[PaQSO] Portable Op

[Chris Robson]

I'm sorry if I stepped on some toes as far as my comments(ie.Ron WN3VAW), 
however Portable operation is physically demanding and I probably won't 
want to do this when I am 65 years old (at 47 years old, after Rovering I 
feel 20 years older...). For newbies in the PA party, I suggest working 
with a club station like we do at the Radio Assoc. of Erie club station 
W3GV. After getting a feel for the contest and getting that PA QSO hunger, 
try Portable from any hunting camp or friend's house in another county, it 
doesn't have to be rare. My first Rover venture, after doing many portable 
operations, was a disaster, however I have worked hard to improve my 
operation. I would have chucked it all if I had tried to do my first QSO 
party as portable or rover. If I'm wrong then N3FR and WA3SES(the portable 
ham gods!) will set me straight.
As far as getting my antennas in a tree, My tree hammer is a trade secret!! 
Basically it is a tack hammer with a hole in the back to tie my nylon 
string thru. I don't use fishing line, too hard to see and I would be doing 
twice as much work. I just throw my hammer into a tree and aim for a good 
branch. The hammer is heavy enough to pull the nylon line down to grab, I 
cut the line, tie the center of the G5RV to the line and put it up. Then 
grab the ends and tie them off with the excess line. My whole station stays 
setup in the back of the Jeep. I pull the generator from the back, put it 
on the ground and fire it up. Since the laptop has batteries, I get it 
started as soon as I park the Jeep, by the time I get the G5RV up, and the 
generator started, the computer is ready to go. I actually practiced 
setting up and taking down prior to Rovering. Scouting sites before the 
Party is a good idea. I find some of the best logging roads and isolated 
fields! My only real fear is that someone mistakes me for a terrorist, 
since most people I run into are hunters or getting stuck in some of these 
wilderness areas(GPS is a necessity). There you have it, Rovering in a 
Nutshell, Hard cover version will be available at your local bookstore HiHi.
73, Chris KB3A