[MiQP-Mail] N9JF report

[James Funk]

A few days before MIQP, I encouraged the SMC guys to get on and make some
major noise in the Michigan contest.  Don't know if it worked, but I did
hear several of them in the pileups.

My reasons were:
Try out "close-in" antennas.  The killer tribander or monobander on 20 may
be too high to work Michigan.  Mine was.  I heard K8JM and W8MJ early on 20
and couldn't raise either of them.  I never even listened on 20 after that.
Perhaps that was a mistake, as K5YAA apparently made enough Qs on 20 to blow
me away.  I have a low tribander planned for next year....

Keep the mobiles occupied on 40 so they don't get stuck on 20.  That way, I
can work the 13 counties I still need (ed) for USACA in MI.  *That*
apparently worked.  Every time I dialed through 40 meters, I found the
majority of K8MR, K8IR, WT9U, AF8A, AC8W, N9NE, K8MW, KX8D on that band.
WT9U disappeared from my sights for over 2 hours at one point and I thought
I'd blown my chances for Cass, but he resurfaced in Ottawa and all was well.

My apologies to those who *needed* to work Michigan on 20....

Reward and inspire the mobiles so they'll come to Illinois in October...or
Indiana in May...or Missouri in April (boy, does THAT one need help!), or
Wisconsin in March.  Remains to be seen if that will happen.

My biggest mistake was not subscribing to the reflector before the contest.
I had NO idea who was going to be where except for postings on the County
Hunter Web by K8MR and N9NE.  Beyond that, I just starting working people
and figured out who was in what area and where they were most likely headed.
The 13 counties I needed were scattered out all over the place, so no one
station was going to account for more than three or four. As it turned out,
they were supplied by:

MI	ALCONA	K8MR/M			
MI	ALPENA	K8GJN	and K8MR/M		
MI	CASS 		WT9U/M	
MI	CLARE		K8MW/M and WB8JLO		
MI	GLADWIN	AF8A/M and K8MW/M	
MI	HURON		AC8W/M	
MI	KEWEENAW	K8IR/M		
MI	LAKE		WT9U/M		
MI	MONTCALM	W8WR		
MI	MUSKEGON	AA8CH		
MI	ONTONAGON	K8IR/M and N9NE/M	
MI	PRESQUE ISLE	K8MR/M	
MI	WEXFORD	AF8A/M and WB8WIV	

I suppose the format giving multipliers for each mode is responsible for a
generous helping of SSB contacts.  I'm used to thinking of state QSO parties
in terms of CW, but my log was about 50/50.  It was also nice to see a large
group of "casual" participants on both modes (numbers in the teens or
twenties near the end).  Also great to hear the W8SH group.

Despite putting out about 3/4 of an effort, I came nowhere near WA3HAE's
record score from a couple of years ago, and would be interested in hearing
comments about propagation and activity from some of the regular
participants.  I'd also appreciate direct e-mail comments about my signal
level on 40 meters.  Only had one antenna for the band and it appeared to
work, but I got beat out a lot by K9WA, KN4Y, K4BAI and a bunch of others. 

All in all, a lot of fun and a real tribute to the organizers and the
in-state participants.  Thanks, guys and gals.

73, Jim N9JF