[MiQP-Mail] AE8M/m report

[John Buchert]

Q Summary:

 

Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs

--------------------

   80:   17      6

   40:  160     62

   20:  104      3

   15:            

   10:            

--------------------

Total:  281     71  CW Mults = 53  Ph Mults = 35  Total Score = 55,704

 

28 counties, 39 states/provinces

 

County Summary:

 

WEXF  52  Q's in 80 minutes, operated from city park next to Lake Cadillac

BENZ  62 Q's in 48 minutes, operated in parking lot of abandoned apartment
at US 31 & M-115

MANI  97 Q's in 87 minutes, operated in school parking lot

MASO  73 Q's in 75 minutes, operated in motel parking lot

OCEA  68 Q's in 72  minutes, operated in state park next to Lake Michigan

 

 

Thanks to all who called.  Special thanks to those who gave me multiple Q's
including K8XXX (7), N4PN (7), K8MFO (7), K8RYU (5), K9DU (5), N6MA (5),
NS9I (5), OM2VL (5), W4UCZ (5), WA3HAE (5), DL2HBX (5), K1PQS(5) and a host
of others at 2, 3 and 4 Q's.  

 

I worked a total of 17 EU's.  There is something stimulating about sitting
in your car with your modest mobile setup and working Europe, especially on
40M. 

It makes you forget about the howling wind shaking the car and the freezing
rain and snow.  It was also stimulating to work KL7DX in AK twice.  I wonder
if his weather was as bad as the Michigan weather.

 

My Honda Accord has 2 antenna mounts and I rotate between Hamsticks on 20M,
40M, 80M and 75M.  The rig is a K3.  

 

My on the air time was about 6 hours and driving consumed about 4 hours.

 

As the summary shows, 80 and 75 were a major disappointment.  I wasted
considerable time CQing on 80 and 75 in each county visited.  This has been
productive in other contests, but not this time.  I heard very few stations
on 80/75.  I called many Michigan stations on 40 SSB but could not break the
piles.

 

I stayed in a motel near Pentwater, MI on Saturday night and operated Mason
County from the motel parking lot.  The motel maintenance man came out to
verify that I was a motel guest and not some pervert.  I explained that I
was in a radio contest.  He saw the laptop in my lap and suggested that I
come inside out of the snow and wind.  He never did grasp that I was on the
radio.  He concluded that I was playing games on the internet and went back
inside.

 

Friday I drove from my home in Cincinnati to Cadillac, Michigan, a trip of
about 7 hours.   In Wexford County I operated between the piles of plowed
snow in the parking lot.  At my last operating site in Oceana (Pentwater,
MI), I sat in complete darkness next to Lake Michigan, with the wind howling
in off the lake and snow falling.  It was actually spooky and I questioned
the wisdom of what I was doing, especially when I had to get out of the car
to change antennas.  But the Q's kept coming and the car was cozy.   I
arrived home Sunday after another 7 hour drive  to sunshine and 65 degrees.
This was a fun QSO Party in spite of the weather.   I must complement the
state of Michigan for the excellent roads and the numerous rest areas.
Even  the secondary highways  had frequent rest areas.  When I crossed from
Michigan into Indiana, the rest areas disappeared.

 

 

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