[3830] OhQP AE8M Mobile LP

[webform at b41h.net]

                    Ohio QSO Party

Call: AE8M
Operator(s): AE8M
Station: AE8M

Class: Mobile LP
QTH: 9 OH COUNTIES
Operating Time (hrs): 11.5

Summary:
 Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs
--------------------
   80:   92     35
   40:   74     35
   20:   74      0
   15:    0      0
   10:    0      0
--------------------
Total:    0      0  CW Mults = 54  Ph Mults = 36  Total Score = 49,500

Club: 

Comments:

My mobile setup consists of a K3 with one antenna mount on the roof and another
antenna mount on the trunk lid of a Honda Accord.  Lakeview Hamsticks for 20,
40, 80 and 75 were frequently rotated between the mounts.  I drove 200 miles
during the contest and another 120 miles prior to the start to get to the first
county.  I park to operate.

The EU stations added some extra excitement with Q’s as follows: DL3DXX 5,
HA8IB 5, DL2HBX 4, DL3GA 4, HA1AG 3, OK2EC 3, and one each for LY2FN, PA3ARM
AND SP5SA.  Whenever I entered a new county and started CQing on 20M, they were
there immediately.  After dark, I abandoned 20M but they found me on 40M.

The first half hour of the contest was a disaster.  I had replaced my usual
mobile laptop with a new little Samsung netbook.  I was unaware that the touch
pad on the netbook has a feature called virtual scrolling which duplicates the
operation of a wheel on a standard mouse.  Moving a finger across the touch pad
would cause the rig frequency to change.  I unwittingly did this in the middle
of two Q’s (K1ZZI & W4DAN, sorry guys) and probably numerous times while
CQing.   Of course, the QSO rate was very bad the first half hour and I was
quite discouraged.  About 20 minutes into the contest I noticed that the rig
frequency at the end of a CQ was not the same as when I started calling.  I did
not know the source of the frequency shift, but I did figure out that engaging
the frequency lock button on the K3 would prevent it.  The frequency lock
button kept me in the contest and about two counties later I figured out that
the touch pad was the source of the problem.  I now know that this virtual
scrolling “feature” can be disabled in the touch pad settings.


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