[SECC] 2003 Ala QSO Party, K4BAI/M (with KU8E)

[John Laney]

Hello guys:  Thanks for the QSOs in the Ala QSO Party Saturday.  Below 
should be the summmary that I posted to the 3830 reflector.  73, John, 
K4BAI.                    Alabama QSO Party

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

Class: Rover LP
QTH: AL
Operating Time (hrs): 6

Summary:
  Band  CW Qs  SSB Qs  FM Qs  Mults
-----------------------------------
   160:
    80:
    40:   31      8             18
    20:  171      0             38
    15:   12      0              5
    10:
     6:
     2:
   222:
   432:
-----------------------------------
Total:  214      8      0      61  Total Score = 27,084

Club: South East Contest Club

Comments:

Jeff, KU8E, and John, K4BAI, were the operators and we were QRV in 15 
counties
in Alabama during the 6 hours of the contest.  We used Jeff's IC706 with CW
filter and a variety of Hustler whips and restonators on the trunk of Jeff's
car.  We had a MFJ tuner so we could change to 40 SSB from 40 CW without 
having
to stop and adjust the antennas.  We had two tri-mounts with a 
antennastuner for
10, 15 meters, one for 20 CW and one for 20 SSB, and the antenna for 40 
meters
without the tuner for CW with the tuner for SSB.  The new small MFJ 
tuner is an
improvement over one we tried to use in the GQP in April in that it has a
straight-through switch.  It is inconveniently located on the rear of 
the unit,
but we could reach it OK.  The one we tried to use in GQP in April 
required us
to sitch it in and out of the line or change the coax jumpers and that takes
time.

Unfortunately, we were not able to make any QSOs on 20 SSB during the 
contest.
We did make QSOs there before and after the contest and believe the antenna
system works OK, but the activity from the fixed stations in the Texas 
QSO Party
pretty well covered the 20 meter phone band.

Our county-by-county breakdown follows.  It is in the order in which we 
ran the
counties.  We started on Interstate 20 east of Anniston, GA at the Ga 
state line
and followed I-20 to Birmingham.  That is a terrible, rough, bumpy road. 
  We saw
the thousands assembled for the automobile races when we passed 
Talladega.  In
Birmingham, we got on I-65 and took it south to Montomery.  In 
Montgomery, we
changed to I-85 and followed it east to the Line Road Exit between 
Tuskegee and
Auburn.  There, we went east into Lee County in order to make a side 
trip down
into Russell County.  Then we turned around and followed some state 
routes north
through Lee, Tallapoosa, and Chambers counties, ending up on I-85 near 
the Ga
line at the end of the contest.  Band conditions were considerably down 
from the
last two years when I have run the contest mobile in the counties in the SE
corner of the state.  Last year, there were very good openings on 15 meters,
particularly to Europe.  This year, we only worked DL5MC/DL0ERF from one 
county
on 15M, got W1END in NH in one county, and the other contacts were all 
on the US
and Canadian West Coast (plus one Texas mobile).  On 20, skip seemed short,
which is generally good for state QSO parties, but not too many people 
seemed
interested in working us.  We did work some DX there, consisting of
DL5MC/DL0ERF, HA7UG, OH3JF, OK1KT, and SP4JWR.  40 M was better than 
last year.
Some Ala. fixed stations were QRV there (we also worked N4JF on 20) and we
worked stations as far away as Colorado and Ontario.  The QRM from the RTTY
contest was not nearly as bad as during the past two years.

County  Minutes  CW Qs  SSB QSs  Mults  Score
CLE     22        1     1         2     8
CAL     9         8     0         8     128
TDA     20        7     1         7     112
STC     36        11    1         11    264
JEF     30        22    3         22    1100
SHE     22        13    0         12    312
CHI     35        19    1         17    680
AUT     15        16    0         12    384
ELM     5         3     0         3     18
MGY     26        15    1         15    480
MAC     45        21    0         18    756   (included a stop for gas)
LEE     42        38    0         30    2280
RUS     11        5     0         5     50
CHA     26        18    0         14    504
TPA     13        17    0         15    510

Thanks to all who called.  I will be glad to immediately respond to any 
QSLs.
Thanks also to the sponsors.  I hope we will have more activity in this 
contest
in the future.  I still need two Alabama counties for my all-time counties
confirmed list.

73,

John, K4BAI.


Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: 
http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/