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[3830] MiQP WI9WI/M Mobile Solo Op LP

To: 3830@contesting.com, jhfitzpa@wisc.edu
Subject: [3830] MiQP WI9WI/M Mobile Solo Op LP
From: webform@b41h.net
Reply-to: jhfitzpa@wisc.edu
Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:17:14 -0700
List-post: <3830@contesting.com">mailto:3830@contesting.com>
                    Michigan QSO Party

Call: WI9WI/M
Operator(s): WI9WI
Station: WI9WI/M

Class: Mobile Solo Op LP
QTH: MI
Operating Time (hrs): 8.5

Summary:
 Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs
--------------------
   80:    2      0
   40:  135     27
   20:  520      0
   15:    0      0
   10:    0      0
--------------------
Total:  189     27  CW Mults = 48  Ph Mults = 24  Total Score = 29,160

Club: Sawyer County Fishing and Contest Club

Comments:

Four of the past five years I've done the MIQP in the UP starting from my cabin
in Sawyer Co Wisconsin. From there the drive just to get into MI is about 90
mins. I've done a variation of the same 7 western UP counties during those
times. I didn't do it last year because I had done a lot of driving in the WIQP
in March, plus hit a deer to the tune of $3000 on the way back to the cabin
after it was over. I just didn't feel like doing another 800 plus miles of
driving.

This year I decided to do it again. I jumped at Scott, NE9U's offer to stay at
his place in Long Lake, WI the night before. He is only 13 miles from MI there.
After a bit of consultation with him and N9EN before driving up I decided to
make the long drive from Long Lake to KEWE to start the contest. I've always
wanted to do this, but was put off by the long drive. It was expected I'd be
the only activity from that county. N9EN and NE9U would operate from the other
counties in the UP. 

I left Madison on Friday about 1:30 PM, and made the 276 mile drive to NE9U's
place in about 4 and a half hours. For you wildlife fans I saw a very large
Grey Wolf between Rhinelander and Crandon on US 8.  I arrived just after NE9U
and Art, N9BCA did. Todd, N9EN was already there. We went to dinner at the
Brule River Lodge and then went to bed. We were up early and I left at 7 AM.
The drive to KEWE was 130 miles and took 3 hours with a stop in Houghton, MI
for gas, coffee, and a look at my maps. I found a nice little park about 2
miles inside the county line and set up the radio and antennas. Initial set up
takes about 20 minutes, and takedown and set up between operating locations
takes about 8 minutes each. I use a Bugcatcher mounted on my roof rack for 40
and 80, and a mag mounted Hustler for 20. Unless I am driving a short distance
between operating positions I take them down for driving on the highway. The
tip of the Bugcatcher is quite high and has caught on overhanging trees in the
past. Plus, I don't guy it. The radio is an IC-7000 with an LDG 7000 tuner. CW
is with a microham keyer and the computer is an Acer netbook. Though I can walk
and chew gum at the same time,  I cannot operate and log safely while moving, so
all operation is while sitting in parks, boat landings or occasionally by the
roadside on non-busy roads. 

The others and I made a plan to start on 80 for a few minutes to give  them a
shot at KEWE. Before the contest I worked W8CAR/M on 80, and then never heard
him again. The first QSO was with a very weak N9NE/M in IRON on 80 CW, about 70
miles distant. We tried SSB, but couldn't make it. I never heard him again, nor
did I ever hear NE9U. I heard nothing else on 80 and quickly went to 40. I
planned to stay in KEWE for at least 2 hours to give as many people as possible
a shot at it. After a couple of QSO's I started having RF get into the computer
causing it to lock up. Troubleshooting revealed that the Bugcatcher had tilted
over almost onto the roof of my Subaru in a very strong wind. Tightening up the
mount solved that problem. I ended up staying 2 hrs and 30 minutes and made 102
QSOs including a nice run of 25 on 40 SSB. I only made 2 other SSB QSOs the
whole contest. The loudest station I worked all day was KD8JAM about 3 miles
south of me in HOUGH on 40 SSB.

I packed up and made the 46 mile drive to near the HOUGH/ONTO line. This took
about an hour and 23 minutes including take down, setup and driving through
Houghton/Hancock. I spent an hour there and made 46 QSOs before moving about a
mile down the road into ONTO. There I made 44 QSOs in 49 minutes. 

By now it was 6 hours into the test. I had a dinner date with my friends on
Augustine Lake east of Glidden, WI for 8:30 or 9 PM local, so I packed up and
moved on to GOGE at a wayside on US 2 just west of Bessemer. It took close to 2
hours to drive the 75 miles with a stop for coffee. I spent about 30 minutes
there and made 25 QSOs. Activity seemed to dwindle as the day went on. After
KEWE I had no luck on phone in spite of calling CQ on 40 and 20 from each
county. The only 2 SSB QSOs outside of KEWE were moves from CW. I finally
started to hear signals on 80 CW in GOGE but had no luck working anyone for
about 10 minutes. I finally quit and packed up when I realized that I was
having RF problems into the radio on 80 because I forgot to change the tap
point on the Bugcatcher coil when switching from 40. By now I had been on the
road over 12 hours and was quite tired.

I packed up and made the 62 mile drive to my friends, arriving at 2100L about 2
hours before the end of the contest after 319 miles and 14 hours on the road. A
quick shower, a few 807s and dinner put a good cap on the day.

The next day after breakfast I drove the 55 miles to our place in Sawyer Cty
and picked up a 20 m HyGain 204BA I'm selling to AI9L. I then drove home to
Madison arriving about 6 PM.

Statistics:
KEWE 102 QSOs in 2.5 hrs
HOUG 46 QSOs in 1.0 hr
ONTO 44 QSOs in 0.8 hr
GOGE 25 QSOs in 0.5 hr

Total miles driven 910, about 4.5 per QSO
Total time in car, about 24.5 hrs

I made about half the number of QSOs in roughly the same amount of operating
time as I did in the WIQP 4 weeks earlier. Forty seemed good. Twenty was OK but
signals were weak. Eighty was non existent, though I quit before sunset.

Thanks for all the QSOs

73

Jim


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