What about a Qso party again.!!
I hade fun last time.!!

73 de OZ2AFY

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OZ2AFY Alex Henriksen

Yes I agree.... Any chance of another ?

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MM0MSS Mark Simpson

Hi, Folks,
the meager reaction here tells a lot,
But if we don't do anything, nothing is ever going to happen.
Why don't we members just start some net on 20m and see who shows up; after some time that might lead into a stable net and that into more interest in a qso party. ???
I am open for discussion, I need more connections for eWAS and eDX.
73 de Hans

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K6FAF Buchner, Hans A

Some of you will know that I'm a keen contester. But the question for me, is why do we need another contest? Aren't there enough already? Why an eQSL QSO Party?

I get a bunch of eQSLs for the contests that I take part in. Isn't that enough?

See you in CQ WW CW this weekend?

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Tim, G4VXE

Very simple answer, Tim:

In a normal contest, if you are not competing, you just look for new ones etc. The chance to hit a new (unknown) AG is pretty rare (I run every callsign through eqsl and qrz.com, before I work it).
A net would up that chance immediately, a qso party would do even more.....
My station is no match for the big guns in a contest, so I give out points to new ones and possible new eqsls.....I listen more than calling.
In an eQSL qso party, I might work new countries as well as states, with a zeal to compete, with a chance to be somewhere on the board.....
I bet there are a lot of us out there that could be motivated by success. Think about it.
73 de Hans, k6faf

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K6FAF Buchner, Hans A

Hello, I agree with you Hans. I run every call through eQSL during a contest BEFORE I try to work them just to see if it is worth my time. It is in the spirit of compotition to be on top of any contest. If we put out another contest where the winner must have AG status this might be a nice tool to steer more people toward getting AG status. This could be a double edged knife but if announced well in advanced I think it could bump up the AG numbers. My two cents, you cant get rich from it but there it is.
Rob KB2YCC

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KB2YCC Robert Palmer Jr

Hi All

The contest or QSO party what ever we call it would be fun. But lets do it ! But in the Summer over a weekend and include 6 Meters in the mix.

73
Brock

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W6GMT BROCK THOMSEN

So, are you saying that if a station is not an AG member of eQSL it's not worth spending one or two seconds to call him and say 59 73? Suppose he joins eQSL or obtains his AG tomorrow? New members join every day and new AG's are approved every day. In my opinion your procedure is counter productive. It may be your eQSL waiting to be retrieved that is the potential new member's incentive to join!

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73, Rich - W3ZJ

Wow - that would slow my rate down too much! I just work as many as possible during the contest or whatever and hope that I pick up a few eQSLs as a result of the activity. For example, I'll be uploading my CQWW CW log from this weekend tonight and hopefully I'll pick up some new countries as a result.

I guess too, ultimately, that I'm more interested in working the guy than getting the confirmation. If I do, that's a plus, but it's not the reason for making the QSO. I know not everyone thinks that way, of course

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Tim, G4VXE

This is a little off the OP but I've been wondering about the answer to this question. If I have QSLs from a non-AG member and later, that non-AG member becomes AG, do all the previous QSLs from that member become AG?

Thanks

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KE5AQD Roger Banks

I'm glad you asked that question. The answer is Yes. As soon the Authenticity Guarantee is granted to a station. All past, present and future contacts with that station immediately receive award credit for their contacts with that station.

Sometimes stations will write to support saying, "I just got my AG, how do I send another card to all of my previous contacts." The answer of course is that there is no need to send another card.

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73, Rich - W3ZJ

As an avid contester, I agree with Tim. I work as many as I can during the contest. Upload my log to eQSL and hope for the best on comformation. (Remember) this site was started as a fast way to exchange QSL Cards that confirm the QSO. If the card I get is from someone that has AG status well, that is a plus BUT, not a requirement. (AG is only a requirement in striving for the awards that are offered by eQSL)
I have sent many, many requests out asking for the individual to get their AG status. Some do and some don't. It is the individual's preference >not a requirement<. I have over 17,000 contacts in the database and still do not have eDXCC because the other parties involved choose not to get AG status (their call). When the award comes, it comes I shall not dwell on it.
Bottom line here is: That we do not (force) users to get AG status > that will drive people away< We encourage them to do so but again. the orginal purpose of the site was/is a fast and inexpensive way to exchange QSL cards. ie: useing today's technoligy.

My opinion - for what it's worth !

Ken
KA2LIM

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KA2LIM Ken Kent

As said before, I work in contests to improve my award counts, as I am only a very little "gun" and I have no chance of ever making even the CA chart. So what is a contest for me?
>A chance to improve my award accounts by controlled selection of connections, concentrating my efforts on new DX and new AG?
....or.....
>A non-controlled 36 hours effort with no chance to win anyway and the hope to get some new ones by chance only?

Working a contest with only a chance to gain something (maybe) and no place mentioned in the result charts( for competition purposes), with only very limited time for my hobby and with barely basic equipment for me would be a big waste of time that I do not have, anyway.

That is why I concentrate my efforts where I can acchieve something. And I guess I have some say there: Since 1/1/2002, with under 3000 qso total, I worked 215 countries on 10/15/20 mainly in contests and dxpeditions, including WAS; DXCC on 10/15/20, WAC 10/15/20 and IOTA (130), 195 countries confirmed so far.

I must be doing something right, or?

At the same time, with all my backing up eQSL everywhere I can, I have an eDX with 65 countries working on the eDX100 and a constant work on eWAS with 34 states. I do not have the time to set up skeds like others do, I look forward to a plannable event like a net or a qso-party to help forward eQSL and my own interests.

Asking for an eQSL net as a starter-upper for eQSL parties (not limited to AG, of course) should not be so far fetched in order to create interest for eQSL and serve the interests of the majority of eQSL users and eQSL itself.

