The 2025 Ohio QSO Party was a great one. Great conditions at the top of the solar cycle, with no storms in space or in Ohio. And in 2025 August had five weekends, so the OhQP, which is on the fourth weekend of August, did not have the distraction of other events that happen on the last weekend. The next most active recent year was 2020, when Covid had many of us stuck at home with not much else to do.
The Ohio Single Operator/High Power category has been owned by Bob Hayes, KW8N of Lorain county, who won again (upping the SOHP Record). But this year he had some good competition from Ohio newcomer Randy, K5ZD, who recently moved from Massachusetts to Belmont County. Bob, K8BL, from Lake county, took the Low Power category in a close finish with W8WTS and N8PE. The QRP category was won by another recent Ohio immigrant, Mark, NK8Q, who operated portable from Darke county.
The K8T team of WA3C and W3NO again handily took the multi op category from Jefferson county, and the crew of W8ZX from Tuscarawas county was the top Emergency Operation Center effort.
Ralph, K8RYU, again roved his way through many of southeast Ohio’s rare counties en route to being the top Rover Station. And we thank the other rovers who did much to activate many of Ohio’s rare counties.
But for close, one does not get any closer than in the mobile category. Jim, K8MR, with driver Barney, K3LA, edged out the team of KV8Q and AD4EB, by a margin 335 points with both scores over 355,000 (upping the Mobile Record). That’s a difference of two QSOs out of 1300. The KV8Q team had more QSOs, but the K8MR crew came up with five more SSB multipliers. And no, K8MR, the OhQP Chairman, did not instruct log checker K9TM on how to check the logs. 🙂
From outside Ohio, the winner was perhaps the farthest from Ohio: Laci Vegh, OM2VL, operating from the OM8M super-station. In addition to good numbers on 20 and 15 meters, Laci was actively moving multipliers between modes. And anyone from Europe who can work Ohio QRP and mobile stations on 80 meters is certainly doing well! Laci also set the DX SOHP Record.
The top USA winners from outside Ohio were Andy, AA5JF, from Georgia in the High Power class; Ken, W8MJ operating as K8MQP from Michigan, took the low power category with the top overall score; and from Florida Tom, K3TW, won the QRP category in another close race with fellow Floridian K8MV.
In the club competition, the North Coast Contesters took Ohio honors, while the Florida Contest Group ran up the biggest numbers from outside Ohio.
The Mad River Radio Club, sponsor of the OhQP, will again be holding its “Suite in the Sun” at the 2026 Hamvention in Xenia, in flea market spaces 7368-7372. We invite you to stop by, say hello, and share some good stories about OhQP or other items of interest.
And of course we hope you’ll be back for the 2026 Ohio QSO Party, on Saturday, August 22!