[3830] FlQP NO5W/M M/SCW LP

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                    Florida QSO Party

Call: NO5W/M
Operator(s): NO5W K1DW
Station: NO5W

Class: M/SCW LP
QTH: Mobile
Operating Time (hrs): 20

Summary:
 Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs
--------------------
   40:   131     
   20:  1997     
   15:    82     
   10:     0     
--------------------
Total:  2210    0  CW Mults = 69  Ph Mults = 0  Total Score = 609,960

Club: Louisiana Contest Club

Comments:

K3/100, Hi-Q 4/80, Garmin GPS-18PC, US Navigator USB interface, CQ/X version
1.8.0.4, Streets and Trips 2013, 2002 Pathfinder.

Wow, what fun, and what a challenge! The almost continuous intense pileups,
especially on Sunday, resulted in a score that is about 43% better than my
previous best. It was great to get back into the mobile FQP fray after being
away for several years. I had operated as a mobile in 2007-2009 driving over to
the panhandle from Houston. After the 2009 event my XYL driver told me that two
straight days of 10 hour driving was more than she could endure, she was
retiring, turning in her grand prix driving gloves, and I should look around
for one of my crazy ham buddies to serve as driver and co-operator. It took me
a few years but I found one. 

After moving to New Orleans in 2012 I was fortunate enough to be invited to
operate in several multi-ops at KN5O's fine station in Covington on the
northshore of Lake Ponchatrain. During a break in the 2013 ARRL DX CW I
mentioned to Dallas-K1DW that the FQP was coming up in April and how much fun
mobile operation in the FQP would be. Dallas had never operated as a mobile in
the FQP, or any state QSO party, but thought it sounded interesting.
Fortunately he was free the weekend of the FQP and ready to see what it was all
about. After that I mentioned to him that we would be using a logging program
that he had probably not used before. He was still interested! NO5W/m was a go
for FQP-2013!

In previous years our route went essentially east on I-10 from Escambia County
near Pensacola to Jacksonville on Saturday and then swung south a little past
Ocala on Sunday returning up the west coast and ending up in Bay County near
Panama City where we would spend a few days of vacation near Grayton Beach. But
this year no vacation was planned and we wanted to avoid three nights on the
road so we planned to drive all the way back to the K1DW QTH near Folsom, LA
after the party. To minimize that after-party drive we wanted to end the
contest in Escambia County on I-10 as close as possible to the Florida-Alabama
state line -- about 200 miles from Folsom. So we decided to reverse my previous
route by driving about 120 miles past Pensacola to Chipley on Friday to allow us
a short drive to a Saturday start in Bay County north of Panama City. Reversing
the route worked out well as we managed to be parked less than three miles from
the state line with about five minutes left in the party. About 40 minutes later
we were sitting at a restaurant in Spanish Fort overlooking Mobile Bay, enjoying
an adult beverage and dinner before driving the remaining 160 miles to Folsom. 


Our route worked well and we arrived at our destination in each session just as
the session ended. Saturday we drove the planned route without a missed turn but
on Sunday we missed a couple which we caught without any significant lost time.
A total of 40 different counties was covered with the following results:

County		QSOs  Op Mins   Avg  Initial 10	 
				Rate  Min Rate
Marion		128	60	128	192
Citrus		105	45	140	204
Levy		 82	36	137	168
Taylor		 79	49	97	174
Calhoun		 78	45	104	156
Gilchrist	 77	34	136	162
Jackson		 72	30	144	174
Volusia		 71	28	152	180
Franklin	 71	65	66	156
Putnam		 69	54	77	150
Nassau		 68	24	170	168
Holmes		 67	22	183	180
Walton		 67	23	175	210
Bradford	 62	23	162	156
Santa Rosa	 61	23	159	168
Alachua		 59	27	131	174
Madison		 58	26	134	132
Okaloosa	 57	21	163	192
Escambia	 55	20	165	174
Wakulla		 55	23	143	168
Jefferson	 53	22	145	126
Leon		 53	33	96	198
Columbia	 51	21	146	168
Gulf		 47	42	67	168
Duval		 46	16	173	180
Lake		 45	16	169	186
Washington	 44	16	165	180
St. Johns	 44	22	120	150
Gadsden		 44	23	115	144
Dixie		 44	28	94	114
Clay		 43	14	184	174
Sumter		 43	16	161	168
Liberty		 43	19	136	132
Suwannee	 43	19	136	186
Baker		 42	15	168	180
Lafayette	 42	22	115	126
Union		 40	26	92	150
Hamilton	 38	21	109	186
Flagler		 23	12	115	120
Bay		 13	14	56	72

