[50mhz] June contest results AA5JG/6

[John Geiger]

This contest weekend found me having to go to Ridgecrest, CA in DM15 for a high school graduation and family reunion.  I figured it would be interesting to experience the contest from the west coast, so shipped the MFJ dualband mag mount antenna ahead of me, and carried the Icom 706 on the airplane with me.  Got to Ridgecrest Friday night, but was tied up with family and the graduation, plus jet lag, so didnt' get the setup going until Saturday morning right around contest time, which is 11am out here, that was something new.  Was already to go until I realized that I left the microphone back at the hotel. Luckily the hotel was only a couple of blocks from my Brother in Law's house, so was ready to go by 1815Z.

I was running the 706 at 30 watts or so from the cigarette lighter plug in the rental car, to the mag mount antenna, so I had a real compromise setup. Worked one of the locals first on 6m and 2m, then caught N0KE from DM68 on CW for my first Es QSO.  Also worked N0LL and KB7Q shortly after that, and another local.  Didn't too much time to operate due to the family obligations and it always seemed that something came up right when the band was opening.

Final tally was 16 QSOs and 15 mults.  Heard quite a few loud stations like WD0T and WD5K that couldn't hear me.  Furthest away station I heard was NG4C in North Carolina, and also heard a couple of VE3s. 

Did work DM87 which is a pretty rare grid. Can still use that one from the home QTH in EM04. Also worked EM18 which I still need from EM04 as well.  Highlight of the contest was getting to have eyeball QSOs with N6NPG and W5DQ.  Thanks Tom for the hospitality.

Might be out here again in a few years for another high school graduation/June contest.  Need to get the setup improved for that.  We might drive out for that one which leaves much better possibilities stationwise.

Hope everyone else had fun, I sure did.

73s John AA5JG