[3830] IARU K5YAA/M SO Mixed HP

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                    IARU HF World Championship

Call: K5YAA/M
Operator(s): K5YAA
Station: K5YAA

Class: SO Mixed HP
QTH: EMA
Operating Time (hrs): 22

Summary:
 Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs  Zones  HQ Mults
-------------------------------------
  160:    0      0      0        0
   80:  105      3      0        0
   40:  214     14     18       31
   20:  352     69     25       40
   15:  167     29     17       31
   10:   42      4      7        7
-------------------------------------
Total:  880    119     75      113  Total Score = 616,452

Club: Oklahoma DX Association

Comments:

I will try and do justice to the contest and WRTC event in this writing. 
Several days of activities have created many memories for me so I will 
try to describe a few in hopes of making many of you feel as though you 
were here. I understand there will be many postings of photos for viewing
so take a look after the organizers sort them out and get them posted. 

It was a long trip from Oklahoma to Eastern Massachusetts but after my 
first evening of meeting, at the WRTC event, people I have talked to for 
many years it became worth the drive. I spent several hours just sitting
and talking to the likes of Fred K3ZO and Walter DJ6QT while we watched
call sign after call sign walk by. Many stopped to introduce themselves
and several grabbed a chair to join in the story telling. Many of the
people in attendance have known each other for many years, have shared 
operating experiences all over the world and consider their fellow hams 
part of their family. 

Operators from around the world, the US and dozens of 1 land folks, the 
volunteers who made WRTC something to remember. I have gained new respect 
for the hams of New England. Most of them had sweat on their brow when I 
spotted them. Too many areas of effort put forth to name, but getting 65 
stations set up and ready for competition in a couple of days has to be 
one of the greatest accomplishments of the entire event. My hat is off to 
them for a terrific job. From all the comments I heard after the contest 
all the competitors seemed pleased with their site location and set up. 
I got to see a few of the stations from across a lake in the Miles Standish 
State Park early Sunday morning as I finished the last couple of hours of 
the contest. It was a beautiful morning here in Massachusetts, cool breeze, 
clear sky, just perfect for a Field Day style outing. In fact the WX was 
picture perfect for the entire event. Someone here in 1 land has connections!

I arrived in Westborough, MA a couple of days early. This gave me time to 
look around the countryside a bit. Studying the map of site locations I felt 
I could find a spot up North and one down South that would position me to 
work as many of the 1x1 setups as possible on the high bands 10, 15 and 20.
Being highly skilled operators I reasoned I could get some of them to move
for me to say 10 meters even at midnight. As it turned out there was little
reason to make such requests. I did ask for a couple of moves and even had
several requests from the 1x1 operators for a quick move. Worked out well.

I located a rest area on Hwy 2 in the North and found Plymouth Rock in 
Plymouth, MA in the South. I felt those two spots would be my best shots. 
Friday was setup and test of the stations by the competitors so I made a run 
to my Northern spot to see how it played. After a couple of hours I had made 
only four QSOs, three with the same station. I kept telling myself 
"Maybe they haven't had time to get the stations set up yet". Another
hour 
passed with NIL contacts so I decided to drive around a bit. I headed North 
through Devens and all of a sudden two very loud stations showed up on 
20 meters. Both were 10 over 9 on the K3. A quick pullover in a large parking 
lot and I made two Qs with stations I wasn't hearing only five miles away. 
Well, my strategy of using only two locations to log all the 1x1 calls went 
right out the window with that discovery. I moved a bit more North then went 
East on Hwy 2A back to I495 to return back to Westborough. During my return 
I heard several more stations to the North on 20 and 15 then while on I495 
I heard and worked a few on 40 meters. I sort of discounted the 40 meter 
contacts as I figured 40 and 80 would produce from most any location in the 
Eastern part of the state. Needless to say I figured I would have to move 
more than I had planned if I was to get the attention of the 1x1 stations 
on the high bands. So, when the contest began Saturday morning I parked in 
the same spot I had made those two over S9 QSOs with on Friday. I stayed in
the
same spot for three hours and collected several 1x1 QSOs on the high bands
along
with many I found just doing a bit of S&P. My efforts to produce a run
were
fruitless for those first three hours. I decided to move further North toward
Pepperell. While headed that way I spotted a sign "Joe's Deli". I
decided it
was lunch time so stopped in and got me a ham and cheese, some chips and a
drink. The place had several Army Reservists sitting and having lunch so I
took time to thank them all for their service. As I was leaving with my lunch
more reservists showed up. I reasoned Joe's was a good local spot. The
sandwich was a good one. I wrapped up half of it and put it in my cooler.
It was to be a long time before I would stop again. That half a sandwich would
be a good breakfast.  The two stops I made up North after lunch didn't seem
to have the signal punch the first stop did but I was able to finally get a
couple of good runs going. I think the bands had improved somewhat by noon.
I finished my Northern 12 hours among very tall trees on the side of a State 
Highway near Pepperell. I logged several more 1x1 stations on the high bands. 
It was time now to motor South and locate a sweet spot for more 1x1 contacts. 

