[HCARC] Texas QSO Party at K5KS

[Kerry Sandstrom]

The Texas QSO Party was a lot of fun again this year.  I was on 40 and 
80 m CW as usual trying to work mostly Texas counties.  I worked 128 
Texas counties including 19 that I had not worked before.  I worked 207 
stations on 40 and 43 more on 80.  Forty was very good all weekend with 
very little QRN and not much QRM except from the RATT Contest after 
dark.  Eighty was also good just before and after sunset.  Later after 
dark 80 had a lot of QRN.

The 250 stations I worked included our very own K9OF (Pete) and AC4CA 
(John).  I never heard any stations on 80 or40 CW from Kerr County (or 
Kimble, Kendall, Medina, Real, Mason, etc).  If you want to put a rare 
Texas county on, at least for CW, you don't have to go far.

Every Texas QSO Party is a little different.  This year there was a lot 
of mobile activity in the North Central part of Texas and also quite a 
bit of activity from East Texas.  Some years it seems everyone is out in 
the Panhandle/South Plains and far West Texas. Over a few years you have 
a good chance to work all over the state.

I hope that a lot of you had a chance to get on for the Texas QSO Party.

73,

Kerry, K5KS