Alabama QSO Party
Call: K4MMW
Operator(s): K4MMW
Station: K4MMW
Class: Mobile Solo OpSSB HP
QTH:
Operating Time (hrs):
Summary:
Band CW Qs Ph Qs
--------------------
160:
80:
40: 79
20: 29
15:
10:
--------------------
Total: 0 108 CW Mults = 0 Ph Mults = 37 Total Score = 4,104
Club: Alabama Contest Group
Comments:
This was my first time to go mobile in the Alabama QSO Party. It was fun. Wish
the bands were better and that I had planned my driving time verses operating
time better. I was a single operator, drove, set-up, operate, tear-down, drive
again.
Equipment: Radio - Elecraft K3; Antenna - Tarheel A200, w 6 ft whip; Amp –
Collins 30L1; generator – Honda 2Kwatt; Tuner – Palstar AT2K. I estimate
about 600 watts peak out of the amplifier on SSB.
I was on the road about 14 hours. I estimate about 8 hours of active radio time.
N1NM logging software said I started late, finished early and logged 253
minutes radio time, that is about 4 hours and 13 minutes. The chart below
shows my best guess of actual operating time verses the contact times and the
number of QSO completed.
Time on N1NM number of
Location Station op time (min) QSOs Bands
Colbert, Co 1 hour 26 11 20 meters
Franklin, Co 1 hour 10 min 13 6 20 meters
Lamar, Co 1 hour 27 9 20 meters
Marrion, Co 2 hour 15 min 95 26 20 & 40 meters
Fife, Co 2 hours 30 min 92 56 40 meters
I chose church parking lots for my operating locations. I was operating in one
in Fife county when it got dark. I mean really dark. There were NO lights out
there, just me, the glow of the computer and my head lamp. (And mosquitoes.) I
was operating on 40 meters when the activity slowed and I decided to move to
Walker county. It was no problem finding a place to operate in the daylight but
finding a place to operate in the dark in a rural area is challenging. I did
not find a spot in Walker county. I’m sure there were some places to stop but
this was my first time there and I did not see them. This is a lesson learned
for next year. Find places to operate after dark BEFORE you go. I knew I could
operate at the state rest stop in Cullman county just off I 65. However; my
timing was off and I arrived there after 10:00 PM. The party was over(:
Next year is another story. I’ll see how it goes then. I have great
appreciation for the mobile operators. This is not an easy task. It takes
planning and execution to successfully operate mobile. It was a fun trip and
adventure. If you have never operated a mobile station perhaps you should
consider it. It is a unique experience operating outside, quite different from
your comfortable ham shack. Hope to see you on the road. Thanks for reading.
Warren K4MMW.
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