[NLRS] Sept VHF - W0ZQ & W0ZQ/R

[jcplatt1 at mmm.com]

------- W0ZQ ---------
Band QSO   Pts   Grids
 50   30    30    13
144   38    38    17
222   21    42    16
432   27    54    17
902    8    24     6
1.2   10    30     7
2.3    4    16     3
3.4    3    12     2
5.7    2     8     1
10     3    12     1

Tot  146   266    83    Score: 22,078

Soapbox:  Conditions on Saturday were not too bad, but they sure seemed to
slowly go down hill throughout the contest.  At 2115z on Saturday I did
manage to run with K2DRH (EN41) on 6m through 2304, but not 3456.  He heard
me, but I only heard bits and pieces of him on 3456.  After that we tried
several times throughout the contest and each time we tried conditions were
actually worse.  Lots of QSB, almost January like.  I did manage to work
W0GHZ, N0KP, and KC0IYT/R, all EN34, on 10 GHz using my 2 watt 17 dB horn
system from my deck.  With the rain coming down on Saturday I asked them to
beacon in my direction (EN34it) and I simply pointed the horn straight up !
Both KP and GHZ are about 20 km away and through my 50' maple trees.  I
also worked N0KP and KC0IYT/R on 5.7 from my deck using a rain cell over
St. Paul, backscatter with N0KP, with my dish elevated about 30 degrees.
At about 1910z I found Bruce, W9FZ/R, in EN67 and we worked on 2, 222, and
432 ... I think that is a new grid for me on the higher two bands.  I was
able to work Bruce twice more during his rove; once when he was closer in
EN56 on 6m through 1296, then again later when he was in EN65 again "just"
on 2, 222, and 432.  From his stop in EN56 we were able to work on 6m,
using CW, which is a pretty good feat give his dipole and my stacked loops,
both of us running 100 watts.  CW is definitely worth 10 dB !!.   Many
thanks to John, WA0VPJ/R and Glen, KC0IYT/R, both whom gave me lots of new
mults and kept the activity going.  Although conditions were sort of punk,
several new calls appeared in my log.



------ W0ZQ/R --------
Band QSO   Pts   Grids
 50   11    11     4
144   23    23     7
222   15    30     6
432   13    26     4
902
1.2
2.3
3.4
5.7    5    20     2
10     5    24     2

Tot   73   134    25 (Plus 4 grids activated)  Score: 3,886

Soapbox:  With things a bit slow on Sunday, and not wanting to HAVE to
watch the Vikings, I threw my FT897 in the car, mounted a loop for 2m and
222, a 6m vertical, and tossed in the 5.7 and 10GHz dishes, and headed to
Howard Lake, EN24/25/34/35.   The weather wasnt too good ... light rain,
drizzle, cool, and the wind was picking up.  Well, I tortured a few
stations with my puny signal ... sorry for that !  I was running 20 to 50
watts and omni's and conditions were not very good.  The fun part was that
the uW were pretty easy with the local rain going on, just a matter of
pointing in the general direction, swish the VFO some, and there was the S9
rain scatter signal.  Jim, K0MHC, sorry for missing you in EN24 ... next
time - both your 5.7 and 10G signals were very good !   The cool wet windy
weather made operations a little more difficult than usual and the
rovermobile still has a fresh coat of rover mud on it.  John, NG0R, was
loud as he was only a few miles away.

73, Jon
W0ZQ & W0ZQ/R