[3830] AlQP W4AN/M(@KU8E/M) Mobile Multi-OpMixed LP

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Alabama QSO Party

Call: W4AN/M
Operator(s): KU8E K4BAI
Station: KU8E/M

Class: Mobile Multi-OpMixed LP
QTH: 19 AL counties
Operating Time (hrs): 11:05

Summary:
 Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs
--------------------
  160:    0      0
   80:    0      0
   40:  451      0
   20:  348     88
   15:    0      0
   10:    0      0
--------------------
Total:  799     88  CW Mults = 47  Ph Mults = 32  Total Score = 133,036

Club: South East Contest Club

Comments:

IC756ProII, 100W, Hustler mobile whips.  Jeff, KU8E and John, K4BAI, and Jeff's
two teenage sons, Andrew and Randy, planned a 23-county mixed mode entry in AQP
on Saturday.  Problems with a non functioning inverter used to power the laptop
caused us to start 55 minutes late. Fortunately, we had a spare inverter that
worked fine once we determine what the problem with the laptop was.  During the
day, we also had to stop for short periods of time.  Once was because one of the
antenna mounts developed a short.  Jeff was able to clear up that problem, which
had occurred once in the past.  We had some RFI problem with the computer, which
was fixed by a toroid on the keying line to the computer.  During the contest,
the rig shut down a few times and finally wouldn't come back up after a shut
down. Jeff located the trouble, which was in a secion of power cable going from
the West Mountain distribution system to the rig.  Fortunatley, we had another
cable like that with our back up rig (an Icom 756Pro).  

At the beginning, all bands seemed dead.  We were set up with a 20M and a 15M
resonator on a tri mount tuned for 20CW and 15CW.  On another mast, we had
another 20M resonator tune for about 14250 for SSB.  After 3 hours and 20
minutes with no antenna for 40M, we determined that the internal tuner in the
Icom would allow us to use just the one 20M resonator on the tri mount for both
20CW and 20SSB, so we removed the second 20M resonator and exchanged it for a
40M resonator, which worked quite well.  We never pulled out the 80M resonator,
since 20M stayed open until the end of the contest period, even though it seemed
that only N8II, DL3DXX, and K6MR knew it was still open.   

While we were working on the computer problem, the bands picked up a bit and we
started in RSSL, although also stopped there to work on the RFI problem and make
other adjustments.  Running so far behind our planned schedule, we change routes
and ended up putting out 19 counties, instead of the planned 23.  The sponsors
had announced that there was promised activity in all counties before we posted
our planned route, so I hope we didn't let anybody down by missing some other
counties in south AL, more remote to our home QTHs in and near Columbus, GA. 
Activity seemed low for the first few hours.  We never heard a signal on 15M
even though we sent CQs there several time, and no one asked us to move to 15. 
So far, I haven't seen any 15M QSOs in the 3830 posting for this contest.

Activity and band conditions improved greatly later in the afternoon.  We
worked a number of DX stations including DL, SM, I, LY, other Europe, ZF2DO and
HC2AO.  We worked some DLs, LY5W, and IK0MHR on 40M too.  

20M was never really long.  We were able to work VA and IN and further out from
our first activity on 20.  Later, it got even shorter and we worked NC, KY, AR,
and maybe TN on 20M.  But we never heard or worked any GA or FL stations on 20M
and no AL stations other than K1DC when we were close to his county.  

On 40M, the skip was long during the day in that we could not hear other AL
stations at all, except for those local to us.  We could hear and work stations
in NC and MS and further. Eventually, it shorted out and we worked a lot of
other AL stations on 40 and it never seemed to go long until after the end of
he contest period.

The volume of QSOs on 20M dramatically decreased when the sun went down, but
N8II was still very strong until our last QSO at 0358Z.  

40M was quite strange after dark.  First, some (but not all) signals developed
a RAC-like buzz.  We thought there was some maladjustment on the receiver, but
with the noise blanker off, signals were still buzzing.  20M signals all
sounded normal.  Then most non-local 40M signals developed a very pronounced
flutter that lasted perhaps the last two hours of the contest.  When 0400Z
rolled around, the signals returned to normal as we motored back to GA and
worked a few European NFD stations on 40M.

As to multipliers, I think we missed DE on CW, LA, HI, WY, and ND on both
modes.  Thanks to all who found us on phone or moved to phone from CW to give
us QSOs and multipliers.  We also worked VE1, VE9, VE2, VE3, VE6, VE7, VE8, and
KL7 stations.  The last three were on SSB only.  Great thrill to be called by
VE8NSD and AL7KE on 20M SSB.  We were also called by a KP4 on 20M SSB, but, of
course, that was not a mult.  

Thanks to the sponsors and KC4HW for doing his usual great job on AQP.  We plan
to return in future years.  And my personal thanks to Jeff, KU8E, and his sons
for planning, engineering, driving, and sharing the operating.  Lot of fun and
thanks to all for the QSOs.  

73, John, K4BAI for the team.


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