[NCC] Fwd: CQWW VHF K8MR Rover LP

[Jimk8mr at aol.com]

CQ Worldwide VHF Contest

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

Class: Rover LP
QTH: 
Operating Time (hrs):  4

Summary:
Band  QSOs   Mults
-------------------
6:   42     17
2:   24     13
-------------------
Total:   66     30  Total Score = 2,700

Club: Mad River  Radio Club

Comments:

This was a low key rover operation, made easy  by having only two bands 
requiring
a single radio, my IC-746. I combined the  trip with a lunch visit with my 
mother
in Sharon, PA, and then headed for the  grid corner near Butler, PA. 

The first stop was in EN90 at the Butler  County Fair Grounds. A good high 
spot,
but with lots of power lines running  around, some of which were noisy. 

Having not done extensive preparation,  I then entered the next stop in FN00
into the GPS. It turns out that the  Butler County Airport (which the GPS 
knew)
is not the same airport as the  Butler Farm Show Airport (next to where the
Butler Hamfest is held). So I  went an extra 20 minutes out of my way 
though it
was an OK location. There I  was having noise problems. Not sure if it was 
local
noise, or my computer,  but did not do well there.

I had intended to head to the Franklin Airport  in FN01, but it was obvious 
that
conditions were not exciting and activity  low, so instead when I found a 
decent
spot along PA308, I stopped and set up  there for my FN01 time. Worked OK, 
but
activity was poor. 

I had  considered going to EN92, but decided that the contest activity did  
not
warrant the extra hundred miles of driving.

Sunday morning I set  up in my driveway to check out things. Then took it 
down,
and missed the hour  of good conditions reported at the end.

I did get some experience from  the effort, and may try it again during a 
future
ARRL test with more  bands.


73  -  Jim  K8MR