50 MHz Spring Sprint
Call: K9JK/R
Operator(s):
Station: K9JK/R
Class: Rover LP
QTH: Colo, Nebr
Operating Time (hrs): 6+
Summary:
Total: QSOs = 1 Mults = 1 Total Score = 1
Club:
Comments:
OK, so my wife and I were invited to a college graduation at Colorado School of
Mines in Golden, Colorado - BUT - the graduation is the day before the 2018
Spring 50 MHz Sprint...what to do?
Turn it into a road trip and Rove on the way home from Colorado to the home
QTH!
Interesting route opportunity - leave Golden in the early afternoon to get up to
the northeast corner of Colorado (DN80) via I-76 for the start of the Sprint
time window (2300 UTC on Saturday, which was 5pm local/Mountain time), continue
eastward (I-76 merges into I-80) and make time across Nebraska, visiting 5 grids
for certain (adding DN81, DN91, DN90 and EN00), possibly a sixth (EN10).
Things even looked promising based on activity reported on dxmaps.com earlier in
the day.
The route worked out fantastically; thanks to 75 mph speed limits on I-80 in
Nebraska (except in construction areas), I ended up visiting 6 grids, actually
making it well into EN10 (almost half way across) before 0300 UTC. If anyone is
interested, here's a link to an image of the route I traversed -
https://goo.gl/RiAk6x It shows where I started, the grids I visited with border
lines of 41N, 102W, 100W and 98W, and progress in time, "@" signs for
0000, 0100 and 0200 UTC and the finish flag for 0300 UTC.
Conditions DURING the Sprint time, however, were a different story. Except for
what I think was ONE brief meteor blip (where I didn't get the call), I didn't
hear anyone during the Sprint time window and numerous CQs went unanswered. At
least my wife (who was ready to log all of the QSOs that I was going to rack up)
was entertained by my turning my CQs into begging for responses.
I *DID* manage to catch K2RD near Reno, NV (DM09, a path just shy of 900 miles)
as I trekked across DN80 (near Atwood and Sterling, Colorado, in Logan County)
but THAT happened TWO HOURS BEFORE the start of the Sprint. Despite this NOT
occurring IN the Sprint time window, it is the ONE QSO I'm reporting (at least
it was the same DAY). Thanks to Ira for hearing my mobile signal and confirming
that my mobile set-up (in a rental car) *was* working.
Still, it was an adventure in Roving and I definitely participated in the
Sprint, I just don't have any QSOs to report that occurred IN the Sprint time
window.
Thanks to all who were on (I certainly would have liked to make contact with
some of you), to the Central States VHF Society for their continued support of
the Spring Sprints and to the dedicated team of KA2KQM, WB8BZK and W0ZQ for
their management of the event.
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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