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While Dan Craig N6MJ might already be looking ahead to 2010 and his expected trip to Russia for the World Radiosport Team Championships, this coming weekend is one that has great attraction for him and a lot of other W6 operators, as the California QSO Party returns for 2009.
Craig has won the California Single Op category four straight years, operating from the W6YI station near San Diego, where he and host Jim Stevenson have had increasing success in recent years.
"CQP is one of my favorite contests," Craig told radio-sport.net before last year's winning entry.
Despite depressed band conditions a year ago, N6MJ managed to increase his score from 2007's win, hitting the 371k mark, a bit less than his record setting effort in 2006 of 389k.
Unlike last week in the Texas QSO Party, the number of counties is only 58, compared to 254 in the Lone Star State.
But it doesn't mean that getting a sweep is any easier, because of the size of some of those counties.
On the road again this year will be Rusty Epps W6OAT, who made over 700 contacts last year in a dozen counties in the north of the state.
"Carl AI6V, Matt WX5S and I will be operating as W6OAT/mobile," said Epps said on his QRZ.com site.
"We intend to start the contest from Nevada County," said Epps, who plans a nine county trek this year.
"Some of these counties have proved to be among the rarest in past CQPs, so we hope you will be able to follow us and work us from all of them," Epps added.
The mobile winner last year was Team K6AQL, which ran up 1,276 contacts on the road.
The winning mobile ops were a pair of Nebraska ops, as Harold Kunkee K0KTZ and David Kunkee K0DI.
If you're planning your CQP effort and wondering which counties were the most difficult to get, a review of the logs showed the least activity in Alpine, Sierra, Colusa, Modoc and Glenn counties.
The easiest counties to get? Those would be Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Santa Clara and San Bernardino counties.
As usual CQP organizers have been doing all kinds of publicity to get more operators both inside and outside of California to join the fun.
"Real lumber to hang on your shack wall!!" reads the line on the CQP Awards web page.
"The top 20 CA and top 20 non-CA Single-Op stations will receive a personalized bottle of NCCC Private Reserve California Wine," from the Twisted Oak winery run by Jeff Stai WK6I.
The California QSO Party begins at 1600z on October 3 and runs through 2200z October 4.
Here is part of the N6A crew that activated Alpine County in the 2008 CQP, making 1438 net contacts for 223k points.
From left to right is Fred K6DGW, Larry W4UAT and Don W6OA. Not pictured from the group were KF6VU and KQ6DI.
"W6OAT/M managed 707 QSO’s from 12 California Counties," said Epps' partner Tom Taormina K5RC, as they drove about 500 miles in Northern California.
"It was fun giving many op’s a sweep from Glenn and Sierra Counties," Taormina added.
The photograph from K5RC shows W6OAT operating from Shasta County.
"We had to stop just over the County line because the road was closed with snow, ice and rock slides," K5RC told radio-sport.net.
This year Epps will hit the road with AI6V and WX5S and plans on going to nine counties.
AE6Y - In State SOLP
W6JTI - In State QRP
K6VO - In State Multi Single
N6O - In State Multi Multi
K6AQL - Cal Mobile SO
W1UE - Out of State SOHP
WD5K - Out of State SOLP
