North American QSO Party, CW - January
Call: C6AVA
Operator(s): K6VVA
Station: C6AVA
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: C6 North Bimini Is.
Operating Time (hrs): 10
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
160:
80: 89 37
40: 261 48
20: 111 44
15: 214 40
10: 54 10
-------------------
Total: 729 184 Total Score = 134,136
Club: Northern California Contest Club
Team:
Comments:
I have a new definition for the term IDIOT...
(I)ntoxicated (D)river (I)nsidioulsy (O)bstructing (T)ransmission.
While on 40m after it turned dark, I happened to look up from the Confuzzzer
out the window right in front of me and FREAKED when I saw a golf cart drive by
heading straight for my vertical antenna semi-elevated radial field and the
antenna. I YELLED STOP-STOP and ran out to find an intoxicated elderly woman
in a golf cart a few feet from the antenna and on top of a broken/snapped
radial...the golf cart hung up on the remaining radial stake. To say I was,
umh, {explicate deleted) peeved would be right. You can't make this stuff up.
Like Santa Catalina Island off Southern California, the main mode of local
transporation is by golf cart. I had put yellow CAUTION (TENGA CUIDADO)
plastic tape on one of the radials, but did not expect any DRUNKEN GOLF CART
DRIVERS to come whizzing through this private sand/grass area in the dark of
night.
Although I'm primarily here on an IOTA Expedition, I decided to also try the
NAQP depending upon condx. Sure didn't expect the SFI to be up so high which
was nice. Didn't plan on operating 80m, but before the NAQP, discovered if I
ganged-together a few of my weenie coils I had, that I could get resonance at
about 3800...so with the external tuner, I did get on 80 (but with high local
powerline QRN). It was essentially a weenie fixed (loaded) mobile antenna.
I cranked down the TS-480HX IOTA TXRX to 100w, and gave the NAQP a go. Would
have loved to had some big yagis here :^)
Ahhhh, I was very shocked at the difficulty so many people had with my C6AVA
callsign. Finally near the end of the NAQP, I decided to send the call TWICE
most times, which seemed to help. Umh, 5 or so years ago I tried to get C6VVA,
but unfortunately, unless a Grandfathered callsign, all C6 calls must have a
trailing 'A' letter. The C6 licensing folks accommodated me with a trailing
'VA', but I wondered if many NAQP'ers did not expect any callsign in the event
beginning with the letter 'C', or if it was some kind of other-operator
keyboard-challenging issue or something.
Sorry I could not handle band QSY requests... my Locust Special IOTA Expedition
vertical uses separate radiators per band, and any QSY would have taken between
5 and 10 minutes depending upon the change (various combinations of components
used). Going outside to make one band change during the contest at night was
via weenie headlamp, and unfortunately, I also got umpteen new 'No-See-Um'
bites on my ankles and legs ;-(
There were some real MONSTER signals heard here on 40/20/15m, but I'm sure
having the vertical about 100ft from the water in the direction of the US & VE
helped a bit {SHEEPISH GRIN HERE}.
I lost some time taking a 5 minute 'Union Smoke Break' outside every hour, but
overall, it was fun.
73 & Tnx for the Q's and Mults...
Rick, K6VVA * The Locust (C6AVA)
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