[ILQSO] ILQP--my perspective

[James Funk]

I don't know about the bifocals, Pete, but sitting for 8 hours with a
notebook and key paddle on my lap doesn't get any easier!!

I'm glad you had a good time but sorry I didn't work you even once.
Never even heard you, though I ran across stations working you several
times.

73, Jim N9JF

-----Original Message-----
From: ilqso-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:ilqso-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Peter E. Beedlow
Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 11:09 AM
To: ILQSO at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [ILQSO] ILQP--my perspective

I have been sitting back reading all of the comments about band
conditions
and smiling. I can't comment on the SSB issues or activity since I don't
have a microphone attached to any of my radios. Because of family issues
I
couldn't operate in the ILQP last year so I can make any comparisons to
2006
but I did operate in the Wisconsin QSO Party both years and even though
that
contest is in March there are some of the same issues.

Sunspots, there just aren't many and for the last month there has been
even
fewer than normal for this portion of a "normal" cycle so logically I
didn't
feel that I could count on any consistent  propagation on 10, 15 or 20
meters. That leaves 40-meters as the workhouse band for the contest with
contacts on 20-meters or higher as a bonus. Then of course there is
80-meters. Last March in the WIQP running multi-multi mobile we worked
more
multipliers in two and a half hours on 80-meters than we did in five
hours
on 20-meters, definitely a band to be on in the QSO Parties.

I just read Jeff's note about his experiences on 20-meters, I don't have
my
logs in front of me but as I remember I had around 60 contacts on
20-meters...

I'm not really complaining about this year's activity nor the
propagation, I
averaged about 80 Qs an hour for the contest but I did find out that
tri-focals and bumpy Illinois roads make computer logging interesting
and it
seems that notebook keyboards keep shrinking in size.

Are pileups supposed to get easier to handle with age? Doesn't seem that
way
to me, but they are fun!

So that's by $.02 worth for this year. Really need to get some after the
contest stuff done and then take a closer look at my log.

Thanks to all for the 8 hours of fun.

Pete, NN9K 


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