North Dakota QSO Party
Call: KC0W
Operator(s): KC0W
Station: KC0W
Class: Fixed LP
QTH:
Operating Time (hrs):
Summary:
Band CW Qs Ph Qs Dig Qs
----------------------------
160:
80:
40: 148
20: 123
15:
10:
6:
2:
----------------------------
Total: 271 0 0 Mults = 48 Total Score = 13,008
Club:
Comments:
Thanks much to all who participated in the 2018 NDQP. Between work obligations,
family obligations & perhaps yard work it's amazing fellow CW enthusiasts
find the time to sit in front of the radio on nice weather weekends.
I recently moved back to ND so this was the first contest I put a serious
effort into. The ground is still frozen here & I'm unable to put up the
towers in storage. So, what to do for antennas for NDQP? I have a 20 meter
HamStick & a 40 meter HamStick in storage. I used these antennas for some
WSPR experiments a number of years ago. I know, let's try these "dummy
loads on a stick" in the NDQP.
I ran 100' of crap coax into the driveway & connected it to a mag mount on
top of the SUV. The roof of this vehicle is almost all glass due to it's
enormous sunroof. I found the only 1'x 1' square area of metallic real estate on
the roof & plopped the mag mount down on it. It made a sickening THUD on the
brand new paint as the magnet & roof became one. This is a new Range Rover
so I wasn't about to do any bonding or grounding of the Rovers hood, doors,
etc..............My expectations were not very high.
As the witching hour of 1800 UTC rolled around I made the decision to
"handicap" myself even further by running 50 Watts for the entire
contest. What is the ERP of a 40 meter HamStick on an un-bonded vehicle while
running 50 Watts? Probably less than 10 Watts.
Let's Get Ready to Rumble:
Low & behold people were hearing/working me. If K0BG could see me now. This
mobile setup flies squarely in the face everything K0BG preaches about on his
website. Amateurs like to know the fine details of what stations use in a
contest. Here ya go:
FT-857 at 50 Watts
40 & 20 Meter HamSticks
N1MM+
100' of old coax complete with gouges/cuts in it. SWR was sky high.
By George mult after mult are now going into the log. Would I be able to work
my goal of all 50 states? At the 5 hour mark it's looking like I just might.
Fooling yourself by thinking you have a loud signal is half the battle, right?
Who needs 1.5kW and 5 element monobanders when 50 Watts to a dummy load on a
stick seems to be doing the job.
KL7SB gives me a call. Nice, Alaska is now out of the way. A while later K9FD
in Hawaii gives me the KH6 mult. Count then as they fall. Delaware, Rhode
Island, Vermont. Keep on a trucking now Mr. Cow & continue to think you are
loud. Canadians give me a few Providences. Thanks.
Long story short I didn't get my goal of all 50 states. Which ones were
elusive?
Idaho.......You have GOT to be kidding me.
Montana.....The Montana/North Dakota state line is literally 20 miles from my
door. Somehow no Montana RF made it's way into my radio.
North Dakota.......I should get a prize for somehow not working another ND
station. Maybe the contest sponsor will have pity & send me a Ginsu knife
set or a Chia Pet?
South Dakota........Where was W0SD?
Wyoming........Not surprised by this one.
So there ya have it. Maybe next year things will turn out better. On Sunday
morning several Europeans went into the log on 20 meters. All of the heavy
lifting was obviously done on their end.
Once again thanks to everyone for the points/mults. Long live CW & hope to
see you in the next 'test.
Tom KC0W
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