[3830] MiQP K8IR/M Mobile Multi-Op LP

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                    Michigan QSO Party

Call: K8IR/M
Operator(s): K8IR KE9S
Station: K8IR/M

Class: Mobile Multi-Op LP
QTH: Upper Peninsula
Operating Time (hrs): 12

Summary:
 Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs
--------------------
   80:   90      2
   40:  159     18
   20:   71      2
   15:    0      0
   10:    0      0
--------------------
Total:  320     22  CW Mults = 50  Ph Mults = 16  Total Score = 43,692

Club: 

Comments:

First the good news.  It was the best weather we've ever had for a mobile
trip.
A beautiful spring day all across the U-P, and clear skies and no fog on the
long trip home.

Then there was the contest.  If the solar winds don't get you, the QRN will. I
knew it was going to be a long day from the solar numbers.  At the start, the
signals that we could hear were weak, and often faded right out before we could
complete the exchange.  The only equipment mishap was the 20 meter Hamstick that
became intermittent in Houghton county. A quick stop and the spare Hustler was
in place.  It remained difficult through the afternoon, with single digit
numbers in one county.  As darkness approached, things got easier on 40, and we
had some early success on 80 before the QRN levels went up after sunset. I
decided to try a 75 meter antenna along with 80, given the success on 80 last
year after dark.  But it turned out to be a bad choice.  No one could hear us
through the QRN on 75, even the 20 over signals, and we eventually gave up.  In
retrospect, we should have left the 40 phone antenna up, and probably could have
handed out a few extra mults there.   

Thanks to everyone who stuck with us through the route. A special mention of
K8MFO, who worked us 16 times, and who seemed to find us within minutes
(sometimes seconds) of entering a new county.  Both K8MFO and N2CU found us in
13 of our 15 counties.

Thanks to Jeff, KE9S who came along with me for the first time. Jeff did the
phone duty, as well as piloting us along the route. Despite a few delays, we
ended up entering the final county with 45 minutes on the clock, right on
schedule. I again apologize to Jeff for the 15 mile shortcut on the dirt forest
road.  The ruts weren't that deep last time, really.

Let's hope the conditions are better next weekend for the FQP.

73
Jim K8IR

The numbers by county:

KEWE  21
HOUG  30
BARA  22
ONTO  20
GOGE   8
IRON  33
DICK  35
MENO  10
MARQ  18
DELT  20
ALGE  20
SCHO  20
LUCE  26
CHIP  32
MACK  27


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