[ILQSO] KJ9C/m should be QRV at 1700

[Jim Funk]

My hat is off to the guys who come to IL to help out, with the best they can hope for perhaps some wall hangings and no trophy deer on the radiator!!

And especially to those who are willing to run all over creation to pick up the pieces and fill holes in the map...and do it solo.  Ugh.  I have done that a few times (IN, MI, WI, MO and TX) and it is brutal.  I will say that one reason I will resist moving to more than an "RST/COUNTY" exchange for ILQP is the fact that you can actually do that (more or less safely) while mobiling...solo.  If one has to keep track of QSO numbers...well...it is too much for my brain.  And I think the NTSB would probably have some comment.

I would NOT suggest mobiling QRP, Mel.  I don't know how K9IUA does it.  It sounds like frustration defined.

Mel, you were loud.  I just didn't manage to work you more than once.  But it sounded like you were doing well.

Hope you got home OK.  We have been about 200 miles from home a couple of times at the end of the contest, and that is not fun.

Another argument for ending at 0100Z....and for not exceeding 8 hours total contest period.  I was brain-dead at 0100Z.

Just hope I didn't forget to log anyone I worked.....

73, Jim N9JF

-----Original Message-----
From: ilqso-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:ilqso-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Mel Crichton
Sent: Sunday, October 20, 2013 6:45 AM
To: IL QSO Party
Subject: [ILQSO] KJ9C/m should be QRV at 1700

Got up at oh-dark-thirty and let the dog out. At least the dog likes to get up early, as long as he can go out and patrol for terrorist squirrels. He hasn't yet learned that squirrels, even the terrorist variety,  keep more civilized hours.

Almost thru the first pot of coffee and the pain pills haven't kicked in yet, but they should be doing their job by kick-off time at 1200Z when the old 4-Runner takes off for its last-ever QSO Party...It's a 5 hour drive to Hardin County from Indy, and the last thing I want is for the back pain to slow down the QSO rate.  I vowed after last INQP to retire from mobiling, but somehow it's tough to say no.  Masochism runs in my family.... maybe I should do the mobile thing QRP.  

Anticipating 100-plus rates .... yeah, right.  Forget that. Target this year is not a win, but to put those 7 orphaned counties on the air. The last guy to speak up with plans gets the counties that are too inconvenient for the first guys who speak up.  As usual, it's a long (270 mile) circuit to connect those 7 counties.... and there's another 450 miles to/from Illinois... at least oa half tank of gas..... But I get gas points on my credit card so I may drive around a bit more if there's time. I hear Missouri is pretty this time of year.

All the gear SEEMS to work, but for some reason ILQP has a habit of breaking my set-up within the first hour. One year it was the rig keying jack, another year the computer died and I had to hand log. Got spare antennas, spare K3, spare computer, spare cabling,... let's see what Ol Murphy tries this year... Wait! I just figured it out... I don't have a spare driver.... (It's another solo effort.... Makes logging slow while moving, so be patient). 

I forgot how much prep work it takes for a mobile/portable/rover to go out for 8 or 12 hours of ham radio. Already invested about 12 hours into this ILQP (rig setup, route planning, logging config files).... add five more hours to get there and 3 hours to get back, and it's a 28 hour event. Others have even more time invested.  So when you are sitting there in your shack and flick the switch on the rig to participate in ILQP, don't get ticked off if a mobile is tough to work or has a weak signal. You are lucky, so invest a few extra hours yourself.  The most you have to invest is 8 hours....Make your presence known.

Contrary to what I posted on the county hunter website and here, if I can break Illinois' speed limits in those non-orphaned counties (and maybe go 66 MPH on the interstate) I should be able to arrive EARLIER than posted by a few minutes. My goal is to be all the way thru Lawrence county at 0100Z. (and a bit closer to home)

Hope to  give a report tomorrow. 

KJ9C/m
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