Version 1.2, valid March 2025

Contest dates:

The monthly contests are held on the last Saturday of every month except February, when it takes place on the first Saturday in March, to avoid doubling with the Jock White Field Day.

Contest times:

Summer: 2100-2230 NZDT

Winter: 2000-2130 NZST

Band times:

40 meters: Summer 2100-2145, winter 2000-2045 (45 mins)

80 meters: Summer 2145-2230, winter 2045-2130 (45 mins)

CW times:

There will be four short CW periods:

SSB frequencies:

80 meters: LSB centred around 3.690 MHz, then on 5 kHz channels mostly down.

40 meters: LSB centred around 7.090 MHz, then on 5 kHz channels from 7.095 MHz and up, and from 7.070 MHz downwards.

Please avoid using 3.700 MHz, a VK slow Morse station in Sydney is permanently transmitting on 3.699 MHz.

Please be mindful of any SOTA/POTA activity on 7.090 MHz, and use other frequencies as necessary. Please avoid between 7.070 MHz and 7.080 MHz (FT8 etc).

Frequencies are recommendations only, you can log any valid contact within the permitted band segment.

CW frequencies:

80 meters: centred around 3.550 MHz then on 2 kHz channels up.

40 meters: centred around 7.020 MHz then on 2 kHz channels up.

Frequencies are recommendations only, you can log any valid contact within the permitted band segment.

Rules:

1. Points are earned only for QRP to QRP contacts,  meaning both stations must have transmitter output power less than or equal to 10 W PEP. For stations operating QRPp, transmitter output power must be less than or equal to 1 W PEP.

2. Stations worked do not have to be competing in GQN but must comply with Rule 1, otherwise points cannot be claimed.

3. Modes are LSB and CW only. Stations may be worked up to four times, once using each mode on each of the two bands.

4. QSY rule: If a station calls CQ, and makes a contact, that station will then leave the frequency at the end of the contact, and move to a frequency at least 5 kHz away for SSB, and at least 2 kHz away for CW. You can call CQ as many times as necessary on one frequency – but after you have made a contact, you should move to another frequency leaving it free for the station just worked. After a minimum two minute break, if the vacated frequency is not being used, the previous CQ-calling station may return.

5. To qualify as a portable station, battery power must be used, as well as a non-permanent antenna.

6. A back-country station is defined as a self-sufficient station running on battery supply from a site located more than a 2 km walk from the operator's motorised transport.  i.e. having walked/tramped to a tent or hut with the potential to stay overnight, although staying overnight is not necessary to qualify.

7. For portable and back-country contacts, the location can be passed either as map coordinates, NZ map grid reference, SOTA/POTA location, or the common name of the park, hut or area.

8. To qualify as a QRPp contact, all contact details (back-country, portable, name and location, signal report and serial number) must be passed using a transmitter output power of 1 W PEP or less. The contact can be initiated at QRP power, but all details must be passed at QRPp power. Once both operators have switched to QRPp, the remainder of the contact must be carried out at QRPp power.

9. You cannot work a station twice on both QRP and QRPp power, except for contacts on different bands. For example, you can contact a station QRP on 80 m and the same station QRPp on 40 meters, but you cannot log two contacts at different power levels on the same band.

10. A DX contact is considered a contact with another station where either the station worked or the competitor is located outside New Zealand territorial waters.

11. It is not permitted to log consecutive contacts with the same station. This includes both modes and bands. There must be at least one other contact logged before working a station again on a different band or mode. It is acceptable to arrange a CW QSO for the next CW slot.

12. Winter bonus points are calculated and automatically added to your score for the six months of April through to September, inclusive.

13. Points will be accumulated monthly until the end of each year, then the contest resets on 1 January for the new year.

14. Please use the provided logging spreadsheet found here. 

15. All logs shall be sent by email to [email protected] within 21 days of the contest date. Logs can also be submitted via Discord.

16. The contest organiser’s decisions are final, and no correspondence will be entered into.

Award categories:

An award will be given at the end of the year to the operator with the most points in the following categories:

• GQN award, for the operator with the most total points

• CW award, for the operator with the most CW points

• Band awards for the most points on 40 meters and 80 meters

• QRPp award, for the operator with the most QRPp points

• DX award, for the operator with the most DX points

• Brass monkey award, for the operator who scores the most portable points in winter.

Scoring:

Each qualifying contact is worth 10 points. In addition, the following bonus points are available:

Winter bonus points are in addition to normal bonus points.

Multiple bonus points can be earned per contact. For example, an operator who claims a QRP contact when they are operating portable would qualify for 10 base points + 5 CW bonus points + 3 portable bonus points = 18 total points.