[Elecraft] Mobile advice?

[Gay Family]

I wrote:
> I've got the sudden and unexpected task (opportunity?)
> of a 1300 mi freeway solo trip in a Ford F150 ...

	First, thanks much to all of you who replied to my hurried query. The trip
came up suddenly (called to geriatric evaluation of aging parent). That
evening ran to Radio Shack and bought a longish CB/10m antenna with the
largest, mid antenna loading coil they had, a 210-0806. Next morning local
roads are very treacherous and similar conditions listed in Montana info so
I switch to wife's Winstar because it has new studded snow tires (very good
suggestion on her part). Plunked the antenna in the middle of the roof, ran
it to the MFJ 949E, tied the two together with a backpack strap facing me on
the right seat, K2 on top, block of wood to prop the boxes up more level,
ran the seatbelt through the strap, plugged the K2 into the cigarette
lighter and took off. An hour out of town and out of the local icy roads,
turn the K2 on and tune around 10m, left hand steering and right hand thumb
spinning the flat surface. Works well - don't need dimples or rims. Very
first station is an Italian calling CQ loud and clear. Damn near drove off
the road; this mobiling stuff may be good. Pulled over to tune the 949
(should've done that at home!) and found I couldn't get the SWR down. I'd
cut the antenna to the RS recommended length for 28.3 but that was still too
long. Some expletives and pinched fingers later I'd managed to shorten the
antenna to good SWR using wrench and pliers (poor prior planning ...).
Would've gnawed on it if I'd had to. Italian gone. Then urban traffic and
snow packed roads stopped further progress, driving having the only
priority. Ever notice how its 4x4 pickups and SUV's that make most of the
road-side sitz marks? Once down out in the clear in Montana, I turned K2 on
again. Several Virginia stations in the Virginia QSO party are coming in
very, very loud, louder than at home (antenna work in order?). Most be all
that copper ore in western Montana ground. Call one. Give him the state and
he's happy with the mobile multiplier. My very first mobile QSO. Tell him
this is my first attempt at mobiling, let alone this QSO stuff, so I'm busy
concentrating on driving rather than writing. Probably obvious from my rough
operating procedure. A few noisy powerlines go by. Next I hear him work a
Colorado station, which I can't quite copy. Then I hear him say its the
first K2 he has worked. Call him back and tell him that is his second. He
asks what antenna. Tell him. He can't believe its 10 watts mobile through a
RS 10/11 mag mount (I can't either). Says he'll have to pick up a K2 at
Dayton - commission, Wayne? :-). Then a Japanese station is calling CQ loud
and clear. He works a guy mobile in Georgia and I hear both sides. I give
him a call and he responds. Again about drive off freeway at 75mph. He is
running 100 watts. Who needs Ameritrons? Take an isolated exit ramp and park
on the shoulder. He wants the county name. I have no idea; I'm lucky to know
the town I'm close to (Missoula). The Georgia guy tells me and I pass it
along. He must be considerably more accomplished at this mobiling stuff than
I. After my heart returns to a normal beat, I'm back under way. Work another
station in the Virginia QSO party. They can't believe its 10 watts mobile
from Montana either. Hear a huge pileup and hear the DX station well but
he's working split. I can't manage split and 75mph at the same time and the
mph has priority. Work a special event station in Wisconsin and a 10-10
station in Texas. Hear another really strong Japanese station in a QSO with
a California station but drive behind a mountain before I can work him. More
icy roads, flashing blue lights. More elevated heart rates but not due to
QSO's. Band drops out by the time roads are clear.

	Head back mid-afternoon after session with Doc's. News not good
(Alzheimer's). Hear very strong Alaska station running 90 watts and both
sides of most QSO's for 30 minutes. Getting better at writing and driving.
Hear XR0X very strong but only calling 1's and 5's and so on apparently in
sequence but no 7's. Where'd that guy learn to count? More DX pileups and
splits. Hear a DU calling CQ. I respond and he comes back. Drive behind
mountain before QSO really complete so I don't know for sure if he got my
signal report. Hear HL4SF very loud but can't raise him before he's
convinced the band has dropped out and signs off. Hear a solid UE but drive
out of the reception before his current QSO is over. Finally driving into
the dark of western Montana I work a New Jersey station for the longest QSO
of the trip. I answer his CQ and tell him I'm running 10 watts mobile from
western Montana. He wants to know if I mean mobile as in driving or just not
at my QTH. I tell him. He wants to know what modules I have, how hard the K2
was to build and what test equipment I needed to build it. I tell him. He
asks what the difference is between the K2 and the K1. I tell him. He signs
off, I turn of the K2 for good because the road is getting snow covered and
slick. My wife's snow tires get me around spun-around 4x4 SUV's, stalled
trucks and cars stuck in various orientations in middle of the freeway and
rink-quality ice over the next 200 miles to home at 11PM. Dreams of
screwdrivers and autotuners dance in my head.

	That was one heck of a lot of fun; I never would've imagined! Now I gotta
transfer those scribbles, some on my hand, into my logbook.  Yes, the
cigarette lighter outlet, at least in Fords, works to power the K2. Thanks
much for the advice. And wow, does the Radio Shack mag-mount propagate the
K2 Mojo. This could be addictive. Naw; it is.

	Thanks for the bandwidth.

John. KD7OIU K2 #1932.