[VHFcontesting] ARRL June VHF W9SZ Single Op Port QRP

[Zack Widup]

                   ARRL June VHF QSO Party

Call: W9SZ
Operator(s): W9SZ
Station: W9SZ

Class: Single Op Port QRP
QTH: Illinois
Operating Time (hrs): 12

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
   6:  62     32
   2:  14     10
 222:   7      7
 432:   5      5
 903:   1      1
 1.2:   2      2
 2.3:   1      1
 3.4:   1      1
-------------------
Total:  93     59  Total Score = 6,903

Club: Society of Midwest Contesters

Comments:

This had to be one of the worst June VHF contests I've been in. Murphy took
almost every opportunity to strike this time.

I planned on leaving town at about 4 pm on Saturday and getting everything
set up by 7 pm. I got the car loaded just before a big storm came through.
It didn't quit till 7 pm. I left at 7 and got to the hill at 8 pm. The top
of the hill was a muddy mess. I unpacked and found out one of the screws on
the mounting bracket for my 432 beam was missing. I couldn't find it in the
car. I spent 20 minutes going through various toolboxes in the car till I
found something I could make work. I got 144, 222, 432 and 1296 set up
before it got dark. I made a few QSO's on 144 and went to sleep.

Sunday morning looked promising. I got everything else set up. I found Bob
K2DRH fairly soon and we worked rapidly on all the bands we share. There was
a 6m opening to the southeast, then to the souhwest and later to New
England. I got a lot of reports that my 6m SSB signal sounded mushy or
distorted. I swapped mics and it didn't help. Since I use the same IF radio
on 144 thru 432 and had no complaints there, I assume the trouble was with
the 6m transverter.

I was going to work KC9BQA and W9GA on 903 and 1296 when I found out my
microwave IF rig wasn't putting out power on transmit. It had worked
earlier. It may have been heat related as I turned it off for a while and it
worked later. But I missed those QSO's.

At 2:45 on Sunday afternoon the farmer who owns the property came up to tell
me there was a severe storm approaching. I took down the microwave stuff and
the 903 antenna and lowered all the other antennas. The storm came just as I
got everything shut down and lowered. The wind was gusting to about 50 mph
and there was a torrential downpour. It kept going for 45 minutes. After
that, I set up most everything except the 903 and microwave stuff.The
antennas were all very splattered with mud from the rain. The field where
the antennas were set up was an even bigger muddy mess. I dreaded having to
go out and turn the antennas. With every step into the field I sank an inch
into the mud.

I didn't make too many QSO's after that. Another storm was coming and the
lightning QRN was so bad on 6 and 2 meters that I could barely hear
anything. I made my last QSO's with W9GKA and started packing up at 6:45 in
the rain. When I got done, the inside of the car, all the antennas, cables,
every piece of equipment all had some mud on it. But most of it was on me. I
left at 8 pm.

I doubt I did very well in this one. I missed the microwave QSO's.

73, Zack W9SZ