[3830] AzQP K7IA Single Op LP

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                    Arizona QSO Party

Call: K7IA
Operator(s): K7IA
Station: K7IA

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: Cochise Cnty Arizona
Operating Time (hrs): 17:43

Summary:
 Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs  Dig Qs
----------------------------
  160:                   
   80:   39      0      0
   40:   60      3      0
   20:  203    342     37
   15:                   
   10:                   
    6:                   
    2:                   
----------------------------
Total:  302    345     37  Mults = 76  Total Score = 77,748

Club: Arizona Outlaws Contest Club

Comments:

For the First Annual Arizona QSO Party, I took the pickup truck-loaded camper
over to Cochise County Arizona from my home QTH in New Mexico to help out my
"other" old home state (first licensed in Tucson in 1959 as KN7IPZ after moving
there from Los Alamos, NM in 1956).  My wife and I "camped" at Rustler Park in
the Coronado National Forest, a site at the 8500 foot elevation level in the
Chiricahua Mountains in Southeast Arizona (home of Geronimo's Chiricahua Apache
Band).  Rustler Park is nearly at the head of a canyon running northeast.  I set
up my Field Day station there, but unlike Field Day, I operated low power
instead of QRP, as I do in Field Day.

I had prepared to operate all three modes and to work both the AZ and PA
contests , principally running as an AZ QP station.  When things got slow (and
they did on Saturday afternoon), I switched to S&P mode and worked the PA QP
runners.  I also switched to RTTY and worked a few Makrothen RTTY contest
runners, supplying considerably more info than they needed!  They needed only a
four digit grid square, but they got an RST, "Arizona," and "Cochise County" in
addition to my grid square (DM51, which may be an uncommon one, considering the
comments received!).  Many thanks to the North American Makrothan ops for
responding to my macro message, "I need your state for the Arizona QSO Party,
thanks!"  Only one op refused to send his state, so he isn't in the log--not a
bad rate of return!

Equipment:

K3, 95 watts CW and SSB, 70 watts RTTY (I know, it's rated for 100 watts key
down, but my PA amp module went west during a low power RTTY contest earlier in
the summer--it was an older version of the module, but why take chances for less
than a 1 db reduction in power?).

Antennas:

20 meters:  homebrew wire Moxon Rectangle in the treetops at 65 feet, pointing
Northeast and down the "waveguide" canyon

40 and 80 meters:  vees at 65 feet

160, 15, 10 meters:  vertical wire, 40 feet long, running from top of camper
and connected to SGC 230 Smartuner at its base.  I also used this combination
on 20 meters a few times when a polarization change improved signal strength
somewhat.

Logger:  N1MM with two contest datafiles--one for AZ QP and the other for PA
QP.  N1MM easily switches between multiple contests, especially when two (or
more) files are separate and not in a single master datafile.  The only
challenge I had was keeping track of serial numbers of the PA QP Q's.  That was
simple when I was S&Ping the PA runners, but attempting to switch contest
datafiles when I was running the AZ QP became too slow and unwieldly.  I
quickly decided to keep track of PA QP serial numbers manually on paper, and
while I ran, hand out sequential serial numbers, crossing off each one sent.  I
abandoned my original plan to correlate incoming PA QP serial numbers and
counties for stations who answered my running calls, so I unfortunately won't
be able to submit a log to the PA QP sponsors.  However, all PA QP stations
worked are in the AZ QP log and will be uploaded to LOTW.

Things got off to a great start on Saturday AM at 1000 local time.  The Moxon
displayed its notable forward gain and broad forward lobe, and many midwest,
southeast, and northeast CW stations got into the log quickly.  I maintained
what I thought what I thought was a good Q rate, and then the EU stations began
calling and sending exchanges as though they were aware that the Arizona QSO
Party was on the air!  Great fun!

On Sunday morning, things were even better, principally because the second leg
of the QSO Party began two hours earlier, at 0800 local time.  Europe had an
extra two hours to send electromagnetic energy into Arizona, compared to
Saturday AM, and whatever contest they were working on Saturday no longer
existed on Sunday!

I missed only a few states:  RI, HI (the ridgeline was west of me), AK (heard a
KL8, but so did numerous PA ops!!), NV, and UT.  I worked only five of Arizona's
15 counties, and most of the Q's were from Cochise County--the county I was in! 
I was hoping to work other AZ counties at night on 80 and 160, but I heard
nada--did the ops fall asleep after big suppers??

Nothing ever heard on 15 meters, so I never checked ten.  Likewise, 160 was
empty, even though the QRN was low.

CW QSOs were like garden variety contest Q's with no real ragchews.  I'm not a
phone guy, but I was surprised by the number of phone Q's I made and by the
number of 3 and 4 station pileups wanting to work Arizona.  Thanks!!  This
improves my interest in the upcoming CQ WW SSB!!  Many phone stations made
quickie exchanges, but I enjoyed quite a few ragchews, turning a "contest" into
a "Party!"  Thanks to N1MM .wav macros, the voice held out for the entire
weekend!

Most interesting ragchew:  K9DIG, Linda, near Grand Forks, ND, where I
practiced oncology in the early 90's.  Her OM is an ENT surgeon there, who
arrived after my time.

Best DX QSO:  IW6DRH--a mobile!!

Closest DX:  KB7SKY, Jason, who was camped in the Chiricahuas at Barfoot Park,
only a mile from me.

Only eyeball QSO:  KB7SKY, Jason, at about lunch time on Sunday, as he was
heading home to Bisbee.

Saddest QSO:  A great-sounding fellow in Vermont, who, after getting a
contest-like exchange during a pileup, asked, "Don't you want to get
acquainted?"  He was right--QSO Parties should be parties and not contests. 
Where has competition taken us??  Food for thought...

Many thanks to the ops who turned their antennas to the southwest and added
some AZ Q's to their piles of PA Q's.  Many ops weren't certain about the QZ QP
exchange, and so they sent everything--name, county, grid square, serial number,
etc.  Thanks for joining us!!  We hope you enjoyed working Arizona and will put
us on your calendars for next year!

Finally, thanks Gary, KE7DX, for hosting this fine first outing!  I'll not
forget my "other" home state next year!

73,
Dan, K7IA


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