160M QSO's; WAS: [PaQSO] TIPS FOR OUT OF STATE OPERATION IN PAQP

[ed.miske@kennametal.com]

Picking up on  Hal's comments on 160:

>>"Operating on 160 is *essential* if you want to maximize your score."<<

If you spend an hour on 160 to get, say, 20 CW and 15 SSB Q's, that's 55
points. Any Q's you might have missed on 80, or perhaps 40 during that
time, can possibly be "made up", but if you don't got to 160 for that hour
or whatever, between 0200z and 0500z, you'll never make up those points.

This also brings to mind one of my favorite PA QP memories:

In 1996 from Prince Gallitzin State Park, I made 125 QSO's on 160.....

in 35 different county's......

27 ARRL/CRRL sections...

 in 2 hours and 45 minutes. (0145z to 0224z).

That's the earliest I ever went to 160, at least according to my log,
though I think I've gone there just as early, before and since, but I just
did not hear or could not generate any business.

 Closest I ever came to that number of Q's on 160 again was 1999 with 82.

Wonder if the good numbers in '96 had anything to do with the fact that the
lake in the park was about 100 yds or less from the antenna? I hope so,
because I'm going back there this year.

N3FR, who was sitting in FRA that year, commented that he heard me working
stations that he could not hear. And while I may jokingly tell him I was
making them up, that's not true.

I also know that my antenna that year (1996) was about 75' off the ground
at feed point, the highest I've ever been able to get it. Maybe that had
something to do with the results that year also.  Hope so........because I
should be able to get the thing up that high this year also.

12 days of work to go...
here's hoping for good wx for all of us and especially for the mobiles
and good propagation to

73
Ed/WA3SES