2025 Virginia QSO Party

I don’t participate in HF contests with one exception: the Virginia QSO Party (VAQP). Mobile HF stations are at a disadvantage when compared to home stations, especially those with HF Yagis and 220V amplifiers. The disparity can make operating during a crowded contest weekend quite a challenge. The VAQP isn’t limited to Virginians, but the level of participation is much lower than nationwide or worldwide events. Unlike many HF contests, the VAQP has a category just for mobile stations, which means that I’m “competing” only against other mobiles. Better yet, any station can work a mobile in each county they visit and get extra points for doing so. As a result, many operators seek and even follow mobile stations throughout the event, which effectively enables mobile stations to “become the DX” over and over again! In a way, it’s similar to being a roving Parks on the Air as an activator, working with stations that I know can hear me because they’re calling ME. What’s not for me to like about that?

I’ve enjoyed my roves during the VAQP since 2023. Mobile stations must be self-contained, meaning that everything is mounted to or within the vehicle during operation. The station must be capable of operating while in motion, though it is permissible to operate with the same configuration while parked. There’s a relatively new “Rover” category, too. The main difference with rovers is that they are allowed to stop and deploy antennas that may or may not be road-legal. They are also allowed to use commercial power and operate outside of their vehicle. Think of it as a vehicle-based station with deployable elements. For the record, I do not contest while driving! I’m a true single-operator station and park the car any time my radio activity requires logging.

In 2023’s VAQP, I attempted to take advantage of the fact that I live in the Hampton Roads region, known by locals for its “seven cities.” This map shows that I have 14 counties and independent cities available to rove within 50 miles of home. However, cities tend to bring at least one unpleasant trait to radio operation: NOISE. Power lines, transformers, city buildings, an increasing number of LED lights, and a far greater number of RF-noisy modern cars in close proximity to one another all add to increased difficulty in hearing other stations than when I’m in rural areas. We also have major water crossings (three of which are tunnels) that can be jammed with plenty of traffic. It’s a huge time-suck that I avoid as much as possible.

In 2024, I roved through the sticks of Virginia’s Northern Neck, an unfamiliar area for me, and enjoyed it very much! The roads are open and peaceful; towns are spaced perfectly for good fuel, meals, and other breaks. It turns out that five of the counties on my list have had ZERO logs submitted during the past five VAQPs. That statistic alone adds value to mobiles being able to operate there! My 16-county plan was ambitious, but I felt good about my ability to make it happen. This map shows my Day 1 route (backwards), which was to begin in Tappahannock. I left home for the 70-mile drive to Tappahannock and was stopped in my tracks about halfway there.

I suddenly heard the rhythmic thumping of something in the right rear tire. The sound stopped as I began to slow for an inspection. Whatever I had picked up had been jettisoned. The tire pressure warning chimed less than a minute later. UGH! I’ve had plenty of punctures over the years. Tire pressure warning systems are great for early leak detection and the prevention of tire damage. I lucked-out and was able to stop at a local business just as the air ran out. The parking lot was a perfect place to mount my spare tire. The catch? I had to dismount the Scorpion antenna and then remove a LOT of stuff from the trunk to access the spare tire.

Yes, I carry a spare tire in the car! A lot of newer cars aren’t even sold with them these days. The space-saver spare tire does just that: IT SAVES SPACE! If you know my car, then you know that it is PACKED with communications gear. But did you know that my factory spare tire fits out of sight beneath the electronics panel? Contrary to appearances at car shows and photos online, most visitors don’t know that the electronics panel sits beneath the factory trunk floor and its own load of cargo! This photo shows the area beneath the electronics panel that I affectionately refer to as “the basement.” I don’t call it that just because it’s at the bottom; it’s also the place where untidy things reside! 😉 This is where excess feed line is stored as well as a few diplexers. Funny thing: I USED to carry a subwoofer in this space! See the album at the bottom of this page for more photos.

Some have told me that I should carry a plug kit and air compressor. I have both! My 12V Viair pump is shown repressurizing the spare tire in this photo. I buy my tires and their warranties at Discount Tire (DT). Had I been more than 50 miles from the nearest DT or if the puncture had been in an “un-repairable” section of the tire, then I would have plugged it and dealt with the replacement on Monday. Instead, the puncture was in the center of the tread, which is a perfect place for an internal patch. I decided to mount my spare tire and backtrack to Williamsburg for a proper repair. The move delayed me by about three hours! “Hey, it’s only ham radio!” GASP! I dropped off the wheel/tire for repair, went to lunch, and made some contacts from Williamsburg while I waited.

Since I was at “Day 2’s” second planned stop, I decided to proceed with my Sunday plan for the rest of Saturday. Those counties included James City, Charles City, New Kent, King William, and King & Queen. In short, I missed York and Gloucester counties due to my shortened day. My contact options were thinning by the time I got to K&Q. That suited me since I don’t like sitting at closed businesses late at night. Ironically, the same night time hours that bring favorable HF conditions can also produce a higher noise floor in cities due to the increasing use of LED lighting at night! I was content to be home and in bed by 10:30pm.

I made just 67 contacts that day. My flat tire debacle was partly to blame, but I had somehow slipped into a “search and pounce” mode, too. S&P is not a great way for mobile stations to make a lot of contacts, particularly if they operate only while parked. I needed to “run” a frequency, but couldn’t get my head in the game! I think I was being too timid about squeezing between other stations on adjacent frequencies. I like to give 3-5 kHz on either side of my own frequency when 2 kHz is probably enough. This photo shows my operating area during the VAQP. I need to add a note at the top of my computer monitor that says, “RUN IT!” so that I can get in the mindset early and be reminded to stay there! 🙂

I was up at 7am on Sunday and on the road soon thereafter. I stopped at Tyndall’s Point Park in Gloucester county. From there, I ran Saturday’s planned route backwards, ending in Tappahannock (see Day 1 map halfway up the page). I worked from the counties of Gloucester, Mathews (Fort Nonsense shown here), Middlesex, Lancaster, Westmoreland, Northumberland, Richmond (not the city), and Essex (Tappahannock). How did I make up the time on a shorter day? I RAN THE FREQUENCIES! “Running” got me through way more contacts than S&P. I didn’t set any records, but I also didn’t fall behind schedule.

I thought that I might have time to make it back to King & Queen county to make a few more contacts before the end of the Party at 8pm. Unfortunately, thunderstorms were moving through the area and nearly all of the counties along my route home were under severe weather alerts of some sort. The thunderstorms don’t bother me as far as radio operation goes. I’ve never known my mobile stations to be at greater risk of lightning damage than a home station. But the skies had darkened far sooner than usual and heavy rain makes it difficult to hear the radios, much less find a good parking spot alongside a dark county road. So, I spent the last hour of the contest making my way towards home.

In the end, I made 340 contacts from 14 counties and Williamsburg. I worked stations all over Virginia and had callers from 17 other states. I even made two DX contacts with Canadian stations. Most of my contacts were on 40m, but I also made QSOs on 6m, 2m, and 70cm. My goal was to exceed 500 contacts, but it didn’t happen. Hey, it’s not a good story if things didn’t go wrong! 😀 I hope to take lessons learned and bring them with me for a better run in 2026. I’ll be sure to read this entry again as a refresher; it’s part of the reason why I’m sharing this! I may even make a run in North Carolina’s QSO Party since the state line is only an hour away from my home. I need to think on that! In the mean time, click here to see my related video from the weekend.