[3830] OhQP K8MR Rover LP

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                    Ohio QSO Party

Call: K8MR
Operator(s): K8MR W3JL
Station: K8MR

Class: Rover LP
QTH: 22 counties
Operating Time (hrs): 12

Summary:
 Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs
--------------------
   80:  266     15
   40:  269     25
   20:  206     25
   15:    5      1
   10:    0      0
--------------------
Total:  746     66  CW Mults = 78  Ph Mults = 30  Total Score = 168,264

Club: Northern Ohio DX Association

Comments:

By County:

      CW  SSB
ASHL  25   1
BELM  40   3
CARR  43   2
COLU  34   2
DELA  13   0
FAIR  23   0
GUER  39   4
HARR  19   1
JEFF  26   2
KNOX  18   0
LICK  31   4
MAHO  34   8
MEDI  18   6
MONR  55   6
MORG  40   5
MUSK  42   5
NOBL  37   3
PERR  61   6
RICH  16   0
SUMM   5   0
TUSC  66   5
WAYN   8   1


A bit disappointing after several years of bountiful in state qsos on 40
meters. Also very little DX was worked. But activity was pretty decent
including a number of persistent followers. K5YAA was at the top of that list,
followed by N4PN. 

I like the rover category as providing a chance to activate SSB from some rare
counties for the benefit of the non-CW operators of OhQP. Unfortunately, with
40 so long for the first 11 hours there was little point to set up the fixed
antenna to do 40 meters. We ended up stopping in only three places, MAHO (at
the start), TUSC, and MONR, all places we would likely have spent some time
parked even as a regular mobile.

I did lack the enthusiasm to actively move guys to SSB. 40 SSB never produced
much even when parked. So nearly all of my 40 and 20 SSB contacts were guys
moving me for the SSB multiplier.

This year I was with first time (for OhQP) driver Glen, W3JL, a good friend
going back to my high school days in Sharon, PA. He now lives near New Castle,
PA, so hence the start in Mahoning county. We wanted to get back to our meeting
 point near Warren, OH, by the end of the contest, so we skipped the back route
through Holmes county, etc., and just got on I-71 in Morrow county. Even with
that we still had an hour of driving after the contest ended, just after our
entry to SUMM.

Only a few minor problems. At one point N1MM I had the WinKey frequently
deciding to push the CW speed from 35 or so to 54. I have no idea why, but
shutting down and restarting N1MM cured that problem. The other issue was in
MORG when I noticed a high SWR reading on 40. Retuned the K3 tuner and it was
happy. Just as we entered PERR we stopped to look at the antenna. I found it
about a turn loose in the mag mount, so I tightened things and moved on. An
hour later, while stopped for gas, I looked up and realized the top 18" of
the 40 meter Hustler resonator was not there. Apparently an encounter with trees
left an unusual piece of trash laying on a street in McConnellsburg. I wonder if
the IC-746 would have tolerated such a resulting mismatch.

It was great having a weekend with only the OhQP on the contest calendar.
Thanks to Bob, W0BH, who had not realized the there were five weekends this
August, and that the fifth was not also Labor Day weekend, and agreed to move
the Kansas QSO Party to next weekend. I'll be in there to give the Jayhawks a
few QSOs, undistracted by the usual conflict with OhQP.

Thanks to all who participated. See you in 2016!

73  -  Jim K8MR


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