[3830] MiQP K8MR Mobile LP

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                    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)


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