I was really looking forward to the GQP. Adding the CW only category this
year was a big plus as that's my favorite mode. I was drooling over the thought
of chasing N4PN, K4BAI, KN4Y, W3DYA and NO5W all over GA as they are all
excellent CW mobile ops and I knew they would be active. Then reality set in
starting at 18Z Saturday. The only mobile I heard the first four hours was N4PN
who
came up out of the noise for one Q. I guess not hearing the mobiles made sense
when you consider W4AN and K4EA were both above my noise level but no where
near the S9+ they should have been. What was really frustrating was that guys
like W7OM, KO7X, K5YAA, K5OT, etc, were all LOUD here as they worked the GA
stations I couldn't even hear. How bad was it? Would you believe I never heard
NO5W at all? Amazing.
I was particularly impressed by the number of fixed stations that hung in
there despite the lousy conditions. There were at least fifteen of them on CW,
which is a lot, who periodically kept coming back and calling CQ.
The last two hours I never heard one GQP CW signal, mobile or fixed. A
fitting end.
Congrats to all for the outstanding GA participation. Please do it again next
year. 73...
John, N6MU
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