[HCARC] HCARC Members noted in TQP

[John K5XA]

HCARCers:

A recap by N3BB Jim George regarding the Texas QSO Party this last weekend.
Note the special comments regarding our own HCARC members W4WJ, AC4CA, and
N9OF.

Way to go guys!

73 ................... K5XA

"Just a few general comments.

Worked approx 120 Qs from the house Saturday. Tried to optimize 40 meters
and TX counties.

Worked almost 290 Qs from the car Sunday in 5.5 hours. Was very tired when I
got back home at 2:30 p.m.

Made my usual run Sunday. Started in TRAV at 9 a.m. and cycled through HAYS,
BLAN, GILL, KEND, KERR, KEND, BLAN, COML, BLAN, and HAYS, in that order.
Didn't make it to the wider loop that would include BAND, since it would
take more that the six hours I had. Did all the driving, logging (on paper),
and sending (with my Padlette) w/o a computer. The general plan was to pull
over when I reached a new county and "run" 20 meters on the side of the
road, since the pile-ups are challenging for a while. Then, get on the road
and CQ on 20 and work stations while driving, and also S&P and CQ on 40
while driving, since the action on 40 generally is slower paced.

Tried 15 meters, and had marginal success, but the skip was long, and worked
only the far extreme coast east and west. Thus concentrated on 20 for
volume, and on 40 for county mults.

I don't have earphones for the /m, so careful listening is important, and I
can't hear my own (low) CW sidetone when I'm on roads with our crummy "hot
tar mix" in the surfaces. So if I QLF'ed at times, it was because I was
sending w/out being able to hear myself. In short, as you can see, I'm a
TQP/m lid. Will try to get a computer setup going for next year.

My mobile signal is just OK, not great, with an FT857D and 100 W, and a
simple screwdriver (ATAS 120A with a small adjustable coil) antenna, and so
I am not able to work all the mobiles I hear on 40 meters.

We have some absolutely terrific CW ops in the CTDXCC. These are over and
above the ones we usually hear about from contesting and DXpeditions, such
as W5ZL, K5OT, K5NA, W5SL, W5GAI, W5JAW, etc. I was impressed with W4WJ,
AC4CA, K5IID, WD5IYT, etc. N9OF also. We have some outstanding ops. I'm sure
to be leaving out some guys. Excuse me, but again, the wealth of very good
CW ops in the club is impressive.

No idea on the score. Will try to enter the paper logs into TR, and send the
files to K5OT and/or NO5W who usually bail me out and turn the files into a
usable entry.

Tnx to NO5W for all the support, and to K5OT for behind the scenes
encouragement.

73, Jim N3BB"