[PaQSO] N3WAV/M-R.I.P.?

[N3WAV@aol.com]

Hello All,
       Well, I made my attempt to make it to all 33 WPA counties in the 
mobile.  
       I was doing pretty well, despite the fact that it took 1 hour to get 
my 10 QSO's in FAY because no one could hear me over the 7,000,000Mwatt 
stations. 
       I got to ERI and sat at the Advanced Auto Parts in Corry.  The QRM 
from the 7,000,000Gwatt stations and the foreign broadcast was so bad that no 
one could hear me.  I switched to 20m.  Did not hear anyone so I called and 
called on 14.275, the listed mobile window, and got no replies.  Switched to 
75 meters and no one could hear me (this was at 7:00 PM).  I was in ERI for 
1.5 hours.  Moved to Warren.  Also took 1 hour to make 10 contacts on 80, and 
each one was a struggle.  Moved to McKean.  Again it took 1.5 hours to make 
my 10 contacts.  I sat in front of a business, promted the Police to stop and 
talk to me and ask what I was doing and why I was there for so long.  I 
explained Amateur Radio to him and how the contest worked and he was very 
interested and did not give me a hard time.  
       Then I moved to ELK.  I made 1 contact in 30 minutes so at 11:00 I 
decided that I would go St. Marys and get a room and go to sleep.  No rooms 
anywhere in St. Marys.  Drove to Emporium.  No rooms in Emporium.  Drove to 
Renovo.  No rooms in Renovo.  It is now 1:30 in the A of M.  All of the 
7,000,000,000Gwatt stations are in bed, warmed by their amps.  Drove to Lock 
Haven.  No rooms in Lock Haven.  Drove to Lamar.  No rooms in Lamar.  It is 
now after 2:00 AM.  I decided that since I missed activating ELK, POT, CLE, 
and CRN because no one could hear me, that I would sleep in the Durango in 
the parking lot of the Comfort Inn in Lamar so that I could give out CLI in 
the morning.  No bed, no shower in AM, no chance to change clothes.  But 
people wanted CLI so I sacrificed for them.
       The next day worked out better and I was even able to give out CLE by 
altering the route slightly (Unfortunately I forgot FRA).
       After all the driving (780 miles), after all of the near misses while 
trying to paper log while driving, after being stopped by the police, after 
sleeping in the car (my chiropractor Sam, KE3PO, calls that job security), 
after driving and logging in the rain and fog, after all the people 
tailgating me, after my foot switch not working so that I had to use my hand 
mike the entire time, I was thinking that maybe this was for the birds.
       Well, then I figured that maybe I should get a good night's sleep in a 
real bed and then maybe I would feel better.  I got up this morning, had a 
good day at work and was feeling great when I came home.  I had dinner and 
started thinking about next year.  How could I help everyone get those needed 
counties?  The hassles of Saturday seemed to have disappeared.
       Then I checked my email.  There must have been 30 or 40 PSQSO emails.  
I sat down to read them and collect the thank you's.  Well, the hassles of 
Saturday seemed to instantly reappear as I read thank you's to just about 
every other mobile but me.  Now, mind you, I did not go mobile for the thank 
you's or any kind of glory.  I just wanted to help folks get hard to get 
counties. But little pat on the pack would have been nice.  One good thing, 
it helped me make up my mind about ever again driving 780 miles as a favor 
the Party.
       Did I miss working a lot of counties?  Of course.  Because when I 
tried to get a rare county the 7,000,000,000,000Gwatt stations said "NO! TO 
THE MOBILE."
       My favorite quote of the contest:  "The mobile stand by, the other 
station go."  Shouldn't it be the other way around?  Get the weak signal 
first?  Get the mobile first so that he can move to another county?  Only one 
station, W4ZE, took me first over the other stations.
       So good luck next year getting those rare counties.  I think I will 
just stay at home and give out my rare county-WES.
       73, de Bob, N3WAV / no longer M