Texas QSO Party - N5RZ/M Single Op
Still have to clean up the logs & count mults, but the preliminary results
are about 890 QSO's, all on 20M CW. Single Op Mobile. Made 36 Counties in
a swath from Midland to Victoria & back. Very few Texans worked - condx
really stunk - only worked DL4RX in a few counties & only about 3 or 4
other EU's worked.
Original plans called to go to Corpus Christi & activate 47 counties, but
traffic was really bad in the San Antonio area; a couple of wrong turns
messed things up and it wasn't quite as easy to cover as the Panhandle
counties. Much more scenic though.
What better way to break in a new pickup (4WD Toyota T100 - Great ride!!) -
started with 810 Miles & got home with 1900. I got my new IC706 about a
week ago - love it! I also added a ANC-4 noise canceller which sure kept
the ignition noise out. A Hamstick clone & tri - magmount rounded things
out. Had to reduce the power to about 70W to get rid of a "crackling" noise
in the steering column area while transmitting - didn't want to sizzle
something!!
Of course, a big thanks to Sue, my XYL who made the drive. A few trade-offs
for that, of course. Since she can't read while in motion, I had to navigate
& operate - a tough chore at times - especially when making mid-route
changes. One wrong turn can really screw things up. Also, part of the deal
was that she would be guaranteed an EXCELLENT meal Saturday nite at a decent
hour. The Corral in Victoria has some great fried catfish & helped me keep
that end of the bargain. The beautiful WX, wildflowers & scenery kept her
interest up too. However, we had our share of asshole drivers - much
worse than on other runs - are South Texans really that poor at driving???
When I got home, I realized we missed Karnes county just SE of San Antonio
- another casualty of mid-course revision.
Anyway, lots of fun and a load of thanks to all those who followed me
around. I had many from 20 or more counties.
See ya'll next year - I may be looking for a driver though.
73 & Thanks to all,
Gator N5RZ/M
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