[3830] VaQP N4CW SOAB/CWMobile LP

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                    Virginia QSO Party - 2020

Call: N4CW
Operator(s): N4CW
Station: N4CW

Class: SOAB/CWMobile LP
QTH: Mobile VA
Operating Time (hrs): 3.0

Summary:
 Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs  Dig Qs
----------------------------
  160:                   
   80:   66              
   40:  170              
   20:   14              
   15:                   
   10:                   
    6:                   
    2:                   
  UHF:                   
----------------------------
Total:  250     0       0  Mults = 41  Total Score = 21,300

Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club

Comments:

In a word: FRUSTRATION! Murphy sat next to me throughout the contest. First,
couldn't prepare the car the previous day due to "to-do's". Then, it
took forever to get started -- I had to set the taps on the Texas Bugcatcher,
and readings would keep changing for the same tap (probably caused by the
problem I experienced later). I brought along my trusty Outback Outreach and
spare cables, including a pigtail to attach to the trailer hitch mobile mount.
Finally got the car packed, the rig set up, and had to use an old Windows 7
laptop because the xyl needed the Windows 10 laptop to do some picture editing!
Contest started at 10 AM; I left home in Raleigh at 10:30 AM, headed for
Clarksville, VA. Got there on VA Rte 58 and parked at the county line sign
(HAL/MEC), just off the road! It was around 12:30 by then. Trouble with the
first CQ...SWR would suddenly jump up, but somebody heard me and worked me
anyway...after the fifth contact I decided to find the problem. No test
equipment, so I trouble-shot by substition! No luck. I even substituted the
Outreach for the Bug Catcher...no luck. Then, because it was raining
(intermittently), I thought maybe some water got into the pigtail, or the coax
fittings outside, so I changed the position of the pigtail and the SWR got
decent. Five minutes later it crapped out again! I drove down the road and found
a spot off the road where I could work on the antenna some more. I decided to
change the pigtail...that took a while, then I went back to my county line
location and got on the air. About 1:30 PM by then. I made a bunch of contacts
and decided to move to my next planned county line (CHA/PRW)...that took  an
hour, just driving. Once I got started at the new location, I had trouble with
the logger...r.f. must have crept in and although the logger was sending the
county line information (two counties at a time), it was only logging one!
Re-initializing the application, I had no more trouble until after I got to the
next county line! Happened every time...I gave up at 7:15 PM while there was
still daylight. It took me 1h 45m to get home! Phew!!!


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