[NCC] K8MR/M South Carolina QSO Party

[jimk8mr at aol.com]

Call: K8MROperator(s): K8MRStation: K8MR
Class: SO Mobile Mixed LPQTH: SCOperating Time (hrs): 10Location: In State/Province
Summary:   Compare ScoresBand CW Qs Ph Qs  80:    45 40:        505    7 20:        186    3 15:            4 10:  Total: 740    10  CW Mults 46 Ph Mults 4 Total Score 149,800 
Club: Mad River Radio Club

Comments:  

I would not ordinarily leave Florida in February to drive north, but we had a new grandson arrive in Cleveland on Feb.2. My wife had been up there since late January, so I was due for a trip north to see the new arrival and eventually bring the XYL back to Florida to thaw out. The opportunity to spend the miles in the Carolinas doing a mobile contest was too much to pass up.

I did this single op, me doing the driving. So I do a lot of operating while parked, and then largely post-pileup operating while driving, recording the contest for later transcription. Since operating must take a moment to moment back seat to safe driving, I do occasionally suddenly go quiet, perhaps leaving callers wondering where I went. It's not anything you did.

Compared to other mobile reports, my problems were small, but I had two. While slowly pulling out from a roadside park in Denmark in Bamberg county, carefully avoiding some large water filled dips, a HamStick went flying into the road. The antenna survived, but not the mount which had been repaired a few years ago. So for the rest of the weekend changing bands required stopping to change the antenna.

I also had several recording problems, which likely lost a couple of hundred QSOs off the numbers reported above. I'll be in touch with the sponsors to let them know the details of where not-in-log QSOs were real QSOs that got screwed up on my end.

As it got dark, after a good run while parked in Newberry county, I decided the combination of curves, hills, and headlights were a good reason not to be operating while driving. That plus a meal break when I reached I-26 accounted for my missing hour. When I stopped I had texts from two buddies wondering I was OK since they had not heard me for a while, but I was indeed fine.

It was a blast operating the event, with great rates and lots of friends calling in. While I'm not likely to be back for future SC/NCQPs, do look for me on the road in Florida in April and Ohio in August !

73  -  Jim   K8MR