North America QSO Party August 16-17th 2025

[JohnyMac]

Just a friendly reminder that the weekend of August 16th & 17th is the North America QSO Party. It is a SSB radio contest only (No CW, Digital, Semaphore) and it is only 12-hours long. Saturday 16th 1300E hrs till 1299E hrs on the 17th.

Although not as big as June's Field Day it is a well attended event between Canada and USA. My club (N3SRC) is participating and we will be back at the county seat Fair Grounds we maintain for the Lions Club for the event. 

I use this contest to exercise my mobile/emergency setup which this year is a XIEGO G90 transceiver, a Par EndFedz EF-QUAD 4 band antenna (40-20-15-10-Meter) by Vibroplex, and a 12-ah LIfepo4 battery. I will also be setting up more of a basic camp with a hammock, tarp, and a ONETIGRIS backpacking camp chair vs. my big 12x12 foot Kodiak canvas tent with porch and wood stove. I will save that for the October Pennsylvania QSO party. During that event we have experienced snow flurries and frost in the past. 

The antenna will be set up as a sloper that will run east to west so that my transmitting pattern favorers east to west radiation.

If you are unaware of the contest, check it out and get on the air. ✌
73

[JohnyMac]

Here are the best times and frequencies for this coming contest,

North American QSO Party (NAQP) SSB Contest - Best Times & Frequencies for Montrose, PA
August 16, 2025, 2:00 PM EDT to August 17, 2025, 1:59 AM EDT (1800Z?0559Z)

| Band  | Frequency (MHz) | Best Time (EDT)         | Notes                                                                 |
|-------|-----------------|-------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10m   | 28.500          | 2:00 PM-5:30 PM         | Daytime DX, sporadic-E likely. Check 28.450 MHz for     
                                                                         Novice/Tech.     |
| 15m   | 21.300          | 2:00 PM-6:00 PM         | Strong for DX and US/Canada. Best early, fades post-sunset
                                                                         (~8:05 PM).|
| 20m   | 14.250          | 2:00 PM-8:30 PM         | Workhorse for regional/DX. Greyline ~7:30 PM?8:30 PM boosts
                                                                         AK/HI.    |
| 40m   | 7.225           | 6:30 PM-1:59 AM         | Evening/night for US/Canada, some DX. Strong post-sunset
                                                                         (~8:05 PM).  |
| 80m   | 3.850           | 9:30 PM-1:59 AM         | Nighttime regional contacts. Summer static possible.                  |
| 160m  | 1.865           | 10:00 PM-1:59 AM        | Nighttime, short-range (100?1000 mi). Avoid 1.830?1.840 MHz                                                   
                                                                           (DX).     |

Notes:
- Times tailored for Montrose, PA (41.83-N, 75.87-W), accounting for local sunset (~8:05 PM EDT).
- Solar Cycle 25 peak in 2025 enhances 10m/15m. Monitor Solar Ham for SFI/K-index.
- Prioritize multipliers (states, provinces, NA countries) during band openings, e.g., AK/HI on 20m greyline.
- Use 100W max power per NAQP rules. Adjust frequencies slightly to avoid QRM.
- Check DX Maps or VOACAP for real-time band conditions.