State QSO Party Action Quickens This Weekend With 2008 Washington State Salmon Run

By Jamie Dupree NS3T  radio-sport.net 
Posted September 15, 2008

While the real run of Fall King and Silver Salmon goes through late September on the Columbia River, this weekend brings the radio equivalent, as the Salmon Run continues an active stretch of State QSO Parties.

The Washington State affair again emphasizes some of the real fish as prizes, all an effort to reward those who cast a line during some difficult contest conditions.

"At the bottom of the cycle, it's hard to whip up a lot of activity," acknowledged Salmon Run organizer Ward Silver N0AX, "but we have an active prize and award program - including boxes of smoked salmon to the highest score from each DXCC entity and from call areas W0-W9."

"That will go well washed down with the wine from the California QSO Party," quipped Silver, mentioning one of the big State QSO party battles coming up the first weekend in October.

In an effort to stimulate more mobile activity in the future, the Salmon Run now has a new award for those hitting the roads of Washington State and paying much higher gasoline prices to boot.

"It's called the WACYA Award (pronounced whack-ya) or Washington All CountY Activation Award," said Silver, who won the award as top mobile in the 2007 Salmon Run.

"Anyone activating all counties with at least one QSO during any Salmon Run contest gets the award."

A quick glance at the map of Washington State will show you that activating all 39 of the counties there during one contest is pretty much impossible, one reason the award isn't limited to just one year.

"The most counties I've ever heard of a mobile activating in one contest was 19 by myself and WA0RJY in 2001, operating as the club bonus station W7DX. We put 1000 miles on the car that year," Silver added.

For county hunters, it's just part of a fun next few weeks, with major QSO Parties in Texas, California, Pennsylvania and more (see list at right.)

Also on the air this weekend is the Colorado QSO Party. Michael Condon NE4S is the defending champ from 2007.