Georgia QSO Party
Call: K4AQ
Operator(s): K4AQ, W3DCG
Station: K4AQ
Class: M/S QRP
QTH: 5 GA counties (ROCK, WALT, MORG, BARR, GWIN)
Operating Time (hrs): 10.1 (20 max)
Summary:
Band CW Qs Ph Qs
--------------------
80: 23
40: 89
20: 107 4
15: 1
10:
--------------------
Total: 220 4 CW Mults = 38 Ph Mults = 3 Total Score = 18,204
Club: South East Contest Club
Comments:
http://gqp.contesting.com/Rules.htm
BAND CW PH MULTS
===========================
80 23 - 1
40 89 - 12
20 107 4 28
15 1 - --
10 --- - --
---------------------------
220 4 41
Contact Points: CW(220 * 2) + PH(4 * 1) = 444
Multipliers = 41 States/Provinces (38 cw + 3 ph)
Multipliers
-----------
CT MA NH RI NY NJ PA AL FL GA NC
SC TN VA NM OK TX CA AZ ID MT NV
UT WA WY MI OH WV IL IN WI CO IA
KS MN MO SD ON BC
Our first Multi-Single QRP Georgia QSO Party, operated "Field Day" style
(5 counties in two days):
County Score CW PH Mult Time
----------------------------------------------------
ROCKdale 2,900 48 4 29 2.3
WALTon 924 33 - 14 1.3
MORGan 1,216 38 - 16 1.4
BARRow 2,916 54 - 27 3.0
GWINnett 2,068 47 - 22 2.0
----------------------------------------------------
Total n/a 220 4 n/a 10.0
DXCC (all on 20cw, approx 5000-mi, 1000+ mi/watt)
----
091935z LY3BA, Lithuania, 5028 mi (ROCK)
091937-
091945z DL5MC, DL3GA & DL9AWI, Germany, 4596 mi (ROCK)
092121z I4IKW, Italy, 5005 mi (ROCK)
092139z SP4JWR, Poland, 4965 mi (ROCK)
092357z LA9SN, Norway, 4358 mi (WALT)
100005z DL9AWI, Germany, 4596 mi (WALT)
102205z I4IKW, Italy, 5005 mi (GWIN)
Six hours before GQP was to kick off on Saturday, I received a surprise
phone call from my nephew Darin, W3DCG, asking if he could join me,
"...just for one day."
Darin's commute from Marietta to my QTH in Atlanta should have been a
no-brainer EXCEPT for a major accident that shutdown the southbound
traffic on I-75.
1. ROCKdale County (Saturday), 20 & 40m
Plan A was to operate from the I-20 Exit 78 Rest Area near Conyers.
Problem: There was no rest area at Exit 78.
Plan B was to operate at a commercial tower site where our employer's
paging radio equipment is located. That location is 5.5 miles NE of Plan
A's location.
While enroute to the Plan B site, we kept our eyes open for city/county
parks or abandoned/unimproved land where we could set up a portable
station. None were sighted.
We decided to stop at a convenience store about half way to our Plan B
site to ask if they knew where the parks were in Conyers. They were no
help. However, a senior citizen who just drove up in a pickup truck as
we were about to leave suggested and gave us directions to Pine Log
County Park. It was a perfect site.
We parked in an adjacent church parking lot. Darin used my slingshot to
launch a random wire as a 20m Half Square. The SW end was in a tree; the
NE end was fastened to a 23-ft 3-section telescopic painter's pole from
Home Depot.
The antenna was end-fed on the NE end using an SGC SG-211 MiniSmartuner.
A 33-ft counterpoise was laid on the ground under the antenna.
We tried phone in every county without success except for this county
where we had four SSB QSOs (RI, CO, TX); it was on 20m.
My original antenna plans for all bands were to use an end-fed
Inverted-L (33 ft up) and the vehicle for a counterpoise and a
counterpoise elevated random wire or an 80-ft "magnetic" vertical loop.
However, when Darin teamed up with me at the last minute, I decided to
let him try some of his antenna ideas. I tossed a hank of used 28-gauge
insulated wire to him for a starter (which he chose to use). It was one
of my portable wires that I used from my motel room at the Outer Banks
(NC) last October. I also brought a 2000-ft and 2500-ft wooden spools of
new 18-ga insulated wire.
2. WALTon County (Saturday), 20 & 40m
It was a painful decision to pack up and leave ROCKdale county; we were
having fun working stns as well as DX.
The plan was to set up in or near the Walton State Fish Hatchery in the
southern corner of the county.
We used the same antenna setup that was used in ROCKdale county except
the antenna ends pointed NW and SE.
The only unwelcomed guests were mosquitoes. ;)
We enjoyed the sunset which peeked between the pine trees; however, the
sunset also reminded us that we had to move on to the next county
because time would be needed to dismantle the antenna and station
equipment, then unload and setup the portable station at the next site.