While I was moving along Hwy 111 toward the proverbial I495 I put the K3 on 40

meter CW. Huge European signals were across the band. This was at roughly 8PM 
local time. I needed to get South quickly and fire up on 40. I got past I95 
and saw a sign Parking Area 1 mile. Close enough I decided. 40 was waiting 
maybe even 80. I pulled into the area all the way to the front of the spot. 
Filled the generator for the second 12 hour run and adjusted the front seat 
for comfortable use of the laptop. It was now 9PM. This spot was my operating 
home until 5AM Sunday morning. During the night I had my lamp on and would 
periodically see a vehicle pull in for a very brief rest I guess. Every one 
that stopped only stayed a few minutes then took off on I495. A couple of 
motorcycles stopped but only for a brief time. No problems and I had a number 
of good runs on 40 and even 80 meters.  I took a look at 40 SSB, made a 
handful of QSOs but went quickly back to CW where it seemed most of the action

was. I even looked at 80 SSB and surprisingly was called by a couple of 1x1 
stations - yes 80 SSB you read it correctly. I began to see my keyboard
without
the lamp and realized the sun was beginning to rise. It was roughly 5AM, maybe
a bit later. I decided I would go further South toward Miles Standish State
Park maybe 20 minutes away to finish the contest. It was right at 20 minutes 
and I found me a spot across the lake from several of the 1x1 setups. As I
said
above it was a perfect morning. A couple of bass boats were on the lake and
they fired up and moved a time or two while I sat there running Europeans and
stateside stations on 20, 15 and even 10 meters. 15 was terrific for the last
two hours of the contest. At about 7:30 I looked at my Q count on N1MM and
it appeared if the rate would hold I could reach a 1,000 Qs. At 7:45 I was 
two minutes/Qs ahead so figured I would make it. At 7:55 the run came to a
halt.
I needed 3 more contacts. Quickly I went to ten meters and found a couple of
stations using a fast tune around. More frantic tuning - no more new ones.
Back to 15 with 2 minutes left. Tuning, no new ones. Landed on a spot and 
punched F1. No answer - 30 seconds or less left. Another F1 - no answer. Game
over so I had to settle for 999 QSOs. After 24 hours in the mobile I decided
999 was a nice round number. I worked 58 of the 59 possible 1x1 stations a
handful on all five bands. I missed W1M who sent me a couple of question marks
on 15 meters Sunday morning. Their signal was as strong as other 1x1s I had
just
worked so I figured a bit of fatigue was setting in. I was pleased to get the
attention of the competitors. They are indeed some of the best operators in
the
world.

After the contest ended I backed up my log and stepped out of the van for
a walk around. Had a brief conversation with a local who was curious about all
the antennas on my roof and a trailer to boot. Turns out he had a Cobra 2000
and wondered if I would be interested in it. I told him what I had just 
participated in for 24 straight hours and showed him the setups across the
lake with a description of what those people were doing. I turned his offer
for the Cobra down but he didn't seem disappointed. Maybe my story helped 
smooth his feathers. I hope so, it is a great hobby. Everyone I tell about 
talking all over the world seems amazed. I am still amazed with it after all
these years.

Let me finish my writing now by saying thanks to everyone who gave me a call
while I was in the mobile. I feel quite priviledged to have had the time and
resources to attend WRTC. Many of the competitors stopped and told me thanks 
for the QSOs. The people who organized and flawlessly executed the event
are to be congratulated for their untiring efforts on behalf of ham radio
the world over. The competitors and referees who made long trips to get 
here had smiles on their faces and the handshakes of very old friends. They too

are to be congratulated for their efforts. The foreign hams, several with 
their families came for the first time to the US to test their skills against
others from around the world. One op I met the first day here had made his
first ever flight on an airplane. He came from Europe and told me he would do
it all 
over again to see and be with the people even though he preferred the 
automobile for travel. Spirits were high all during the event. Let me say 
what I have been known to say before, we have maybe the best hobby in the
world.

73, Jerry K5YAA

The Rig: A K3 driving a solid state amplifier to 4 Hustlers and a Tarheel that
was parked on 80 meters. The K3 and amp are powered by a bank of three marine
batteries that are on continuous charge from the generator. It seems I have
cured my choppy CW by placing the K3 and amp on the same power source and 
implementing a couple of timing changes on the K3 and N1MM so hopefully I
sound just like another mobile - well maybe with a slightly bigger signal! Not
one single failure - like I said, the one landers may have some connections.


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