New England QSO Party Returns For 2009; N4PN Rides Seven Year Single Operator Win Streak

By Jamie Dupree NS3T  radio-sport.net 
Posted April 27, 2009

It's one thing to win a contest two years in a row, or maybe three straight times. But as the 2009 New England QSO Party arrives this weekend, consider that only one ham has had the top Single Operator score in the seven years the contest has existed.

And Paul Newberry N4PN says he's ready to grab this year's crown as well.

"Just answered Tom K1KI as to when he can ship more lobsters," Newberry told radio-sport.net, referring to the first place food prize. A few hours later, N4PN would be on the road in Florida for a mobile effort in the Florida QSO Party.

"I think I still have three dinners coming," said Newberry who added that his NEQP success is about more than good antennas or operating strategy.

"It's all about relationships I've formed over the years and the great hams in New England who go out of the way to help me," said Newberry.

Newberry has the records to prove it, as he owns the Single Op High Power and Low Power overall records in the NEQP.

While Newberry couldn't break his HP record set back in 2005, the 2008 version of the NEQP was the best for organizers.

"The 2008 contest was the most popular ever with 428 logs received and more than 70,000 QSOs reported, way above previous events," Frenaye wrote in his results overview.

And of course, that's come during a prolonged downturn in solar conditions and HF contest propagation.

"It can't be much worse than it was in 2007 or 2008," Frenaye told radio-sport.net. "Even so, activity has grown each year."

That's been without action on 10 and 15 meters. In fact in 2008, there were less than 100 contacts on 10 and 15 combined, "compared to more than 1200 in 2007," Frenaye reported.

"We're all looking for more sunspots now."

As of this writing, April only saw a minor sunspot for two days, as 88% of the days in 2009 have featured a sun with no spots at all.

That's a much higher rate of sunspot-less days than in 2008, which saw no sunspots observed on 266 of the 366 days of that year - 73%.

If 2009 were to continue on this pace, it would eclipse the record setting year of 1913, which had 311 spotless days, a rate of 85%.