ARRL September VHF QSO Party
Call: K9JK/R
Operator(s): K9JK WB8BZK
Station: K9JK/R
Class: Limited Rover QRP
QTH: 16 Grids in MO&IL
Operating Time (hrs): ~20
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
6: 46 12
2: 60 14
222: 31 8
432: 14 7
903:
1.2:
2.3:
3.4:
5.7:
10G:
24G:
-------------------
Total: 151 57 Total Score = 11,172
Club:
Comments:
The Mults on the Total line includes the 16 Grid Activation Multipliers per ARRL
Rover Scoring.
This was another kilomile plus Limited Rove, like Mike and I did in 2010 though
a different route in 2011.
We headed down to the St. Louis area (actually Collinsville, IL) on Friday
evening, then continued from there Saturday morning (after setting up the
antennas on the CoROVERolla in the parking area of the hotel), to just E of
Joplin, MO, along I-44 at the EM26/27/36/37 Grid Corner which we didn't end up
getting to until just before 1845Z. Thanks to W5KI for QSOs on two bands from
each of the spots around the Grid Corner. Also to N0MST and W0JRP for multiple
QSOs.
Since we were in the Midwest Division but ONLY on Saturday, we are calling this
part of the Rove "Midwest Ma" as opposed to the full Midwest Mania as promoted
by W9FZ (check out http://www.w9fz.com/midwestmania11/ for more info).
>From the Grid Corner by Joplin, we headed back to the east (or ENE/NE) along
I-44 with a detour to what LOOKED like should have been a nice place for VHF
Radio in EM38, relatively high in elevation BUT...we found NO ONE to work from
there, and Mike definitely was CQing and tuning the bands. (That's actually a
17th Grid that we visited but, without a contact made from there, it's not an
"activation".)
Departing EM38, we came back through EM37 and found two additional stations to
work from the NW corner of EM37 (so AT LEAST we knew it wasn't total equipment
failure that kept us from working anyone from EM38 :-) before entering EM47
where we first encountered AB0RX who was set up at Missouri's highest point,
Taum Sauk Mountain (also in EM47).
We just caught a corner of EM47 along our route and it was fortunate that we
encountered AB0RX as QSOs on three bands with him were our ONLY QSOs from that
grid (or it would have been another "visit but no credit" grid).
Getting back on I-44, we were next in EM48 (pretty much traversing the diagonal
of that Grid from SW to NE). We completed QSOs with AB0RX on the three bands
from our 'new' grid, while mobile, and found some additional activity as we
approached St. Louis but sure would have liked more. We stopped for the night
in Fenton, MO.
When we arose Sunday morning, we continued on I-44 into St. Louis and across
the mighty Mississippi to Illinois and made the first of our QSOs with K2DRH
actually while mobile and ON the bridge but just on two bands.
In Illinois we headed north to yet another Grid Corner, this time EM48/49/58/59
and were looking for folks to work. We caught a few stations INCLUDING AB0RX AND
K2DRH from the EM49, EM58 and EM59 spots so that brought us to FIVE Grids worked
with AB0RX (times three bands) and it was now up to FOUR Grids with K2DRH (but
more to come, see below).
>From there, we worked our way home toward Chicago via the EM59/69/EN50/60 Grid
Corner just SE of Champaign/Urbana, IL, which also got us to within W9SZ's QRP
portable set-up near Gibsone City, IL, and we appreciated the QSOs with Zack as
well.
We visited the EN50/51/60/61 Grid Corner next whic is where we found WZ8T (or
did he find us) to complete with EN72, Michigan, on three bands). Before
leaving the area, we made a quick stop at N9LAH's QTH (just ESE of that
corner) for some frozen treats and we made some QSOs with Phil (Thanks
Phil! - you were our only QSOs with EN60 and the treats were good, too).
The end of the trip brought Mike and me to our "home stomping grounds", near
the EN51/52/61/62 Grid Corner where we made a stop to be able to revisit EN51
AND activate EN52 before continuing to another local favorite spot in EN62
where we remained for our final hour of operating, wrapping it up at 0215Z
since it seemed unlikely that we'd find any additional stations to work.
QSOs with K2DRH were definitely a high point of the Sunday part of this rove
trip...we ended up making THIRTY-THREE total contacts with Bob from the ELEVEN
grids that we visited on Sunday, Nine Grids times three bands (50, 144 and
222), 1 Grid by only 2 bands (50 & 144) and 1 Grid on all 4 bands.
Actual Grids from which contacts were made: EM26, EM27, EM36, EM37, EM47, EM48,
EM49, EM58, EM59, EM69, EN50, EN51, EN52, EN60, EN61, EN62.
The Grids that we contacted ended up being one less than we visited: EM26,
EM27, EM36, EM37, EM47, EM48, EM57, EN41, EN50, EN52, EN53, EN60, EN61, EN62
and EN72.
All antennas were omnidirectional (KB6KQ Loops for 50 and 144 MHz, KU4AB Loops
for 222 and 432 MHz) as the primary modus operandi was "run-n-gun" which is
what it took to be able to cover that many Grids.
Activity seemed light and we did not encounter any significant propagation that
we were able to exploit to our advantage. Briefly heard K5QE on 50 MHz (and
loud!) just before 1600Z on Sunday while we were in EM49 and called them; we
did hear a QRZ from K5QE which could have been for us (or could have been for
another station) but the signal faded away before any QSO could be completed.
#1 GOAL was to have fun and that WAS accomplished!
Thanks to the ARRL for sponsoring and to ALL who participated in the September
VHF QSO Party, especially to all the stations who did the "heavy lifting" with
their antennas to hear our "weak one" signals (PARTICULARLY on 432 MHz!) and
complete QSOs with us.
NOW for the SVHFS Fall VHF & Up Sprints!
73, JK
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