Texas QSO Party
Call: NO5W
Operator(s): NO5W
Station: NO5W
Class: SO CW Mobile LP
QTH: Texas
Operating Time (hrs): 14
Summary:
Band CW Qs Ph Qs Dig Qs
----------------------------
160:
80:
40: 234 0 0
20: 808 0 0
15:
10:
6:
2:
UHF:
----------------------------
Total: 1042 0 0 Mults = 70 Total Score = 248,820
Club: Northwest Amateur Radio Society (NARS) - Houston
Comments:
The above score includes 30,000 points for activating 30 counties.
Equipment:
Radio: IC-7000 at 50W
Antenna: HI-Q 4/80
Vehicle: 2002 Pathfinder
Power Supply: 79 AHr AGM battery by MK Battery
Battery Charging: Power Gate 40S by West Mountain Radio (W1ZR configuration)
USB Hub: Navigator by US Interface
Serial Keyer: WinKey by K1EL - contained in USB Hub
GPS: Garmin 18PC-DLX
Mapping Software: Streets & Trips
Logging Software: CQ/X de NO5W version 1.7.4
Comments:
Since returning from Miles and Miles of Texas (aka mobile operation in the
Texas QSO Party) I've been reading reports on 3830, reading CQ-Contest mail,
and sampling some of the soapbox comments in TQP logs received. From what I've
seen it looks like there are some issues to be worked out but that a fun time
was had by all. I know it was great fun where I was sitting, challenging in
terms of pileups and other digital mode QRM, but great fun nonetheless.
Having spent a lot of time and energy in promoting the QSO party to clubs, on
reflectors, and at hamfests around the state in the months leading up to TQP
and assisting the mobiles in posting a Google Map version of their routes I was
concerned that perhaps my enthusiasm and preparation for TQP may have peaked
prematurely. I hadn't spent much time getting my temporary mobile setup back
together after the FQP and I had some new items that needed testing: a new
ham-specific USB Hub that I wasn't sure how would play in the mobile
environment, and an auxiliary battery and charger that I had just completed
wiring up.
However, it only took a few counties into the party to forget about those
concerns and focus on handling the pileups which were good on Saturday and off
the charts on Sunday, especially on 20M. Both of the new items performed
flawlessly and I found an SWR sweet spot on the antenna on 20M that appeared to
play extremely well. And this time I finished the event with the same radio as I
started. All the smoke stayed in!
As you can see from the totals above, 20M was the money band and 40M a distant
second with the RTTY QRM making 40M difficult. However, 40M did yield more
mults than 20M (40 vs 30) as I was able to work more in-state stations than I
have in the past. And it was fun to work a number of fellow mobiles -- a few
of them with arms still sore from my twisting. I was also pleased to see three
out-of-state mobiles come down or over to help out in putting on the TQP.
Thanks to W0BH from Kansas, WW5X from Oklahoma, two of the cooks in the
panhandle, and W5WZ who had limited time but came over from Louisiana to help
out.
I had advertised thirty-three counties but was only able to make 30 due to a
severe weather situation in the Fredericksburg area on Saturday evening and
more time spent in Mills and Lampasas than originally planned. The decision to
cover Burnet was not a good one since it required two passes through the city
of Lampasas resulting in over an hour total time in county Lampasas. That time
would have been more productive covering the final planned counties that I
missed. On the other hand, the additional time in Mills was time well spent as
that was the county with the most extreme pile-up and I didn't want to leave
any QSOs on the table. In fact in the three county region of
Coryell-Hamilton-Mills the rate meter never dropped below 150 over a period of
about 1.5 hours. That's great fun!
Thanks to the following stations who followed us around for both days,
apparently enjoying the whole TQP enchilada and providing over half of the
QSOs: W7GVE(29), N6MU(29), W0EAR(27), WA3HAE(24), K5UV(24), W3BBO(23),
WB2ABD(22), N4PN(22), K4AMC(21), N8II(21), W9IU(19), W0QE(18), KN4Y(18),
N4JF(18), K3TW(17), N9FC(17), W0ETT(16), W8IQ(16), WA4PGM(14), AB7RW(14),
K2SX(14), WB8JUI(14), K8MR(13), W2LHL(12), NC4KW(12), K6DGW(11), K4MF(11),
KB9OWD(11), W1END(11), W4PM(10), KO1U(10), N6GL(10), KS5A(10).
Thanks also to all the Texas stations, fixed and mobile, who answered the call
to let everyone know that ham radio is alive and well in the Lone Star State.
As always a great big thank you to my driver and XYL who keeps us moving down
the green line in TQP and otherwise and is a great supporter of this operators
passion for mobile contesting -- and this time it was on her birthday. Did I
hear someone suggest moving the TQP to avoid RTTY QRM?
If you haven't tried mobile contesting you oughta give it a try in your local
state QSO party, or one next door or even two or three doors down. It's a great
way to test your ability to handle pileups and at the same get out and see some
of the great countryside of the USA.
Prior to the next TQP we'll be reviewing options for improving the event. If
you have opinions and/or suggestions in that area please let me know about them
at no5w[at]consolidated[dot]net.
Until the next one,
73/Chuck/NO5W
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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