Kansas QSO Party - 2020
Call: K0P
Operator(s): N0JK
Station: K0P
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: DOU
Operating Time (hrs): 10
Summary:
Band CW Qs Ph Qs Dig Qs
----------------------------
80:
40:
20:
15:
10:
6:
----------------------------
Total: 166 11 0 Mults = 45 Total Score = 23,400
Club:
Comments:
KØP Douglas County 2020
First, thanks to Bob Harder, WØBH for organizing and promoting the KS QSO
Party. He has worked very hard to make this a successful, challenging and
enjoyble experience.
Bob is the reason I put KØP on. I am a frontline Healthcare worker, and was
originally scheduled to work the weekend of the KS QSO Party. But the call
schedule changed at the last minute, and I would have the weekend off.
I was at the local Mazda service shop Friday before the contest getting an oil
change when I found out. I e-mailed Bob I would be able to operate the contest
and try a short operation from Chase County as well. He noted the KØP call sign
was now available. After some e-mail exchanges and filling out the special call
sign application on my cell phone, I was now KØP!
I live in a C C & R "no outside antenna" neighborhood. So the plan
was to operate fixed portable from Chase County Saturday afternoon after
dropping my Grand daughter off with her mom who lives there. I would operate
other times from home in Douglas County. To operate from home, I hooked up a
feed to the rain gutter on our home. I had used it before on HF. On 30 Meters it
works well, got VP8PJ on 30 Meters first call! 40M loads well, 20 only fair.
Saturday morning the plans changed. Strong thunderstorms roared through eastern
Kansas. There was no way to get to my site in Chase. So
I started the contest from Douglas County. First on 20 Meters. As others have
noted -- 20 Meters was "challenging" Saturday. Signals
were weak, with QSB. I was also very rusty on CW. Most of my operating the last
2 years have been FT8 and msk144. But after struggling through the first few
contacts, it started coming back. Despite the simple antenna, I steadily put
stations in the log. Then around 2000 UTC a "speed bump." The visual
display on my Kenwood TS-850 died. Black. But I still received signals, the
radio put out power and stations called me. But I had no way of knowing where my
frequency was now. I have a FT-991A, but it is set up only for WSJT-X and SSB. I
kept operating CW with the Kenwood. I had put 7.040 MHz in the radio, so was
able to switch to 40M as needed. I used spots on stations I heard as well as
spots of KØP to know where I was. I went to 40 at 2045 UTC. 40 was great! I
even had a pileup calling me. Despite full afternoon sun, I had stations in from
California to Vermont calling me! I stayed on 40 until evening. Then my grand
daughter wanted to go out on her bike and look for "Poke'mon." So took
a break. Back on at 0124 UTC, put a few more in the log until 0200 UTC.
Back on Sunday morning at 1400 UTC, on 40 Meters. Not busy, but a steady supply
of callers. Several calling in from the west coast such as W6OAT WA, KA6BIM OR,
N6RO, WA6URY and others in California. Some east coast despite the sun being up
like W3LL MD, and NJ2OM NJ. Nice to work Gator, N5RZ and Drew, WØK. Band
dropped around 1500 UTC and got my Grand daughter ready to return to her mom.
Driving back from Chase County, I stopped at a church parking lot to check KSQP
spots on my cell phone. Saw KSØKS spotted on 14.297 MHz. I
wanted the 100 point bonus so... I had everything already in the car, so put the
antenna back on the mag. mount and hooked the radio up. No
KSØKS... but worked KØN JOH. Then called CQ up the band to hand out KØP. 11
more Qs before the end of the contest. Not a big score, but pleased to put KØP
in as many logs as I did.
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
______________________________________________
3830 mailing list
3830@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/3830
|