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Common Multiplier Logging Errors California QSO Party (CQP)

There are common multiplier abbreviation problems that can potentially result in losing points. One type of problem is not entering enough characters to clearly specify a unique California county. Here are some common problems we have seen over the years.

County abbreviation problems

MON – This is an ambiguous abbreviation for:
MONT  Monterey
MONO  Mono

MAR – This is an ambiguous abbreviation for:
MARN Marin
MARP  Mariposa

SB – This is an ambiguous abbreviation for:
SBEN  San Benito
SBER San Bernardino
SBAR  Santa Barbara
Note: SB is the abbreviation of the ARRL section “Santa Barbara”. This is fine for ARRL Field Day, but CQP is about California counties and “SB” is not quite enough letters to clearly distinguish it from the other possibilities.

State abbreviation problems
AL:  AL  Alabama state, not ALAM Alameda county or ALPI Alpine county
LA:  LA  Louisiana state, not LANG Los Angeles county or LASS Lassen county
NV:  NV  Nevada state, not  NEVA  Nevada county
OR:  OR  Oregon state, not ORAN Orange county

DX QSOs
DX QSO’s do not count for non-California participants.

For California participants, DX QSO’s count for QSO points but not multiplier credit. There are no DX multipliers.  United States commonwealths, territories and possessions do not count as multipliers.  The preferred QTH abbreviation for any DX station is “DX”.  You may instead log the ARRL DXCC country abbreviation (e.g. G for England, DL for Germany, etc), but simply “DX” is easier for you.