[SECC] K4BAI Fox Log 12/12/06

[John Laney]

Hello all:  Thanks for the QSOs last night.  Sorry that one of my 80M 
antennas was not functioning well, but the zepp seemed to do OK to all 
areas.  From the comments I have read, the band conditions must have 
been much worse than I had thought. I was aware of no QSOs further west 
than NM, OK, CO, MN, but thought that was probably normal.  Did work as 
far north as NH and ON.

I had been on 40M for the first half hour of the NAQCC Sprint and 
conditions there seemed exceptionally good with little or no skip zone. 
  80M also seemed not to be bothered by long skip last night.

N9NE had asked the Foxes to go very low or very high in order to 
minimize conflict with the NAQCC event.  I was unaware of the SKCC 
Sprint, but did hear several calling for it before and during the Fox 
Hunt.  Did get one number from W0LGU during the Fox Hunt and assumed it 
was a NAQCC number. Now that I think about it, he said he was running 
100 watts, so it was probably a SKCC number that I got from him and gave 
him my NAQCC number in response!  However, W0LGU wasn't using a hand 
key, but a bug.  Maybe the SKCC is for hand keys and bugs?

80M CW will be much more crowded after this week when the FCC 
"refarming" regulations go into effect.  All of the CW traffic nets that 
have been above 3600 will have moved into the 75 khz between 3525 and 
3600, but the top end will be occupied by RTTY and other digital modes, 
so it is more like 3525 to 3590.  Make a note that we will probably want 
to avoid 3552.  I started on that clear frequency at 0200Z, QSX up about 
one.  At 0230Z, a high power, high speed CW net started up on 3552.3.  I 
was alerted to them by their key clicks.  I said to them "QRL."  As a 
result, the NCS made some disparaging comment about "contesters" and 
moved the net down 300 hz to directly on my frequency.  Talk about 
apparent deliberate QRM!  I moved up to 3553 and got no replies.  I 
guess that was still too close to the QRO net stations.  I then moved to 
3554 and ran there for a while, but the rate was gone.  After the net 
was through, I moved back to 3552 and continued there until the end. 
After 0230, I was QSX on my own frequency and not sending "UP," but a 
number of callers still called up one and I picked them up, since the 
rate was slow enough to allow tuning from just below my TX frequency up 
1 to 1 1/2 khz above my frequency.

We may find that operating split after this week may be much more 
difficult.  There is very little split operating during major contests 
because of the lack of space in the bands and we may need to do more 
operating without splits if the split effort doesn't work on a much more 
crowded band.

Here is the log:

0201  K4PIC   599 GA LARRY   5W
0201  N3BJ    599 VA ALAN    5W
0202  K8WDN   559 OH JOHN    5W
0202  AE4Y    599 GA KENT    5W
0203  N1TP    559 FL TOM     5W
0203  AJ4AY   599 AL JAY     5W
0204  NV4V    559 KY PETE    5W
0205  K3PH    559 PA BOB     5W
0205  K3ESE   559 MD LL      5W
0207  W9JOP   579 VA BOB     5W
0208  W9XU    559 WI LON     5W
0209  N4KV    559 TN JOHN    5W
0209  KK5LD   559 TX DAN     5W
0211  K4AXF   569 VA JIM     5W
0212  KD5MYU  559 LA PAUL    5W
0212  W8RU    559 MI RON     5W
0213  VA3NR   559 ON CHRIS   5W
0214  AB3CV   559 MD JIM     5W
0214  W9NX    559 IL KENT    5W
0215  N8WS    559 OH BILL    5W
0216  N9AW    559 WI JERRY   5W
0218  N3ZPQ   559 OH FRANK   4W
0219  K5EOA   559 LA WAYNE   5W
0221  N1IX    559 NH DAVE    5W
0222  WA9TZE  559 WI JIM     5W
0224  N9NE    559 WI TODD    5W
0226  K9IS    559 WI STEVE   5W
0227  K5JHP   559 TX BILL    5W
0229  WA8BXN  559 OH MIKE    5W
0235  W9LR    569 WI BILL    5W
0236  N5KIP   559 LA DICK    4W
0237  NK9G    559 WI RICK    5W
0239  NU8S    559 OH DENNIS  5W
0244  K5PSH   559 TX JERRY   5W
0249  K4TJD   599 GA TOM     5W
0254  K8KFJ   569 WV GARY    5W
0255  NO2D    559 CO PETER   5W
0257  AC5JH   559 OK TOM     5W
0258  K9ESE   559 IN JEFF    5W
0259  K1QO    559 NH ANN     5W
0301  KC1FB   559 CT JIM     5W
0303  N4DD    559 TN DENNIS  5W
0306  W0LGU   559 MN TOM   100W
0307  AA5CK   559 OK TED     5W
0308  K0EVZ   559 NM DOC     5W
0309  AB9CA   599 AL DAVE    5W
0312  K8DD    559 MI HANK    5W
0313  K5OT    559 TX LARRY   5W
0321  KZ5J    599 TX PAT     5W
0322  W5KDJ   559 TX WAYNE   5W
0324  K5WQG   559 TX EDDY    5W
0325  K5AEM   559 TX JOHN    5W
0328  N3AO    559 PA CARTER  5W
0329  K1ZZI   599 GA RALPH   5W
0330  WC7S    xxx WY FOX     5W
0330  K4BAI   xxx GA FOX     5W

Thanks, again, to all and good luck in future hunts.  Also, season's 
greetings.  73, John, K4BAI.