RULES -   Idaho QSO Party            

NOW, here are the complete rules !!!   Please note,  these are not intended to be confusing  !

1. Objective:
        For amateurs outside the state of Idaho – to contact  as many Idaho stations as possible.
        For Idaho stations – to activate as many counties as possible, and work as many stations as possible both in and out of Idaho.

2. Contest Period:
        Always the second full weekend of March. The operating hours are from 1900Z to 1900Z, a single 24
        hour period. All stations may operate the full 24 hours.

3. Categories:
        A. Single operator. One person performs all operating and logging functions.

        B. Multioperator – This only pertaining to operators that are actually running the radio.   Not loggers, or spotting networks.
            1) Multi-Single. Only one (1) transmitted signal on the air at any time.
            2) Multi-Multi. May have any number of transmitters in operation, but only one per mode per band at a time.
               
        C. Mobile/Rover. Mobile/Rover is a station that is self-contained (radio, antenna, power source) capable of motion.
            This category is not limited by the number of operators for competition purposes.
            There is a category for In-State and one for Out of State.        
                           

            Heads UP - Bonus Points for activation of dormant counties.
                           Any Expedition or Rover or a new "fixed" station residing in a county  activates a Idaho county that was not activated the previous year(s)  (See List HERE )  
                           those station will get 500 bonus points (or 1000) (or 1500)  (see list)   if they make MORE THAN 10 contacts
                          

            Rule change- Rovers ,  If you've been out roving, lets say on Saturday,  then go home and want to operate from your home station too
                                               NO PROBLEM,  we request you submit a Rover log and a home station log.  you will be listed twice in the yearly score summaries.

            Rover scoring confusion:  the way we score rovers has been somewhat confusing in the past,  so here it is ...  
                                                    Each county a rover logs stations in is considered a new location. 
                                                    one log is all we need ! 
                                                    So rovers need to keep track of what county they are in for each QSO..            (see note 1, below)
                                                    Rovers can work the same station(s) again and again  in  each county they are in.   
                                                    Same for mults,  you can count (say)  Kansas as a multiplier in each county your operating from.
                                                  
                                                    Score is,  total mults  x  total Q's  x  (mode) x  (county multipliers)      PLUS   bonus stations points (SPUD)    PLUS points for activating dormant counties.
                                                                Rovers, you please check out the software page,  n1mm and n3fjp make roving easy  ..                      

        D. Special Events Stations (Idaho Only). Each special event station will be recognized.

    NOTE 1:  IDQP knows  N3FJP and N1MM will manage county lines.  BUT ,  after testing it,  both take some management skills,  you might want to learn your software before your out in your car.
                    adding and removing counties when you change locations,, otherwise your log will be a complete mess..!!

    comment: CHANGING BAND,    Operators in all categories may change bands whenever they wish. There is no restriction on how long you must remain on a band.

4. Power. Three power output categories for all categories. Logs not showing power output category will be listed as high power.
        A. QRP - 5W output or less
        B. Low Power - 150W output or less
        C. High Power - more than 150W output

5. Modes: All entrants may operate one of the following categories:
        A. Mixed mode (Phone, CW, Digital) or any combination thereof
        B. Phone only
        C. CW only  , we encourage  slow speed , less than 13WPM if calling CQ IDQP contest,
          otherwise QRS to the worked station speed or ask the worked station to QRS.   
       D. Digital only , these include any digital mode that requires operator input, 
           FT-8 is incompatible with our exchange, so No FT-8 type modes  

6.  Bands,   only 160 - 80 - 40 - 20 - 15 - 10 meters.  Please use frequencies that are customary for the mode you are using.

7. Contest Exchange:
        A. Idaho stations send your  counties three letter abbreviation. 
                    Note for Idaho Stations:
                    Most stations have little interest in your county, They are interested in working Idaho, or just love a pile up !!
                    BUT for those that are really ""in the contest""  its important.  be sure they get your county 3 letter abbreviation         
        B. W/VE stations (including KH6/KL7) send your state or province.
        C. DX stations (including KH2/KP4, etc.) send your  DXCC prefix/country .
                    please note: the RST is no longer part of the contest,  logging software sometimes requires the RST, 59 is perfect,
                    you are not scored on RST reports
                    if the contact is in both logs its a good contact.  that's all that matters, being heard !!        
                    (however for some of us OLD time contesters,  59 is burned into our GRAY MATTER... HI HI .. Hard to break the habit !!)

