Hi, folks-
KS9Z/0 Limited Multi-op from EN20:
6m: 412 Q's, 121 grids
2m: 2 Q's, 2 Grids
222: 0 Qso's
432: 0 QSO's
Total: 413 Q's, 122 grids
Rigs: 6m: IC-706 mk 2, 100w, Cushcraft 3-el Yagi up
20'
2m: Yaesu FT 736R, 2m brick (100w), 5-el homebrew yagi
up 20'
222: Yaesu FT 736R, 222 brick (100w), Cushcraft 4-el
yagi up 17'
432: Yaesu FT 736R, 432 brick (100w), M2 11-el yagi up
20'
Ops: Sean KX9X & Matt, NM9H
The Story: This was to be our first Grid DXpedition in
4 years. We made a conscious decision to get back into
things slowly, so we decided to use smaller beams on
the high bands, reducing the amount of packing we had
to do, and left the kilowatts at home in favor of
simple bricks. We also only went out for essentially 3
days of operating.
Friday June 9:
Hit the road at 4:30am from EM59. Arrived at the KOA
in Rock Port, MO in EN20 around 11 or so. Our hosts,
Annette and Dave, were delighted to see us and
couldn't have been nicer. They made us feel very
welcome and showed us to the small cabin we've gron
accustomed to renting on thse trips: 12' x 12' 1
double bed (which served as the op table), and 2
sub-twin size bunk beds. It was out of the elements,
had AC and electricity; all we could have asked for.
Started setting up upon arrival. It was hot; 91
degrees, bright sunshine, no shade. We took several
breaks while getting the antennas up. By late
afternoon, we had 6m and 2m up and running. Matt fired
up some brats and I started working 6m. First QSO was
WA7FPO in DM54 around 2200z
When Matt broke out his laptop to check his email, we
found no nodes to hit. We were told the site had
wireless internet, so he asked if there was a problem.
Indeed there was; it hadn't been working for a couple
days and there wouldn't be a tech out to look at it
until Monday! This put a MAJOR crimp in our plans. We
were hoping to be able to check the prop loggers for
info on band openings, and I had made a sked with one
ham who needed EN20 on 6m badly. I didn't write any of
hte info down, since I figured I'd just get it from
his email. Big mistake, one that cost a ham a grid,
and I'll never do that again.
Worked a handful of stations to the southeast around
EM73. It was early, but we were tiredand dehydrated,
so we ended up going to bed around 10pm or so.
Saturday June 10
Got up around 8am. Had breakfast & set to work getting
the 222 and 432 mast up. I worked 6m in between
measurements and worked a few folks that way. Antennas
assembled easily. 220 sounded great, but 432 didn't.
Realized we forgot the SWR analyzer AND the SWR meter
in our early-am rush out the door. BIG BUMMER.
"You didn't pack that, man?"
"No, man, I thought YOU packed it!"
"Aw, crap."
Matt set out to figure out what was up with the UHF
bands while I worked 6m. Great opening Saturday
morning to the east and southeast (FM29, EM84, FN10,
etc).
By contest time, we had taken the 432 beam apart and
re-adjusted it. It sure sounded better, but we had no
way of checking SWR. By the time the contest started,
I'd put in about 75 Q's on 6m.
CQ Contest!
6m started off with a BANG, working huge openings and
big pileups into a single-hop radius to MD, DEL, PA,
MI, and OH. Worked 88 Q's in the first hour. The band
was cooking and cooking HARD.
Matt made a Q with N0WL in EN21 on 2m. He said we were
weak. Uh-oh. We tried 432 with him, but he never heard
us and we never heard him. Uh-oh.
I kept working guys up and down the east coast, and
every now and then, I'd work somebody out west off the
back of the beam. Prop stretched up into New England
around 2200z, then got short again around 2315z.
Around 0200z, worked several stations out west in
Colorado and New Mexico. Matt tried to work guys on
2m, but was not successful. We heard N0WL talk about
hte sporadic E he was working out to the east, but we
never heard it at all. 6m folded for us around 0300z,
and I had 273 Q's in the log on 6m. One of my best 6m
days ever. 2m - 432 was toast, and Matt couldn't
determine why.
Sunday June 11
Woke up around 7:30am. First Q on 6m was FN03 at
1406z. about 30 minutes later, I worked K0DI in DM04,
so I swung the 6m beam west; it stayed that direction
all day. the desert southwest was the vast majority of
QSO's I worked on Sunday, with the occasional Q into
EL29 or DN71. Matt was without an operational station
on 2m-432, and had no internet, so he tried in vain to
get the bugs worked out. He did work some 6m stuff on
Sunday, but for the most part, Matt unsuccessfully
spent most of his time trying to get the UHF stuff
going.
Worked some real close-in stations around 1700z,
including EN52 and EN50 & 61 (home ground of my
beloved Society of Midwest Contesters). Swung the beam
back west around 1930z, and it stayed there the rest
of the afternoon.
By 6:45pm, the KOA was getting full. As I was working
K2DRH on 6m CW, I looked out the window of our cabin,
directly into the front window of an RV parked right
across from us. I could see the elderly lady fiddling
with the TV, watching the picture get completely
distorted in perfect unison with my CW. When ?I
transferred K2DRH over to Matt (who did work him on
2m), Matt's CW on 2m was doing more damage to our new
neighbor's TV than 6m was. I looked out the front door
of the cabin, and saw the place was full to capacity;
it hadn't been this full all weekend!
We didn't want to cause any problems for our host, so
we shut the station down. Our last QSO was K2DRH on 2m
at 0048z (Monday AM GMT).
We were still prety wiped out and a bit frustrated at
the lack of success of 2m and up, so we ate dinner and
crashed early. Woke up about 7:30am Monday, took
everything down and were on the road by 11am.
The folks at the KOA were VERY supportive, and
apologised about the lack of internet. A lot of folks
had complained about it. We did our best to keep them
up to speed on what we were doing, and how things were
going. they were geniunely interested. As we were
leaving, Annette asked, "When will you be back?" We
said maybe in September. I asked if they'd mind other
hams operating from there, and they said they'd be
delighted to have otehr hams operate from there. So,
if anybody wants to activate EN20 any time soon, the
KOA in Rock Port, MO would be glad to have you. Email
me for details if you're interested.
While the incredible conditions on 6m salvaged the
operation, the lack of Q's on 2m and up has left a
sour taste in our mouths. Learn from us: More careful
planning is required before operating from rare grids.
We felt we should have been able to provide EN20 on
the higher bands as well, and we didn't do that.
Perhaps we will go there again in September. We're
already looking for possibilites for next year. With
some luck (and a LOT of planning beforehand), we'll
find a really juicy grid to activate and stay for a
while, and bring WSJT with us, too.
Thanks for the QSO's, everybody.
73,
Sean KX9X
http://www.ks9z.com
Sean Kutzko, Amateur Radio KX9X
Gillespie, IL Grid EM59cd
http://www.seankutzko.com
"The blues ain't nothin' but a good woman on your mind."
-Blind Lemon Jefferson, 1927
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