s a BEACH and you are invited to the 2019 FQP BEACH Party! Look for the five W4s ending in the letters B-E-A-C-H representing the Spelling Bee for 2019, then once your toes are dipped into the warm FQP water, keep going towards the County sweep!

In the aftermath of devastating Hurricane Michael, much of the Florida Panhandle is still in recovery mode. Many amateur antennas and towers were damaged and many are not replaced. While we urge our Mobiles to cover those Counties, we also urge them to be careful with the on-going restoration efforts.

Expedition is a new category this time. This category is meant for those who erect a temporary antenna. You can operate from one County or as many as you would like. At least two FQP regulars plan to set up on County lines. There is a new plaque for the top Expedition entry.

The Low Power classification now is set at 100 watts maximum.

Suggested frequency ranges are now included. You may operate anywhere within your licensed allocation to make valid contacts with the exception that CW QSOs must be made in the “normal” CW portion of the band and not on your SSB frequency.

The FQP Committee has carefully considered other additions – 80M and digital among them – and has concluded that they will not be added at this time.

Wish we could guarantee some sunspot activity!

We are working behind the scenes on a new web-based log upload tool. Details will be posted on the web site and in various FQP announcements. The robot remains active to receive e-mailed logs and we still accept paper logs as well.

We also expect to have a new look for certificates. Thanks to everyone for their patience as we work this out. Certificates will be available for sweeping the 1x1s as well as for placing well in the FQP itself.

Prior to the rejuvenated FQP that began in 1998, there were a number of years when the FQP was dormant. Prior to that, Florida Skip was the sponsor. Our FQP webmaster Seb W4AS has obtained a pile of Florida Skip magazines and has digitized them. We are in the process of culling out the FQP results from those issues and will then post them to the FQP site. We are very interested in hearing from you if you have any of the results articles, and even if you just have memories to share about the “old FQP”. K1TO has a certificate on his wall dated April 27/28, 1974 and signed by Bob Patten W4OZF who is now the venerable N4BP, so the “old FQP” ran for over 20 years as well.

For more information about the FQP, please visit https://floridaqsoparty.org

With our continuing thanks to the generous plaque sponsors, the FQP has one of the widest array of plaques to win of any operating event. We have a few new ones for 2019, so check the web site for the latest.

Each of the 20 FQP hours produced sweeps of the 1x1s. Ex Floridian Pete WD4IXD was the first to do so in the 56th minute of the FQP at 1655Z from all the way out in Colorado. He was the sole sweeper for almost an hour until Dick K9OM joined him at 1750Z. The first from the West Coast was Mitch K7RL, the ninth overall, at 1841Z.

The 19Z hour produced a big flurry of 33 sweeps, including the first DX -- HC2AO @ 1915Z -- and the first European -- DM5EE at 1918Z. At a pace of 15-20 per hour from then on, the first 10-hour operating period ended with 126 1x1 sweeps.

Many folks must have taken inventory as the 12Z hour to start the Sunday half generated 30 more completed sweeps including several more in EU. All told, Sunday had 157 sweeps, the last of whom was W3WHK just 3 minutes before the final bell.

If you wanted the sweep, it appears the best place to be was… Ontario! 24 sweeps were completed from within ON. K3TW and K2ZR are the two to complete the sweep from within FL and the 4th call area produced 41 other sweepers. Sweepers represent 42 US States, 3 Provinces and 9 DXCC.

200 of the sweeps were completed with the last QSO being on CW; the other 83 on SSB.

152 more folks ended up with 8 of the 9 letters. K1BZ was the quickest to find 6 of the 9, but never finished the sweep. DK2OY was second-quickest to 6, also ahead of WD4IXD.

There was good geographic distribution of the 1x1 sweepers, showing that the operating teams did a good job making themselves available on both SSB and CW on the appropriate bands to cover most of North America as well as the most common DX areas.

In addition to WD4AHZ, there were a number of SKs who have passed on since the 2018 FQP.

Here in Florida, Brian K3KO tragically passed away while working on an antenna in his attic. Brian enthusiastically supported the FQP in recent years after moving to Florida.

Vant K4LM had operated a 1x1 in the 2017 FQP and filled many operating slots in the 2014 W1AW/4 event. He was also a top notch DXer and highly respected in the area north of Miami.

Scott N4RI was part of W4TA in St. Petersburg that won Top Club in 2018 and was part of many Field Days and other club efforts, preferring CW most of the time.

W2RR frequently entered the FQP from his well-appointed station in WNY and in fact, his is one of 12 logs received for Niagara Frontier Radiosport in 2018. A number of his friends and fellow club members used their name as Lon in the January 2019 NAQP CW in his memory.

CQ-Contest Hall of Fame member W0AIH died in a tragic fall while working on his antennas in November of 2018. Paul hosted a record-setting Multi-Op effort in the 2017 FQP from his massive station in western WI. Close friends NE9U and KK9K operated there using NE9U’s call in 2017, posting a very respectable 684 QSOs Low Power to go along with a CW sweep and 50 Multipliers on SSB.

K0OU had been a frequent entrant in FQP for many years from his station near Kansas City, MO, though he had not participated as much recently. Steve was an enthusiastic CW and SSB operator who was always loud and topped the MO entrants year after year.

Bob N2NS was a frequent entrant in the FQP from his well-appointed station in northern California.

And at press time, we just learned that Edwin HI3K passed away. Edwin was an integral part of the Loma del Toro Contest Group hosted by Tino HI3C. The Loma del Toro group has entered many FQPs and Edwin was often one of the SSB operators.

The FQP organizers extend their condolences to the families and friends of each of these gentlemen.