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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