[MiQP-Mail] Fw: MiQP N8N Mobile Multi-Op LP

[k8bb at comcast.net]

>                    Michigan QSO Party
>
> Call: N8N
> Operator(s): K8BB, N8NM
> Station: N8N
>
> Class: Mobile Multi-Op LP
> QTH:
> Operating Time (hrs): 12
>
> Summary:
> Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs
> --------------------
>   80:   30     13
>   40:  381     60
>   20:  201     28
>   15:
>   10:
> --------------------
> Total:  612    101  CW Mults = 55  Ph Mults = 37  Total Score = 121,900
>
> Club: Mad River Radio Club

COMMENTS FROM N8NM:

When Don, K8BB, first asked if I would be interested in operating /M in this
year's contest, I had no idea what to expect.  In all honesty, the thought
of spending 12 hours shoe-horned into the Jeep with all the requisite
equipment didn't sound very appealing at first.  But after giving it some
thought, I figured "what the heck; if nothing else, it'll be an adventure".
So, I signed-on to the idea.

Having never before operated any contest as a "Rover",  it was a humbling
experience.  The first thing I noticed was that even a rig that you're
familiar with (we used an IC-765, same as what I use at home) "feels" very
different in this environment.  Maybe it's just me, but while at home, I can
do most anything on the 765 without looking at the rig or even thinking
about what I'm doing.  In the mobile, I found myself hunting for even the
most often used knobs, buttons and switches.  Weird.

The other thing that quickly became obvious is that everything moves around
a little.   I had a real problem sending CW while in motion, and have a new
appreciation for guys who can do this well, Don being one of them.  If you
worked N8N on CW and the op was a real LID, that was me, not him!

What I liked best about the experience was the quick pace.  Don did an
awesome job of planning the route; we gave 30 minutes to each county, which
was about perfect.  The rate would just start to fall off when we'd arrive
at the next county line and be "fresh meat" again.  We'd switch
driving/operating positions about every hour, and the time flew by.  This
was the fastest 12 hours I've ever spent in a vehicle!

There were a couple of times when things got challenging.   I think we were
in Alpena County, and for about 15 minutes we experienced severe QRN from
the power lines.  It was so bad that only one signal was audible on any of
the bands!  Unfortunately, we were in a place with no good alternate route,
so there was no choice but to tough it out.  I don't know if that's what to
expect from BPL, but if it is, it sucks!

The other frustrating time was immediately after sunset.  20m fizzled out,
and 40 was in transition, with stateside signals (with the exception of
K5YAA) becoming very weak.  I went to 80, but couldn't get much going there.
This seemed to last for maybe a half an hour.  At the county line, Don and I
traded places.  Don milked a few more Qs out of 80, then went back to 40,
and the band had come back!  Signals from W2,3,4 were loud again, as were
signals from EU.  Was it propagation or the change in our location that made
the difference? Got me.

Oh yeah, there was a third time... after I broke the microphone boom off the
Heil headset, it dangled in front of our faces for the last two hours of the
contest.  This was like the Chinese Water Torture, but with wires attached.

I guess that the big question is, now that I've had a "taste", would I do it
again?  Sure!  It was a blast.  That said, I have to say that I still like
operating from the comfort of my home station much better, but I'd certainly
be willing to give "/M" another go!

73 de N8NM

COMMENTS FROM K8BB:

A big thanks to the MiQP organizers for such a great PR job - activity
seemed good in spite of mediocre conditions. And congrats to K8MR for a 
great score!

This was a first time mobile team of good friends Don/K8BB and Steve/N8NM.
(Don has mobiled in the MiQP and OhQP a few times before and Steve holds the
MiQP Single-Op QRP record from his home station.) We headed north Friday
afternoon, meeting Uli, KK8I along the way for dinner. Our collective
destination was the KN8S lodge in Cheboygan County, where we stayed Friday
night with the K8MQP crew.

Saturday morning we headed out to begin our route in Presque Isle County,
the most north-easterly county in the lower peninsula. From there we headed
west and mostly zig-zagged our way south, covering the top part of the lower
peninsula (24 counties total) and ending in Bay County at midnight, less
than 2 hours from home. Per past experience, operator and driver switched
every two counties, or roughly every hour, to be fresh and alert.

It was our intention to QRB with the K8MQP crew in CHEB while we were nearby
in PRES, CHEB and EMME at the very start of the contest. However, our lack
of real 10m and 15m antennas made it impossible for them to hear us. And on
the main bands, our mobile signal was having difficulty getting through the
throngs of callers early in the contest. Maybe next time ...

We had our fair share of dirt roads and wilderness, but no road construction
delays. With a little effort, we were able to maintain our schedule and
changed most counties near the hour of half-hour. However, at one spot in
ALPEna County, we could work no stations for over 10 minutes - the line
noise from the adjacent power lines was absolutely brutal and it happened to
coincide with the point of the afternoon when signals were the weakest. At
the point when the road turned and the lines did not, it finally vanished.

The only equipment trouble we experienced was the mic boom on the Heil
ProSet broke off where the swivel-hinge attaches to the ear cup, leaving it
hanging by the wire and annoying one's shoulder. It still worked, but it
would have been helpful to sprout a third arm for SSB QSOs. Fortunately this
happened late, minimizing the impact.

Everything seemed to come together quite smoothly, so there had to be a
wrinkle someplace. Hence, K8BB managed to handicap the team by failing to
repair the air-conditioning in the Jeep prior to the contest, resulting in
much wind and road noise for most of the trip. The WX was unusual for April
in Michigan - sunny and 75 degrees! This made some QSOs difficult, but we
certainly enjoyed the nice warm breeze.

73!
Don K8BB

Most Worked Stations:
21 - K5YAA, K9OM
20 - WA3HAE
17 - N6MU
15 - N4IG
14 - W1UE
13 - CU2JT, KU8E, N6MA, W8TM
11 - W7GVE
10 - AB7RW, K8MQP
8-9 - many!

Most Worked Locations:
75 - FL
47 - PA
46 - AZ
42 - CA
39 - DX (!)
35 - IN
33 - OH
27 - MA
23 - TN, WA
22 - OK
21 - TX
20 - CO
19 - GA
18 - NJ, NY
16 - MN
15 - OR
12 - IA
11 -NH
10 - WV, CHEBoygan County