NAQCC September 2009 Challenge

Call     States   State Nr's    State with most Nr's
NS2X       45        62            AK - 3
KE7LKW     31        43            CA - 3
K3WWP      27        35            TN - 5
WY3H       25        27            PA,TN - 2
W2JEK      22        27            TX,TN,MI,OH,NY - 2
N8XMS      20        23            TN - 3
KQ1P       15        18            MD,PA,TN - 2
VE3HUR      4        10            CO - 5

Certificates go to NS2X and KE7LKW.

Soapbox:
K3WWP - I didn't do anything at all special for this challenge. Just operated normally getting my daily QSO and so on. I marked the state numbers down as I worked them, and now am posting my totals here.

N8XMS - My score is sure nothing to brag about! Not counting our sprint I only had 6 QSOs all month. I guess it's easy to tell that it was back-to-work month for this school teacher. There just wasn't much available time or energy. I'll be in trouble for the October challenge if it stays like this!

NS2X - Couple suggestions: Look at score as Total States + Total Contacts = Total Score. (That would make it more of a contest, not a challenge - K3WWP) We should include our neighbors to the north. I worked many of them during the month. Or have a Canada Number Challenge. (The RAC is not as goofy as the FCC - they make Canadians put the right numbers in their calls with only a couple lonely exceptions - I've worked a VE8 in Ontario - the best that could be done would be an equal number of provinces/territories and numbers unlike here in the USA where you can get 10 numbers per state - K3WWP) Also, it would be nice to incorporate all contacts, someway, into the count. I found myself passing up many a CQ because I had already worked that State/Number. Had Fun, but it would be better if I didn't have to work during the day or have Holidays. I missed my own TN QSP due to holiday...HI..HI.. . 3 watts into 160 meter horiz delta loop, up 35-40 feet. 73... Greg

KQ1P - This challenge was easy to mix into my usual operating habits. Most of my contacts had the proper number for their call district (to my old-timer perspective).

WY3H - During September I worked more than 90 stations but only managed to score 27 state/numbers.

W2JEK - worked most qso's in the mi-qrp and naqcc sprints. had to do a bit of listening to find the last two state-combo's. was a good challenge. 72 and 73 don younger w2jek #1135

PREMISE:
Since the FCC ceased to make it mandatory that a call sign number matches the call area in which the ham resides, it has become impossible to get an idea of what part of the country you were hearing by just listening for the number. You used to be able to hear a W9 call and know you were hearing IL, IN, or WI without any doubt. Now you have no idea where that W9 call is located till you work him or look him up on the Internet. Even looking up a call doesn't assure the QTH is correct as the FCC also relaxed the procedure for signing as a portable station. A W9 listed as being in Miami could be operating portable from Cheyenne, WY and still not have to sign /7 after his call. It's all very confusing, but it leads to the second running of what I think is an interesting challenge.

TIME FRAME:
Sep 1, 2009 0000Z through Sep 30, 2009 2400Z

RULES:
Work as many different state-number combinations as possible. OK, let's explain. There are a total of 500 state-number combinations. By that I mean as an example, you can work K3xxx, WB4xxx, N9xxx, N1xxx in Florida. That makes 4 state-number combinations (FL-3, FL-4, FL-9, FL-1). I think that is perfectly clear. A particular combination can be counted only once. For example no matter how many 4's you work in Virginia, that still only counts once (VA-4)

AWARDS:
A certificate goes to the two members working the most state-number combinations.

PARTICIPATION AWARD AND WEB LISTING:
You must work at least 5 combinations during the month and submit a report to get a Participation Point and to be listed in the results.

LOGS:
For your report, simply send a list of the various combinations you worked and the total number of combinations as shown in this example:

OH - 8, 9
PA - 3, 5, 7
VA - 4, 2, 1, 6
Total - 9

You may also include comments about the challenge.

Please preface any comments you want posted with "SOAPBOX:" so we will know what you want posted and what is private.

Send your results to:

E-mail:

You must type that address into your email program.

Subject must read: (your call) NAQCC (month) Challenge

For example: K3WWP NAQCC September Challenge

Postal mail:
John Shannon, K3WWP
478 E. High St.
Kittanning, PA 16201

All entries must be RECEIVED before Oct 10, 2009 at 2400Z.