[3830] OrQP K4XU/M LP

Tue May 20 00:09:57 EDT 2003

                    Oregon QSO Party

Call: K4XU/M
Operator(s): K4XU
Station: K4XU/M

Class: (none) LP
QTH: 
Operating Time (hrs): 12

Summary:
 Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs
--------------------
  160:            
   80:            
   40:   21       
   20:  188     14
   15:    8       
   10:            
    6:            
    2:            
--------------------
Total:  217     14  Mults = 41  Total Score = 18,368

Club: Central Oregon DX Club

Comments:

583 miles in 12 hours thanks to the superb efforts of my driver, KI6Y. Charlie
kept the rubber side down and pedal to the floor as necessary.

I had decided four weeks before the event that a trunk lip mount was not good
enough for a Hustler and 3 resonators so I ordered a "Gorilla" triple magnet
mount from MFJ. I improved the coax connection and added a 47pF cap across the
base to improve the match on 15m. That required drilling a #10 hole in the plate
for a sturdy ground lug. The antenna was mounted behind the sunroof on top of my
95 Acura Legend. 
I drove it up to Crook County on the weekend of the NEQP and was surprised at
how well I got out. The noise was a quite low S-3 and the antenna stuck like
glue even when I hit a small branch coming back up my driveway. I did note that
for any kind of contest operation, a designated driver would be esential. Back
at home I finished up an operating desk for the passenger side of my vehicle
that had a tilted stand for the TS-50 so the Bencher paddle would fit underneath
it on the table surface, leaving plenty of room for the laptop.
0645 Saturday morning Charlie shows up on schedule. 
We load the gear and hit US97 north at the opening bell at 1400z (7 AM PDT). "CQ
OQP de K4XU/Deschutes".  W9RE, K4LTA, and WO4O in quick succession... this is
gonna be great! After 13 QSOs the rate dried up until we hit Jefferson County at
1447z. Again a spurt, same guys and another lull. Conditions are not good.
At 1528z we hit Wasco Couty, worked the gang again. 1610z entered Sherman County
and stopped at Kent to visit K7SQ camped in a trailer park 100 yds off the road.
Why I didn't get a ssb contact with him alludes me. I fixed his .dom file (FL
was missing) and went on our way. About 10 miles up the road the antenna
suddenly left the car while we were doing about 60 mph. The coax parted at the
base connection and everything tumbled in the road behind us. Foutunately there
was no traffic. We were able to back up and retreive it. 1647z we pulled off the
highway into Wasco, pop 320. Charlie found a small garage where we could plug in
our soldering iron and reattach the coax. The reason the antenna came off was a
magnet had come unglued from the cup and was still stuck on the roof. No amount
of finger power could remove it. Finally the garage guy located a piece of stair
handrailing that we whittled down to the diameter of the center hole in the
magnet. With it I could lever the magnet off the roof without removing paint.
The magnet was reglued with epoxy, the base rotated so the two undamaged magnets
pointed forward. Off we went again at 1725z. We joined I84 at the John Day Dam.
HT power lines everywhere and noise to go with. 1812Z,  Morrow County. Worked
the gang despite the power line noise. 1821z while passing a semi at 75+ mph the
antenna let go again, this time remaining attached by the coax, the tips of the
reasonators dragging on the road. We pulled over and replanted the magnet in the
roof. Stopping at the next exit Charlie picked up the only "string" available:
50' of 1/4" bright yellow polypropylene rope. With this I fashioned a bridle and
guyed it to each front corner of the hood. Looking more like a circus wagon, we
took off again and crossed into Umatilla County at 1834z.
Here I84 climbs out of the Columbia River valley and up into the gold mining
mountain country of eastern Oregon. White-sided 6000'+ mountains on both sides
of the road making our 100 watts seem even smaller. 2000z and Union County, work
the gang again as we crawl over the Snake-Columbia divide at 4350'.
2036z, Baker County and the halfway point of our trek, just 95 QSOs in the log.
Ol' sol is not doing us any favors today. 2056z at Baker City we left the
Interstate, gassed up and headed back west. We climbed over 5124' Tipton Summit,
the Grant County Line at 2148z. The road is very curvy, I have to cinch down the
seatbelt and keep focused on the laptop screen to keep my stomach from heaving,
shades of F4E back seat long ago. Charlie is having fun, no traffic but it looks
like snow. Outside temp is 38F. Dixie Pass, 5280' we pass a motor home parked at
a scenic lookout, I caught a glimpse of a trap vertical in the grass along side
it. We turn around and have a chat with W7YOW doing his county expedition in
Grant. He says the propagation from this place is great. I add Florida to his
.dom file then we return to the route but this time not before working him first
on ssb.
We drop down into the John Day river valley. The road levels off as it follows
the river, and it starts to rain. 70 more miles to the next county line. QSO
rate 14/hr. We hit Wheeler County at 2329z and start climbing again, still in
the rain. At 0012z we reached the 4720' Ochoco summit and pulled into a National
Forest campground that stradles the Crook-Wheeler line. I had used this location
in the past thee Oregon QSO Parties. Charlie took a stretch among the old growth
ponderosas while I did some work on 20 and 40 ssb. Rate now 50/hr and some new
mults. At 0048 we go back on the road again, sixty miles and two counties to go.
Crook County is rare, lots of guys say thanks for the new one.
Back on familiar turf now, closing on home. 0136z we cross back into Deschutes
County and pull into my driveway at 0155, five minutes to go. Charlie sure knows
how to keep a schedule. Even with the stops he averaged 48.5 mph. I get 231 QSOs
and 41 mults. We will rent some better propagation next year.

This is fun. Anyone have opinions on the feasibility of combining the OR ID MT
WY NV UT and AZ into one big party? Every state is larger than all of New
England yet the total gives just 217 counties! Perhaps this is enough 'critical
mass' to spur enough activity to make it a viable event? Yes Ward, you can join
this if you want, that would make 258 - four more than Texas.

Dick, k4xu/7

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