ILQP took place on Sunday, October 19th from 12:00 to 20:00 CDT.
Calvin (KE0DIT), Zach (KD9ERP), Ed, (K9QW), myself, (N8PIC), and another soon-to-be licensed friend of ours competed in this contest. In all, we were able to gather 345 contacts over about 7 hours of operating.
Not only did we have a fun day competing, but it was also great to get our group of friends back together after a long time. We all met at the Bradley University Amateur Radio Club (W9JWC), and since graduation in 2017/2018, we have spread out across the US.
We operated from N8PIC’s QTH as Multi 1, Low Power (<100W), Fixed. We had 2 radios running, but only 1 transmitted signal at a time.
Radios Used:
- N8PIC’s Yaesu FT-710
- KE0DIT’s Kenwood TS-140S.
Antennas Used:
- 80m-10m EFHW
- 20m Rotatable Dipole
We started with the Yaesu around 13:00 CDT running on 20m using the dipole facing east/west. In total, 205 contacts were made on 20m. When KE0DIT arrived, we set up his Kenwood TS-140S and did S&P on 40m. Once 20m died in the late afternoon, we switched radios and ran 40m on the Yaesu. 140 contacts were made on 40m calling CQ and doing S&P.
Someone was on the radio for the entire 7-ish hours that we were operating. Our rate came out to around 0.82 QSOs per minute.
Our unlicensed friend Nat was able to operate as well. He observed for a while before feeling comfortable enough to jump in and take the mic. He did very well for his first time on the air, and is excited to get his license and participate in more events.
This was my first time hosting a contest at my QTH, and it definitely won’t be the last.