3. MORGan County (Saturday), 40 & 80m
My plan was to operate from the I-20 MilePost 103 Rest Area in MORGan
county. It would have restroom facilities *and* lots of lighting.
We would work 40 & 80m so Darin set up the antenna (same 28-ga wire) as
an end-fed Inverted-L, up 23 ft, with the far end pointing NNE.
4. BARRow County (Sunday), 15-40m
Darin was one happy boy today. He got a "kitchen pass" to play radio for
a second day!
We headed towards the northern corner of the county (I-85 Exit 126). We
scouted the edges of a shopping center (lots of trees) across from
Chateau Elan Golf Club; it had possibility except for powerlines.
Driving further along GA-211, we stopped at a new subdivision
development. The road in the subdivision was muddy so we continued on
GA-211. We had to make a decision soon because we were running out of
county.
That's when we saw a road for what appeared to be an abandoned
subdivision. The road doubled back and went up a small hill. It was an
ideal location! A quick check with my FT-817 (backup radio) confirmed a
very low-noise level.
There were large trees for our antenna -- the power pole transformer
appeared to be disconnected -- and no homes close by.
Darin decided to try another antenna idea, a 20m two half-wave
horizontal colinear array end-fed with a half-wave vertical wire. There
is an open-wire phasing line between the two half-wave horizontal wires
that was made from the same wire as the elements.
Darin staked out the measurements on the ground and built the wire
antenna using new 28-gauge insulated wire.
The antenna pointed to the West (broadside N-S). The SG-211
MiniSmartuner was used with the same 33-ft counterpoise wire on the
ground under the antenna.
Our only 15m QSO was from this site. K4EA/CHER was at the other end.
The panoramic view "on top of the world" was fantastic. Our operating
time was the longest from this site (3 hrs).
We had to "break camp" at 1530 ET for our final deployment. It would
either be HALL or GWINnett county.
5. GWINnett County (Sunday), 20 & 40m
We drove by the abandoned Rest Areas on I-985 (SW of Exit 16) near the
towns of Oakwood and Flowery Branch in HALL county.
Our final destination would be I-85S Rest Area #76 just north of the
I-85/I-985 split.
The stn setup was the same as that used in BARRow county (broadside
NE-SW).
Our final QSO #224 was logged at 2357z (1957 ET) with W1TO/MA on 40cw.
===========================
Darin's comments:
I know I had a blast, figuring out what to do for an antenna at each
different site. On Sunday, we only went to two counties.
I had an idea for trying to get more multipliers (states) instead of
only points, since Saturday (running-NOT S/P, but CALLING CQ GQP!) we
netted a 1000/mi per watt contact so Matt could be happy. Darin, Is
happier with
maximized point values and rate.
So on Sunday at our first site I drove 3 stakes in the ground to quickly
measure and made up a 20m 2 half waves in phase end fed flat-top, fed by
a half wave 20m vertical element. It worked great on 40m and did get out
west loudly enough for us to run (call CQ) with satisfying results, on
20m, as well as get to the NE loudly.
As far as high traffic public venues, we operated at 2 rest areas and 1
county park, so keeping in mind high voltage points of the antennas is
something I'll take into account for any future escapades!
(The other 2 locations were secluded, the one at Chateau Elan was
absolutely perfect, on a knoll surrounded by green fields and a new
subdivision, it was gorgeous and quiet (low noise).
Man, did I sleep well Sunday night, I was tapped out tired. 5 counties,
5 different field deployments.
BTW, we went with 28 GUAGE WIRE for the entirety. On day 2, we
discovered that 28 ga lended itself best for fast deployment, via
high-quality monofilament 18 pound fishing line as the primary support
"ropes." We were able to let the reel hang about 5 1/2 feet above groud
on the far end of the antenna, to keep everything taut and in good
shape. :)
===========================
Rig: Yaesu FT-897 transceiver operated at 5 watts.
---
Antennas
--------
1. End-fed 20m Half Square up 23-25 feet. (20-40m, Saturday afternoon)
2. End-fed 113-ft Inverted-L up 23 feet. (40-80m, Saturday
evening/night)
3. 20m 2 half-waves in phase flat-top, end-fed by a half-wave 20m
vertical element (15-40m, Sunday)
Misc
----
SGC SG-211 MiniSmartuner (unbalanced), microHAM USB rig interface,
WriteLog 10.53e.
Power Sources
-------------
AGM/SLA batteries, 400-watt inverters for 120 vac to power Dell Latitude
laptop.
Roasted Peanuts, Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches, Coca-Cola, coffee,
bottled water and bottled lemonade; Waffle House on the way home early
Sunday morning.
--
Matt K4AQ, Atlanta GA
Darin W3DCG, Marietta GA
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