[CQ-Contest] Upcoming FYBO - February 4

[Hank Greeb]

This is for the serious contester only.  All others beware!

The Azirona ScQRPions  have announced the annual "event of the year", 
known as  FYBO, or (F)reeze Y)our B)... O)ff.  This will occur on 
Saturday, February 4, 2012, 1400Z-2400Z.

The rules for  the 2012 event  are posted on their web site at 
http://www.azscqrpions.com/fybo2009rules.html

If you read the rules, you will note this is NOT the usual contest, but, 
for people living north of the 38th parallel, might be considered an 
endurance event.

Note that the die-hard contesters from Minnesota decided to run their 
event concurrently.  See www.w0aa.org/mnqp/ for rules of the Fourteenth 
Annual Minnesota QSO Party, Saturday, February 04, 2012, which is a 
premier event presented by the Minnesota Wireless Association, 8:00 AM 
CST (1400 UTC) Through 6 PM CST (2400 UTC)

I  fondly remember that back in 2007 when three of us (Cortland KA5S, Ed 
AB8ND, and I)  went to Hell (yes, Hell, Michigan, an unincorporated 
crossroads near Pinckney,) and operated with the special event call N8H, 
using Feld Hell (a version of Hellschriber) plus CW during the 2007 
FYBO.  Hell was frozen over (-2°F, windy, and sporadic sn*w showers) 
when I arrived, and the maximum temperature was noted at 15°F during the 
day.  Luckily, KA5S found the "Wiccan Wedding chapel was open,  Ed, 
AB8ND pulled his van into a place below a couple of trees, and I found a 
woodshed from which to operate.  Cortland's KX1 rig would not operate at 
15°F, so we made no contacts on 15 meters, but we did "OK" on 40 and 20 
metres.  The roads were so treacherous west of us that, when I called my 
wife to let her know we were finished, she told me to "Stay in 
Hell!!!"   I found a room in a nearby motel, drove home the next day, 
and got stuck in my own driveway!

Ah! we've never returned, so if anyone else wants to "go to Hell" - the 
fellow who runs the general store there was very cooperative, and the 
"Dam Site Inn" next door had good food and hot coffee for sustenance and 
warmth.

Note: I've thought of going to Paradise, Michigan for FYBO some year, 
but that's waaayyy up in the Upper Peninsula, near Whitefish Point, 
about 300 miles from where I live, so I haven't managed the trip yet.  
It would be great to have a contact between Hell and Paradise during 
some FYBO in the future!

73 de n8xx Hg

p.s. For those reading this far, you might say that the comment about 
being "for serious conesters only" could be a slight stretch.