N5RZ/M (a.k.a "Texas") QSO Party

[Jim Stahl]

I knew from reflector postings that the Texas QSO Party was last
weekend.  Waking up to yet another cold rainy Saturday morning, I
picked up the May QST to find that the contest had started just 5
minutes earlier, so I went downstairs and turned on the radio.
 
Suffice it to say that the guys in Texas are a long way from the
guys in California or Pennsylvania in running a state contest,
but N5RZ (and driver/XYL Sue) did a hell of a job of putting on
those unpopulated west Texas counties.  Throughout the weekend
I'd wander into the shack for a few minutes to work Ralph and
anyone else I could find, and then go on with various household
projects (with the speaker on listening to RZ if I was in the
basement)  for another 20 minutes or so until RZ was due for the
next county.
 
I had a total of 139 QSOs in 104 counties.  I worked N5RZ from 40
counties, KG5U from 22, and 17 QSOS with KI3L which included a
couple on different modes from the same county.  I suspect I
would have worked Ralph from all his counties had my wife and I
not gone out Saturday evening.
 
I don't know what my score was because of a stupid rule I
discovered half way through: that qsos with rovers after the
first one didn't count for QSO credit.  Whoever thought that one
up should be sentenced to reading all the material ever posted on
the rover scoring issue in the ARRL VHF contests.  :)
 
A note to agressive rovers:  when CQing, your county is almost as
important as your callsign.  RZ did a very good job of announcing
his, KG5U got about a 50% score, the others needed much
improvement.
 
Ralph, I'm glad that gawd awful 4.3 cent gas tax didn't scare you
away from your expedition!
 
 
Jim   K8MR      k8mr at barf80.nshore.org
 
 

----------------------------
Jim Stahl
InterNet: k8mr at barf80.nshore.org
Basic Amateur Radio Frequency, BARF-80 +1 216/237-8208
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