8. Scoring:
        A. QSO Points:
                Each phone QSO counts as one point, regardless of band.
                Each CW and Digital QSO counts as two points,  regardless of band.
                     ALL  QRP QSO's count 5 points.  voice, CW, digital.
                   
 
        B. Multipliers:
            1) For Idaho stations, count each US state (including Idaho), Canada province, and DXCC country as a multiplier. A multiplier is counted
                once per mode, regardless of the number of bands on which it is worked. Note: for mobile/Rovers- the rule mentioned
                above will count for each county you activate.  

            2)  For non-Idaho stations:  Idaho counties are multipliers. Idaho mobile stations that change counties are considered to be a new station
                and may be contacted again for point and multiplier credit. Idaho stations on a county line may be claimed as
                a QSO and a multiplier from each county (2 QSO's and 2 multipliers). County lines whether land or water, are
                defined per "County Hunter" rules. Mobiles should identify themselves by call sign / county. Mobiles use only
                one call per county. An Idaho county multiplier will be counted once per mode, regardless of the number of bands
                on which it is worked.
                    

        C. Final Score:
                Fixed stations   Multiply QSO x  Mode multiplier x Mults...
                Rover/Mobile operations your log must include which county you were in for each QSO !!
                Rover/Mobile   please see section  3 C   above..
               

9. Suggested frequencies:
        CW - plus or minus 35 kHz up.
        Phone - plus or minus 3855, 7.260, 14.260, 21.335, and 28.470 MHz.
        Digital – use commonly accepted region of band. RTTY is most common digital mode,
                     these are just suggested frequencies, try not to cause QRM to QSO’s in progress ..  only 160 - 80 - 40 - 20 - 15 - 10 meters
 

10. Miscellaneous:
        A. Call sign/exchange information must be received by each station for a complete QSO.
        B. No cross-mode contacts are allowed.
        C. CW contacts must be made in the CW portion of the band. Same for RTTY.
        D. Stations may be worked once per mode, per band (and mobiles in each new county), i.e., w7abc may be worked on
            both 20 CW and 20 SSB for QSO credit.
        E. Your call sign must indicate your DXCC country (also, portables in Hawaii and Alaska must sign /KH6 or /KL7).
        F. Amateur Radio Clubs may compete, as per ARRL Club competition rules. Please indicate your club affiliation on Cabrillo log file.
        G. Idaho stations are encouraged to identify themselves by county, i.e., K7IQP/KOO (station in Kootenai County)
            or NX7TT/JEF (station in Jefferson County) on CW / Digital, and “K7IQP slash Kootenai” or “NX7TT slash Jefferson”
            on phone.
        H. For out of state operators, the number of Idaho counties (44 total) is the multiplier.
        I. For Rovers in Idaho, scores are accumulated by county. You may work the same station from as many counties your in,   for QSO points.
        J. Repeaters are not to be used.

11. Reporting: see this link LOGS  ALL Logs must be Cabrillo files. See possible logging software button on the home page
                     IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT  YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IS INCLUDED in YOUR Cabrillo FILE,,

12. Awards:
        A. Certificates can be retrieved from the Idaho QSO Party Log Submission Site. 
      Go to...https://idqp.contesting.com/idqpsubmitlog.php...click on CERTIFICATES and enter your call sign. 
      Your certificate will download to your computer in PDF format. Certificates won't be available
      until at least 2 weeks after the last day of the event.
        B. Special awards may be awarded at the discretion of the Idaho QSO Party Contest Committee.
        C.  Starting in 2023,  We will have some special printed awards for some categories.
             We will have a special hand made wooden plaque to be given to the Overall High Scorer for both in-state and out-of-state.
             This award is strictly for the highest score regardless of category, mode, power etc.

13. Condition of Entry:
        Each entrant agrees to be bound by the provisions, as well as the intent of this announcement,
        the regulations of their licensing authority and the decisions of the Idaho QSO Party Contest Committee.

     (be advised, your logging software WILL NOT score correctly !   DO NOT DESPAIR, 
     Our scoring software will decode it and adjust your score.