Considering how miserable conditions were last weekend you deserve and extra
attaboy, Jim - nice job....
I only made about 15 QSOs while working in the shack but certainly could
tell how poor condx were...
Poor condx coupled with a compromised signal (inefficient mobile antennas)
requires sheer seat of the pants grit...you showed it!
Great job
73,
Jim, K4OJ
...cu this weekend :-)
----- Original Message -----
From: <webform@hornucopia.com>
To: <3830@contesting.com>; <jimk8mr@aol.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 23, 2002 8:55 AM
Subject: [3830] MiQP K8MR Mobile LP
> Michigan QSO Party
>
> Call: K8MR
> Operator(s): K8MR, W8DRZ
> Station: K8MR
>
> Class: Mobile LP
> QTH: 22 counties
> Operating Time (hrs): 12
>
> Summary:
> Band CW Qs Ph Qs
> --------------------
> 80: 0 0
> 40: 485 158
> 20: 165 38
> 15: 5 3
> 10: 0 0
> --------------------
> Total: 655 199 CW Mults = 63 Ph Mults = 54 Total Score = 176,553
>
> Club: Mad River Radio Club
>
> Comments:
>
> K8MR/m (+W8DRZ) 2002 Michigan QSO Party, Mobile
>
> County 40CW 40SSB 20CW 20SSB 15CW 15SSB
>
> Midland 7 4 5 0
> Gladwin 15 6 13 0
> Bay 6 3 5 0
> Arenac 21 4 19 3
> Ogemaw 16 7 8 4 2 1
> Roscommon 24 14 16 5
> Crawford 21 8 10 0 1 2
> Oscoda 24 6 11 0
> Montmorency 18 13 10 9
> Otsego 12 25 19 2 1 0
> Cheboygan 19 12 16 11 1 0
> Charlevoix 18 0 4 0
> Antrim 21 4 12 2
> Kalkaska 20 1 9 0
> Gr Traverse 10 0 3 0
> Wexford 13 6 3 0
> Missaukee 51 10 0 0
> Osceola 33 1 2 0
> Clare 34 15 0 0
> Isabella 37 11 0 0
> Gratiot 29 8 0 2
> Clinton 36 0 0 0
>
> Total 485 158 160 38 5 3
>
> CW SSB
> Counties 29 28
> States 34 26
>
> 854 QSOs 117 Mults 176,553 Claimed Score
>
>
>
>
> Though I had really been looking forward to the MQP this year, I was not
excited
> driving up to MI on Friday. The solar disturbances and geomagnetic storms
had me
> fearing a very lonely drive around the state. In fact, I brought along
the back
> 4 elements of a two meter beam, so in case the aurora got too bad I could
at
> least work some 2 meter AU contacts from up north.
>
> It was not any more encouraging driving north from K8CC's QTH on Saturday
> morning, straining to hear WWV giving out K=5 numbers. But nevertheless
after
> lunch near Bay City, we proceeded into Midland county where we started the
> contest. Signal were't great, but there were some people to work, and
after
> three quick counties from the Midland - Gladwin - Bay corner, we had 62
qsos in
> the first hour.
>
> Things went OK for the next few hours, and by hugging some county lines we
had
> lots of time to operate while parked, a key part of my qso party strategy.
> These were counties where we were the only scheduled mobile, so we made it
a
> point to give them good attention. However, it was a 40/20 contest.
Several
> tries on 15 netted very little, and about half of those few were other MI
guys.
> Most of the SSB signals there were speaking Spanish. Overall we had only
two DX
> qsos, with OZ8ABE on 20 CW around 18Z.
>
> As the sun started going down, the signals started improving. It turns out
that
> the K index was headed down to 2 by then, and with the improving signals
the
> rates began improving as well. By 02Z 40 meters was great. The pileups
in
> Osceola and Clare counties in particular reminded me of a K3LR line from a
Field
> Day very long ago - "Do these guys think we're on some island?". The rate
meter
> peaked (on 40 CW) at 0227Z in Clare county with a past 10 rate of 195 and
a
> previous 10 rate of 162. Not bad for hundred watts and a seven foot whip!
>
> In Missaukee county we stopped to switch to the 80 meter antenna. It
would not
> load, on either mag mount, nor with W8DRZ's backup HamStick. It turned out
to be
> a tuning problem with the top hat... for an unknown reason when I checked
it
> Friday, I had to use longer wires, but when I checked it out after the
contest
> found it was resonant at about 3450 HKz. From the reports it sounds like I
did
> not miss many multipliers from the other mobiles.
>
> This time driver W8DRZ even got into the operating act, making six SSB
qsos
> while I was doing bladder relief duty. I hope he didn't sound too odd
asking
> K4BAI for a repeat of his state.
>
> I was pleased that quite a few good out of state contest ops running up
some big
> numbers. I still am shooting for 1000 qsos as a mobile in the 12 hours of
> MQP/OhioQP. I think it is possible with some additional serious home
station
> activity, especially earlier in the contest when activity tends to be
lower.
> Noting the comments from K3WW and K7SV (and from my own NCJ article) about
> sharing operating time with lawn care duties, maybe we will have to
approach the
> Scott's Lawn people (based in Marysville, OH) about corporate sponsorship
for
> the Ohio QSO Party - the winner getting a free year's lawn care :-)
>
> Thanks to all who helped make our MQP trip a most excellent time for us.
>
>
> Jim (MR) & Jim (DRZ)
>
>
> Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at:
http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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