[MiQP-Mail] MiQP K8IR/M Mobile Multi-Op LP

[Jim Callow]

                    Michigan QSO Party

 Call: K8IR/M
 Operator(s): K8IR KG9GH
 Station: K8IR/M

 Class: Mobile Multi-Op LP
 QTH: UP
 Operating Time (hrs): 12

 Summary:
 Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs
 --------------------
   80:  181     36
   40:  347     56
   20:   95      6
   15:
   10:
 --------------------
 Total:  623     98  CW Mults = 66  Ph Mults = 39  Total Score = 141,120

 Club: M&M ARC

 Comments:

 This is the seventh year I've gone out in the Upper Peninsula for MIQP. It 
was
 the worst weather-wise with rain and fog over the western U-P. Once we got 
east
 of Baraga County, though, it was just cloudy. The good news was that with 
no
 sun, I could see the laptop screen with no problem the whole way.

 But more importantly, this was probably the best propagation I have 
encountered
 in the last seven years, which is reflected in my best claimed score ever. 
I was
 expecting little from 20, 40 to be long, and 80/75 to be the workhorse 
band.  As
 it turns out, 40 was working for in-state contacts from the beginning, (but
 then, Keweenaw County is as far from Detroit as Tennessee), 20 was in 
pretty
 good shape, and not much was happening early on 80/75.  In the evening, 40 
was
 really rocking, supplying the really big pileups I had not seen since for a
 while. In the evening, 80 was very good at times, but there were other 
times
 that it was quite slow. The night-time 80 meter QRN much better than last
 year.

 I shortened the route a bit this year, and spent more time in each county. 
I
 had at least 50 contacts in each.  The extra time caused us to be out of 
range
 to make DICK at the end, but we were home by 0430, which was a nice 
benefit.
 Thanks to Todd, N9NE for making sure the three western UP Counties we 
didn't
 get to this year were covered.

 Touring the U-P is always interesting.  There was plenty of snow left in 
KEWE.
 We saw a huge eagle soaring down the highway in front of us in ONTO, a 
timber
 wolf in CHIP, and deer everywhere.  The only real visit by Murphy happened 
in
 KEWE, where we left the car idling while parked.  The electric fan decided 
it
 was going to stop turning due to a corroded connector, and suddenly steam
 exploded from under the hood. A carefully placed tie-wrap made sure the
 connector was happy, and we proceeded without pain the rest of the way 
except
 at the pump. The highest we saw was 3.65 a gallon.  Special thanks to Eric,
 KG9GH, who was my driver for the second year. He did a great job getting
 through the fog, avoiding the deer, and being good company.

 The totals by county:

 KEWE 53
 HOUG 57
 ONTO 55
 BARA 54
 MARQ 64
 ALGE 51
 LUCE 50
 CHIP 73
 MACK 66
 SCHO 87
 DELT 78
 MENO 29

 Thanks to everyone who called in.  It makes the trip so worthwhile.

 Jim
K8IR