KY QSO Party > Rules

Rules

Kentucky QSO Party Operating Rules – 2023
Date/Time
  • 1300Z June 3 –> 0100Z June 4
  • 9AM – 9PM EDT, Saturday, June 3
  • 8AM – 8PM CDT, Saturday, June 3
Modes
  • CW
  • Phone (SSB/FM)
  • RTTY (no other digital modes)

All contacts must be simplex, no repeaters.
Bands 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, 2
Categories
  • Fixed Station – Single Op
  • Fixed Station – Multi-Single (non-club)
  • KY Club
  • KY Mobile – Single-Op Unassisted (operator also drives)
  • KY Mobile – Single-Op Assisted (operator has a driver)
  • Expedition (KY portable stations only)

(Mobiles and Expeditions see County Line Operations below)
Power
  • High Power: More than 100 watts
  • Low Power: 100 watts or less
  • QRP: 5 watts or less
Exchange
Work KY Stations Once per band, per mode, per county
QSO Points
  • 1 point per completed Phone QSO
  • 2 points per completed CW QSO
  • 2 points per completed RTTY QSO
Bonus Station K4KCG K4KCG may be worked once per BAND and MODE for 100 bonus points per QSO.  For example, a station working K4KCG on 20M CW, RTTY and SSB would earn 300 bonus points.  Logging programs need not track earned bonus points — after your Cabrillo log is submitted, the KYQP committee will add bonus points to your posted score.  Thus bonus stations may change each year, without needing logging program updates.

NOTE: The K4KCG Bonus will be added to your score total automatically.
Suggested Frequencies CW: 1.815, 3.540, 7.040, 14.040, 21.040, 28.040, 50.095 and 144.060
SSB: 1.865, 3,810, 7.190, 14.250, 21.300, 28.450, 50.135 and 144.250
RTTY:  3.580, 7.080, 14.080, 21.080 and 28.080
QSO Multipliers For Kentucky Station operators (including mobiles)

  • Each unique Kentucky-based station is a multiplier when worked in each of the 120 counties.
  • When logging other Kentucky stations, enter the KY County as the exchange (not KY).
  • Each USA state (not ARRL section), including DC, and each Canadian Province.
  • DX contacts count for QSO points only. Enter DX for the exchange.

For Non-Kentucky Station operators

  • Each Kentucky-based station is a multiplier based on their county.
  • When logging Kentucky stations, enter the KY County as the exchange (not KY).

For ALL operators

  • KY Mobiles or Expeditions traveling to a new KY county may be contacted again for QSO Point and County Multiplier credit.
Power Multiplier
  • All entries using 5 watts or less, Power Multiplier = 3.
  • All entries using 100 watts or less, Power Multiplier = 2.
  • All entries using more than 100 watts, Power Multiplier = 1.
Score Calculation
  • Total score = QSO Points x QSO Multipliers x Power Multiplier + Bonus Station points.
  • An additional 100 points is added to your final score as a bonus for submitting a Cabrillo log file.
County Line Operations KY Fixed/Mobile/Expedition stations may setup on a county line, such as McCreary and Whitley:

  • Spot yourself and enter MCY/WHI in the comments.
  • Call CQ like this:  CQ CQ KYQP de N4TY/MCY/WHI
  • And send the exchange as:  599 MCY/WHI
  • Operators must log you twice, but some logger programs like N1MM will log 2 QSOs for you.
  • KY stations on a county line may be claimed as a separate QSO and multiplier from each county.
  • KY Mobiles and Expeditions that move to a new county are considered to be a new station and may be contacted again for QSO point credit.
Miscellaneous
  • There are no Assisted (spotting) vs Unassisted classes.
  • Spotting Assistance is always allowed and encouraged!
  • N1MM has no Expedition or Mobile category, so KY stations that operate in multiple counties should configure N1MM as Rover, but submit their log as either Mobile or Expedition.
Awards Plaques are awarded for the highest score in the CW, SSB, and Mixed categories based on merit:

  • KY (Single-op, Multi-single, Club, Mobile)
    • The K4KCG Bonus station is not plaque-eligible, but Clubs are (note your club name in your Cabrillo file).
    • All KY entries with the same club affiliation compete with all other KY clubs for the Club plaque.
    • For KY stations, do not enter “Kentucky Contest Group” as your club affiliation.
  • USA (non-KY)
  • Canada
  • DX
Submissions Visit the Log Submissions page to upload your Cabrillo log file.
Submission Deadline June 30th