Florida QSO Party
Call: NO5W/M
Operator(s): NO5W K1DW
Station: NO5W
Class: M/SCW LP
QTH: Mobile
Operating Time (hrs): 20
Summary:
Band CW Qs Ph Qs
--------------------
40: 131
20: 1997
15: 82
10: 0
--------------------
Total: 2210 0 CW Mults = 69 Ph Mults = 0 Total Score = 609,960
Club: Louisiana Contest Club
Comments:
K3/100, Hi-Q 4/80, Garmin GPS-18PC, US Navigator USB interface, CQ/X version
1.8.0.4, Streets and Trips 2013, 2002 Pathfinder.
Wow, what fun, and what a challenge! The almost continuous intense pileups,
especially on Sunday, resulted in a score that is about 43% better than my
previous best. It was great to get back into the mobile FQP fray after being
away for several years. I had operated as a mobile in 2007-2009 driving over to
the panhandle from Houston. After the 2009 event my XYL driver told me that two
straight days of 10 hour driving was more than she could endure, she was
retiring, turning in her grand prix driving gloves, and I should look around
for one of my crazy ham buddies to serve as driver and co-operator. It took me
a few years but I found one.
After moving to New Orleans in 2012 I was fortunate enough to be invited to
operate in several multi-ops at KN5O's fine station in Covington on the
northshore of Lake Ponchatrain. During a break in the 2013 ARRL DX CW I
mentioned to Dallas-K1DW that the FQP was coming up in April and how much fun
mobile operation in the FQP would be. Dallas had never operated as a mobile in
the FQP, or any state QSO party, but thought it sounded interesting.
Fortunately he was free the weekend of the FQP and ready to see what it was all
about. After that I mentioned to him that we would be using a logging program
that he had probably not used before. He was still interested! NO5W/m was a go
for FQP-2013!
In previous years our route went essentially east on I-10 from Escambia County
near Pensacola to Jacksonville on Saturday and then swung south a little past
Ocala on Sunday returning up the west coast and ending up in Bay County near
Panama City where we would spend a few days of vacation near Grayton Beach. But
this year no vacation was planned and we wanted to avoid three nights on the
road so we planned to drive all the way back to the K1DW QTH near Folsom, LA
after the party. To minimize that after-party drive we wanted to end the
contest in Escambia County on I-10 as close as possible to the Florida-Alabama
state line -- about 200 miles from Folsom. So we decided to reverse my previous
route by driving about 120 miles past Pensacola to Chipley on Friday to allow us
a short drive to a Saturday start in Bay County north of Panama City. Reversing
the route worked out well as we managed to be parked less than three miles from
the state line with about five minutes left in the party. About 40 minutes later
we were sitting at a restaurant in Spanish Fort overlooking Mobile Bay, enjoying
an adult beverage and dinner before driving the remaining 160 miles to Folsom.
Our route worked well and we arrived at our destination in each session just as
the session ended. Saturday we drove the planned route without a missed turn but
on Sunday we missed a couple which we caught without any significant lost time.
A total of 40 different counties was covered with the following results:
County QSOs Op Mins Avg Initial 10
Rate Min Rate
Marion 128 60 128 192
Citrus 105 45 140 204
Levy 82 36 137 168
Taylor 79 49 97 174
Calhoun 78 45 104 156
Gilchrist 77 34 136 162
Jackson 72 30 144 174
Volusia 71 28 152 180
Franklin 71 65 66 156
Putnam 69 54 77 150
Nassau 68 24 170 168
Holmes 67 22 183 180
Walton 67 23 175 210
Bradford 62 23 162 156
Santa Rosa 61 23 159 168
Alachua 59 27 131 174
Madison 58 26 134 132
Okaloosa 57 21 163 192
Escambia 55 20 165 174
Wakulla 55 23 143 168
Jefferson 53 22 145 126
Leon 53 33 96 198
Columbia 51 21 146 168
Gulf 47 42 67 168
Duval 46 16 173 180
Lake 45 16 169 186
Washington 44 16 165 180
St. Johns 44 22 120 150
Gadsden 44 23 115 144
Dixie 44 28 94 114
Clay 43 14 184 174
Sumter 43 16 161 168
Liberty 43 19 136 132
Suwannee 43 19 136 186
Baker 42 15 168 180
Lafayette 42 22 115 126
Union 40 26 92 150
Hamilton 38 21 109 186
Flagler 23 12 115 120
Bay 13 14 56 72
There are a few dupes in the above QSO numbers and the total operating minutes
is shy of the 1200 available due to one gas stop each day, bio breaks, operator
changeovers, leg stretches, etc. The counties with the best average hourly rates
were Clay(184), Holmes(183), Walton(175), Duval(173), and Nassau(170). Counties
with the most intense pileups on initial entry (initial 10 minute hourly rate)
were: Walton(210), Citrus(204), Leon(198), Marion(192), Okaloosa(192),
Lake(186), Hamilton(186), Suwannee(186), Volusia(180), Holmes(180), Duval(180),
and Baker(180). Where possible we tried to work the pileup down before moving on
to the next county. Our apologies if you did not make it into our log in each
county where you called us.
