[OKDXA] Move Over Rover!

[Bruce Burnette]

Here is a synopsis of the K5PX & W5TM Rover operation. It is not quite =
as exciting as the stories from the "Heathen Mobile", but we had fun.

I was to be @ W5TM's at 7:00 AM Sharp. Yea, right,  I was just pulling =
out of my driveway then.  Somehow I keep thinking it only takes 30 =
minutes to get to TM's QTH. It is only 67 miles, should be there in 30 =
minutes, Right?

Got to TM's and we went immediately to the "Hungry Traveler" for =
breakfast. Well, you can be a "Rover Over" on an empty stomach. Headed =
toward Okfuskee County. Pulled off the interstate, found a cell tower on =
a hill. But the road was blocked, as I am out of the truck trying to =
remove the barbed wire fence, a local comes by & says "there's a road =
right down yonder that ain't blocked". Sure enough 100 yards from us is =
a nice paved road saying US Government Property. Well we pay taxes, so =
off we go. Get set up, work a few stations, hear Cliff on 20 CW, then =
computer battery craters. Pull out paper & pencil, going to run CW, =
keying interface only wants to work with the computer, strange, which is =
now dead. Key is "safe" at home. Don't want to risk damaging a good key =
while rovering.

Off we head back to Henrietta, to buy extension cord. A really long =
extension cord. Stop @ Braum's for a cold drink, this Rover stuff is =
hard work. On the road again headed for McIntosh County. Pull into =
Fountain Head State Park, hook up to a camp site's power illegally, =
charge up the computer & run a few more stations.

Off we go again, this time to Pittsburg County. Stop and eat lunch at =
Poppa J's in Eufaula, owned by Jerry WE5J, borrow a soldering iron, we =
broke the Keying interface, it still won't work, Jerry has No key, so =
off again.

Heading South into the mountains, way, way into the mountains. At one =
time I swore I could hear the Banjos from Deliverance! Found a really =
high, neat spot around a cell tower down there someplace. Ed has some =
great pictures from the top of Oklahoma. handed out some Q's from "rare" =
McCurtain County and off we went again. At some point in this juncture, =
we had RF getting all into the rig, but, hey we are having fun, Right!

Moving again, we end up in the thriving metropolis of Kinta. Stop at the =
Dew Drop Inn, get a cold drink, Rovering is hard work, And truck back =
towards the W5TM QTH. Give out a few contacts from Okmulgee County and =
make it to TM's about 8:00 PM. What a fun day. Don't know how many =
contacts we made, part are in the computer and part on napkins, paper =
towels and any thing else we could write on. Did learn a couple of =
things (most of them were covered by W5ATV), but the biggest thing we =
learned is "low power and bad antennas suck!" We will do better next =
year. Think we can mount a beam on TM's truck, how many amps DOES an KW =
amplifier pull?

OVER ROVER
Bruce, K5PX
k5px@arrl.net

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