[3830] IOTA K1W M/2 LP

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IOTA Contest

Call: K1W
Operator(s): K1RX N1YX N1SRD
Station: K1W

Class: M/2 LP
QTH: White Island NA217
Operating Time (hrs): 20

Summary:
 Band  CW Qs  CW Mults  Ph Qs  Ph Mults
----------------------------------------
   80:   22       6       16       4
   40:  226       0       62       0
   20:  436      30      224      23
   15:   31       0       14       1
   10:    0       0        0       0
----------------------------------------
Total:  715      36      316      28  Total Score = 462,720

Club: 

Comments:

At the local radio club meeting (Port City Amateur Radio Club, Greenland, NH
W1WQM.org) a group was organized to make our first trip to the nearby Isle of
Shoals, NH off the coast of Portsmouth, NH.  One of the members was a past
board member of the White Island Tern (bird)management program and was able to
secure permission to setup a radio for the RSGB IOTA contest.  We chartered a
boat to carry us to the island (only 4 members were on the team)and were
blessed with nice calm weather on the arrival.  The departure, not so smooth
(more later).  We brought an Icom 756P2, K3 and FT-857 and 40 and 80 M dipoles
and a Cycle 24 WRTC 2014 tribander.  We were able to suspend the tribander from
the lighthouse (tram from the top railing to the ground) and hang the inverted
vees off different parts of the top railing as well.  Coax was run down the
inside of the lighthouse into the two radio setups.  One of stations was at the
bottom of the lighthouse, the other was in an adjoining room.  No one could
escape the blast of the fog horn that fired off the entire time (my ears are
stilling ringing).  The tone of the fog horn surprisingly matched the CW side
tone of the radios and when it sounded, it sounded like a packet pileup and
could not copy anything.  So we had to work hard to get fills and create the
right listening periods in between CQ's. 

Our overall goal was to put Isle of Shoals, NA-217 on the air in a bigger way
than ever before.  Although conditions did limit our success, we were able to
make the IOTA world a bit happier. Especially those from JA that considered
NA-217 as rare.  Our tribander pointed north seemed to play very well to Asia
and EU.  We worked most of Friday (before the contest) to pass out the NA-217
QSO to all that needed it and made about 700 Q's in that effort.

Our departure was only slightly hampered by light showers (after a beautiful
weekend with temps in the 80's F and light breezes.  It was low tide when we
left the island and it took some work to get all the gear back into the boat. 
The small skiff boat used for transporting the gear from shore to the larger
boat nearly sank on the second and last trip back to the boat.  After stuggling
to push the boat off the rocks, Igor, N1YX had to jump on to the boat as we left
shore.  He made it and then with the full load, started taking on water as we
motored to the larger boat. Got there in time and then quickly unloaded. That
was the most work of the entire operation!

The Bird Management group was pleased with our operation and have invited us
back again.  What an adventure!

Thanks for all the QSO's and note that QSL's will be forth coming with
reference to the Lighthouse number and IOTA reference.  QRX.

73, Mark, K1RX; Igor, N1YX, Dave, N1SRD and Tom, KB1YVR


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