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Want some wallpaper? Want to be a "wanted" station, sometimes
(almost) akin to being the DX end of a DXpedition to a rare
country? Well, it's quite easy. Look at the records page of
the Ohio QSO party (<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.ohqp.org/operatingOh.htm">http://www.ohqp.org/operatingOh.htm</a>),
or a similar page of the Michigan QSO party <a
class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.miqp.org/Records.htm">http://www.miqp.org/Records.htm</a>,
note which county or counties near you have low or no records
for your favorite category. <br>
<br>
I've activated four very rare counties in the past two years.
Two of them were in Michigan (NEWAgo 2010, MECOsta 2011). The
two in Michigan were because they're very near KENT county, in
which I live. The two in Ohio were HENRy in 2010 (guess why I
chose to operate from there) and BROWn in 2011 (Expeditions to
which I had organized for several years in a row prior to moving
the Michigan, but which hadn't been activated as a fixed station
since 2004.) Another reason for BROWn was that our son lives
near Mason, so it's just a jump, hop, a skip from his place to
the BROWn county site. In each case I set a new record for QRP
operation. In 2010 OHQP I was fortunate enough not to have a
"high profile, gung ho, contester" in the QRP category so I won
a nice plaque. In Michigan it's almost impossible to knock off
the two "big guns" who choose to operate QRP, but I have
wallpaper for each of these efforts. Ohio 2011 is yet to be
scored - so time will tell.<br>
<br>
Besides collecting trophies and wallpaper, there's a PR aspect
also. Contact of government officials is generally a must, if
you wish to operate in a public place after dark. But, ham
radio has a favorable image in most areas of Ohio and Michigan,
so gaining permission is almost pro-forma. But, if you're in a
public area, it's very likely that people from the general
public will drap by and you can do some explanation of ham radio
to them.<br>
<br>
There are challenges. Operating even 30 miles or farther from
home, in a rural area, means you MUST have a complete station.
Nothing is more discouraging than to get set up and not have
"that connector" or the "proper wrench" for your setup. "Making
a list, and checking it twice" is not just a Christmas song -
it's a must do prior to leaving home for the remote site.</font></font><font
size="+1"><font face="Times New Roman"> And, if AC power is not
available, a reliable generator or deep cycle battery is
required. I made my reservation for a local generator a few
weeks in advance, which was very useful, because a big flood,
in the Northeast caused a "run" on even small generators in the
Cincinnati area! One year my computer keying circuit didn't
work when I arrived at the site, so I had to use my trusty J-38
key.<br>
<br>
The one negative of operating in a "really rare" county is that
you only have a few minutes to make contacts with a mobile, if,
or when, that mobile makes it to your county. A glitch in the
tuner screwed me last year in HENRy county. Last year the only
mobile coming through BROWn county NEVER called CQ, at least
while I was listening to his operation, so I didn't get a
contact within the county. Oh, well, c'est le guerre.<br>
<br>
Why not try a "rare county expedition" next year? It can be
very rewarding.<br>
<br>
</font></font><font size="+1"><font face="Times New Roman"> 73 de
n8xx Hg</font></font><br>
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