There are a few dupes in the above QSO numbers and the total operating minutes
is shy of the 1200 available due to one gas stop each day, bio breaks, operator
changeovers, leg stretches, etc. The counties with the best average hourly rates
were Clay(184), Holmes(183), Walton(175), Duval(173), and Nassau(170). Counties
with the most intense pileups on initial entry (initial 10 minute hourly rate)
were: Walton(210), Citrus(204), Leon(198), Marion(192), Okaloosa(192),
Lake(186), Hamilton(186), Suwannee(186), Volusia(180), Holmes(180), Duval(180),
and Baker(180). Where possible we tried to work the pileup down before moving on
to the next county. Our apologies if you did not make it into our log in each
county where you called us. 

At the break on Saturday evening at Ormond Beach we had 936 Qs in the log and
commented at dinner that with a little more push on Sunday we should be able to
break 2000 Qs, something I had never done. But Sunday came on so strong with an
average hourly rate of 132 that we blew on past that goal. Here's what the
hourly QSO totals looked like with a typical slow start and a fast finish.

Hour		QSOs
1600-1659	 87
1700-1759	 62
1800-1859	 76
1900-1959	 83
2000-2059	 60
2100-2159	103
2200-2259	 76
2300-2359	134
0000-0059	138
0100-0159	144
-------------------
1200-1259	117
1300-1359	106
1400-1459	159
1500-1559	114
1600-1659	128
1700-1759	132
1800-1859	 92
1900-1959	142
2000-2059	170
2100-2159	157

Of course the above numbers would not have been possible without the efforts of
the 427 unique callers that made it into the log and certainly not without the
efforts of the following frequent callers: VE3KZ(42), K9CT(41), K9NW(38),
WA3HAE(35), W8WVU(35), K8IR(34), N5ZK(34), NS9I(33), N3KR(32), K0RC(28),
K3WW(28), VE3RZ(28), VE1RGB(26), K9PG(26), K0HC(25), WI9WI(24), N5NA(23),
AA1AR(23), K8MR(23), VE1OP(23), K9UIY(22), W7YAQ(22), N3DXX(22), K6LA(22),
W1END(20), N5WR(20). Thanks for the Qs.

We learned a couple of things during the weekend:
1. Which end of the mike to use for making SSB Qs, which we are submitting as a
check log. However, its obvious from our SSB totals (15 Qs) that we still have a
lot of work to do if that mode is to be a significant contributor to our score
in the future. Maybe we need some training by the K4KG crew on how to make
quick mode changes! Congrats to Jim-VE7ZO and Geo-K5KG on an outstanding score
including 2800+ Qs!. 
2. As we came into eastern Tallahassee Sunday on fumes and finally found a
station we learned that the 16 gallon tank on the Pathfinder will actually hold
16.5 gallons -- that was close!

In spite of all the FQP mobiles on the road we did not have an eyeball QSO with
any but we are pretty sure we came close. On Sunday we stopped in a small sliver
of Nassau County on US90 near Mattox, and pulled over just outside a no
trespassing gate on the side of the road. While Chuck worked the pileup Dallas
got out to explore the area and stretch his legs. He spotted a dark blue police
car about a quarter mile away,  parked on the other side of the road.  The
police seemed to be checking us out and then they moved before we did.  As they
passed us we saw four verticals mounted on the bumpers, one on each end, front
and back. Obviously it was not police but another FQP participant.  We wondered
who that was, tried to catch his attention, but failed, and mostly were glad it
was not the police!!!! 

Besides the intense pileups our biggest thrill was being called in two counties
Saturday evening by RZ0AF. Chuck had never worked zone 18 from his home station
(if you saw it you would understand why) and to do it from the mobile was
simply amazing.

The FQP is an awesome party and very well organized. If you get the chance to
run mobile in the FQP jump into it with both feet -- you will have a blast. Put
it on your bucket list. Many thanks to the Florida Contest Group and especially
to Dan-K1TO for sponsoring such an outstanding QSO party.

Look for NO5W/m in the Texas QSO Party the last full weekend in September and
hopefully in the Kansas QSO Party in late August. Check the route plans page 
of the website (http://www.no5w.com) for details a week or two prior to the
events.

73

Chuck-NO5W
Dallas-K1DW


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