Working an eQSL Party over 24 hours with 8 hours break would be plannable for me 3 months ahead; knowing there might be a chance of getting among the first 10 in CA would be a big incentive and might even make me call "CQ eQSl Party", as I did for some hours in the 2004 event, I even had the pleasure to work n5up.

2 cents done
73 de k6faf

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K6FAF Buchner, Hans A

PS
Last but not least, nets come and go as well as contests........
only the strong survive!
Just ask yourself: If you do not try, you will never get anywhere!

A net would probably be a good way to get more people to sign up, and a "Contest" on a regular basis would get the attention of "paper-chasers" like myself in and also outside eQSL.

It is all just a matter of perspective.

If I were retired and had all the time I wanted available for my hobby, I might be content with the contest offer as is, but with a limited time available, I want to spend that time with a greater chance to acchieve something, getting something back. It may take 3-5 years to get attention from the eQSL community, but with the big number of members, it seems doable if we keep it up. ......I heard it ....did you hear it....n*kn won the eQSL Cup this year, with f*unw at his heels....what, with his 3ele only....gotta get the results.....

Understand what I mean?

We all want quick results for our efforts and eQSL does that very well, but we are also mainly competitive, or?

Another 2 cents down

73 de k6faf

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K6FAF Buchner, Hans A

Well hello all, I have read the thread and my first post because this is something that a small to medium station can be a part of and have a enjoyment of a new AG and still give a taste of contest and the seed is planted like Mr. Palmer and the few amateurs I have read I also must toss my two cents in the eqsl net or party has a viable means to increase the precipitation in contesting and dx. well I say thumbs up. 73's and good dx n3txh Ernie

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N3TXH Ernest Iezzi

For all: why to have a new contest? I cannot tell this.
Anyway in my history I was 3 years the IARU region 1 Contest coordinator given the task to reduce the number of contests. As started I counted them to be 400 contests. During my office time I was "forced" to add two new ones. So, one could say I failed, maybe.

I certainly liked to heritage the Region 1 contest managers's post IF the agreed goal would be to cut or merge the contests. One method I started was to ask every organizer report the number of received logs. This should have lead to have a statistics as a tool to agree killing some badly cared contests. But this didn't work. The only achievement was to cut our own SAC into the time frame of recommendation of IARU R1.

QSOparties are good !

73 Jorma OH2KI

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ZB2X c/o Jorma Saloranta

One or two seconds? As far as HF contest go, it takes us small stations way more then one or two seconds to make most contacts as most contest stations run way too much power and they cant hear the weak ones. If you come down to my level in VHF/UHF contesting, I work them no matter if they are registered or not. It all comes down to where your priorities are and as you can guess, mine are at 50 MHz and above. To each his own. If I were in an HF contest to compete then it would not matter if they were registered or not. People use contest in their own way for their own gain and raising my numbers with what little time I have is mine.
Rob KB2YCC

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KB2YCC Robert Palmer Jr

There we go, finally we are getting some people in here.....
Robert, tnx, nice reply/post.
If you ever try to work in an HF contest, you'll realize that the band allotments are just not wide enough for all the stations working in a way they do not overlay each other....so the "little" guns do hardly have a chance.....and believe me, if I find a new dx calling somewhere, I will stay on that frequency until I either have worked the DX or have to realize that he is too weak for me to work, too overlayed with qrm left and right, or simply Iam too weak to work him in the pile or get through his qrm. 1-2 seconds time for a qso is good for big guns......But those are not to be competed nor are the majority of them on eQsL.

Again, it's a matter of perspective of what each ham wants, fun with giving out reports (and qtc's, as I like to do sometimes, when I have the time) or fun with catching the "new one" with a controlled amount of time available.

Obviously qso-parties do not hurt......huh?
Probably a net not either?

So let's get started!!! Somebody suggest a 20m frequency!

Today only one cent down from Hans, but 73 to all out there!

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K6FAF Buchner, Hans A

It sounds like you are talking about a DX pileup instead of a contest. Indeed cracking a pileup can be a challenge. However, most contests have an ample supply of stations calling CQ repeatedly with no response. Working them is usually pretty easy even with my FT-817 5 watt QRP rig. However, if they don't respond after a couple of calls I move on to the next one. The criteria being that I can hear and work them, not that they are registered members of eQSL at the time of the contact. As I mentioned originally, they can and often do sign up for eQSL sometime after the contest.

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73, Rich - W3ZJ

Rich,

with all due respect, why am I getting the idea here that the advisory board has already suggested not to follow up on qsl party requests/net requests?
Just because the interest shown here is minimal?

I must be writing in Double-Dutch-English to get such a comment? Or why can't you see what I am getting to: Raising new members by showing presence in the bands!

My comments on working in a contest as a "Small Gun" show my own personal interest in the hobby: Collecting wallpaper with economical time consumption, as I am still working and my time available for the hobby is very limited.
This does not have to apply to everybody, of course.

However, an eQSL net and/or Party might improve the chances for every member to improve eWAS, WAC, eWAZ and eDX substantially. With getting more members interested in the eQSL way and stepping up to AG.
If you leave everything to fate, like "they can and often do sign up sometime", this could be misinterpreted ....and I leave the assumption thereof to you.....

And last but not least, for how many members do you think CQWW or ARRLDX is actually a DX-Pileup? Do not forget all the HF newcomers for whom such contest is a fountain of "New Ones", and a lot of people just do not have the "contest-bug" or the time to stand one through. How many of the small guns and new ones really know how to work in a contest? What are we doing for these hams/members/not-yet-members?

Just my 2 cents down

73 de k6faf, Hans

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K6FAF Buchner, Hans A