At the break on Saturday evening at Ormond Beach we had 936 Qs in the log and
commented at dinner that with a little more push on Sunday we should be able to
break 2000 Qs, something I had never done. But Sunday came on so strong with an
average hourly rate of 132 that we blew on past that goal. Here's what the
hourly QSO totals looked like with a typical slow start and a fast finish.
Hour QSOs
1600-1659 87
1700-1759 62
1800-1859 76
1900-1959 83
2000-2059 60
2100-2159 103
2200-2259 76
2300-2359 134
0000-0059 138
0100-0159 144
-------------------
1200-1259 117
1300-1359 106
1400-1459 159
1500-1559 114
1600-1659 128
1700-1759 132
1800-1859 92
1900-1959 142
2000-2059 170
2100-2159 157
Of course the above numbers would not have been possible without the efforts of
the 427 unique callers that made it into the log and certainly not without the
efforts of the following frequent callers: VE3KZ(42), K9CT(41), K9NW(38),
WA3HAE(35), W8WVU(35), K8IR(34), N5ZK(34), NS9I(33), N3KR(32), K0RC(28),
K3WW(28), VE3RZ(28), VE1RGB(26), K9PG(26), K0HC(25), WI9WI(24), N5NA(23),
AA1AR(23), K8MR(23), VE1OP(23), K9UIY(22), W7YAQ(22), N3DXX(22), K6LA(22),
W1END(20), N5WR(20). Thanks for the Qs.
We learned a couple of things during the weekend:
1. Which end of the mike to use for making SSB Qs, which we are submitting as a
check log. However, its obvious from our SSB totals (15 Qs) that we still have a
lot of work to do if that mode is to be a significant contributor to our score
in the future. Maybe we need some training by the K4KG crew on how to make
quick mode changes! Congrats to Jim-VE7ZO and Geo-K5KG on an outstanding score
including 2800+ Qs!.
2. As we came into eastern Tallahassee Sunday on fumes and finally found a
station we learned that the 16 gallon tank on the Pathfinder will actually hold
16.5 gallons -- that was close!
In spite of all the FQP mobiles on the road we did not have an eyeball QSO with
any but we are pretty sure we came close. On Sunday we stopped in a small sliver
of Nassau County on US90 near Mattox, and pulled over just outside a no
trespassing gate on the side of the road. While Chuck worked the pileup Dallas
got out to explore the area and stretch his legs. He spotted a dark blue police
car about a quarter mile away, parked on the other side of the road. The
police seemed to be checking us out and then they moved before we did. As they
passed us we saw four verticals mounted on the bumpers, one on each end, front
and back. Obviously it was not police but another FQP participant. We wondered
who that was, tried to catch his attention, but failed, and mostly were glad it
was not the police!!!!
Besides the intense pileups our biggest thrill was being called in two counties
Saturday evening by RZ0AF. Chuck had never worked zone 18 from his home station
(if you saw it you would understand why) and to do it from the mobile was
simply amazing.
The FQP is an awesome party and very well organized. If you get the chance to
run mobile in the FQP jump into it with both feet -- you will have a blast. Put
it on your bucket list. Many thanks to the Florida Contest Group and especially
to Dan-K1TO for sponsoring such an outstanding QSO party.
Look for NO5W/m in the Texas QSO Party the last full weekend in September and
hopefully in the Kansas QSO Party in late August. Check the route plans page
of the website (http://www.no5w.com) for details a week or two prior to the
events.
73
Chuck-NO5W
Dallas-K1DW
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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