Michigan QSO Party
Call: W8M
Operator(s): W1NN
Station: W1NN
Class: Mobile Solo Op LP
QTH: 6 MI Counties
Operating Time (hrs): 11
Summary:
Band CW Qs Ph Qs
--------------------
80: 95 32
40: 156 40
20: 106 25
15:
10:
--------------------
Total: 357 97 CW Mults = 60 Ph Mults = 53 Total Score = 91,643
Club: Mad River Radio Club
Comments:
This ended up being a last-minute effort due to family matters the previous week
and additional obligations on the Sunday following the contest. So I had to
concentrate my route in the southeastern Michigan counties and make sure I
ended up near the Ohio border so I could get home as early as possible.
My plan was to try to operate for around two hours from each of six different
counties. The idea was to operate 20 and 40 (phone and CW) from each county
during the daylight hours and then double back through each county and operate
75/80 after dark. Theoretically this would give me approximately 20 minutes on
each mode band per county. This is not a plan that maximizes QSOs but with a
large allocation of time to phone, it should result in a pretty decent
multiplier to make up for fewer CW contacts.
However, the plan depended heavily on 40 meters being productive during the
daytime and 80 being productive throughout the evening, but it simply did not
work out that way this year. 40 meters was very poor during certain portions
of the day, and 80 meters turned out to be very long and unproductive for the
last three hours of the contest. I managed only 19 Qâ??s from WASH and 9
Qâ??s from MONR during the 0200 hour (10 PM local) on 80 CW. I decided to skip
going back through LENA and I left the state an hour early.
In the past I have usually been able to get some good runs going on phone, but
this year it just didnâ??t happen. 20 seemed fine on CW but I just couldnâ??t
get any decent runs going on phone. 40 phone was the same and I donâ??t think
I had a single station answer my many CQs on 75 meters. I found a nice, high
location in a high school parking lot in Wayne county and spent a lot of time
right around sunset trying to get a run going on 75, but it just did not
happen.
Rates ranged from a low of 30 during the 1900 hour when I lost 10 minutes to
driving and spent the rest of the time on an unproductive 40 meter band, to a
high of 65 during the 2000 hour when I spent most of my time on 20 CW.
Iâ??m beginning to wonder about my IC-706. Itâ??s fairly new to me and I was
initially impressed, but it seems to be filled with noise, spurs, birdies and
other junk, especially on phone. Maybe I need a better rig for mobiling.
Despite the problems, it was still fun and hopefully I have gained some more
experience that I can put to use in next yearâ??s event.
Thanks to the MIQP sponsors for one of the best mobile contesting events of the
year.
73, Hal W1NN
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
______________________________________________
3830 mailing list
3830@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/3830
|