[ILQSO] Driving and logging

[Mel Crichton]

K9CT asked "Anyhow, I was curious how do you log when you are driving and 
operating?"

I keep telling myself that I should be the driver and somebody else should 
operate... but so far nobody around here has jumped at the opportunity. It 
doesn't work with me as the operator.... ask the XYL. The one and only time 
we tried that we were talking to a marriage counselor the next week.

So I log and drive... very carefully. I rarely hit the speed limit except 
when trying to pass thru (no contacts). The Netbook (miniature laptop) is 
right in front of the car radio just below the windshield level so I can 
look forward and still see where the screen is... It blocks heater controls 
but it's safer and easier to see at that level. I bought a "laptop in bed" 
folding table for it to raise it above the gearshift.....

Thus the keyboard is just to the right of the steering wheel, and I touch 
type.... So sometimes I make a mistake. At night there's a small lamp above 
the keyboard if I need to see to correct errors.

The K3 is down on the passenger seat, but I don't touch it... TR4W does all 
the control (except audio) from the keyboard. If I need a fill the miniature 
paddel is on the console, and I don't have to look to know where it is.

It's that simple.... there is some visual distraction but not as bad as 
texting, as I am watching the road most all of the time... probably more 
than if I was talking to another person in the car. The mental distraction 
is probably no worse than listening to books on tape. I use a single earbud 
for headphones. When on SSB I use VOX. And I always try to route through 
back roads to minimize other traffic and to allow for pull-offs if needed to 
correct problems. I pulled off a lot in this ILQP later in the day.

Even trying to be this safe bothers me, as late in the day fatigue sets in 
and typing errors increase...There's less typing with SSB but a lot more 
yelling with only 100 watts and a puny antenna....It's a bit safer if I 
don't have to do CW while driving (in Indiana QSO party I can sit on a 
county line to hand out CW and then do SSB while driving, but there was just 
too much ground to cover in this ILQP)...

but I want to quit solo mobile efforts while I am ahead. Just like when I 
rode motorcycles thousands of miles in a month.... one day my number will be 
up.... so I quit riding after 100,000 miles and before I could have my first 
accident.

Mel KJ9C