[PaQSO] Reflections From Adams County Multi

[Jim]

The dust is finally starting to settle from the K3SMP
Adams County operation.  Just some tidying up to do,
then wait for 2005!  Just so you all know, I had to
risk my own personal safety during the weekend.  It
became obvious to me shortly after my arrival to the
Cumberland/Adams County area, that my political shirts
and bumper sticker were not going over well with the
locals, as I got a few looks, but nobody said
anything.  It was like being behind enemy lines!  

I will try to break these up:

1.CW was a big plus.  I worked CLI right off the bat. 
I saw some people missed CLI.  I also scored ARM on
CW, as well as some others, which were rare.

2.160 was phenomenal.  Right after dark until 1 AM, it
was going well.

3.More people seemed to be on 80m this year.

4.All high HF bands were fantastic, too.  10m had
gangbuster signals.  Worked into the South Pacific at
+30 strength!  The 10m crowd likes to ragchew, so you
need to hang out for a bit.  The higher HF seemed to
be open to somewhere for the bulk of the contest.  The
stations in Texas were coming in at +40 on 20m CW. 
15m was great, also.  

5.VHF proved to be a real asset, again.  The setup
included 6m SSB/FM, 2m FM, 222 FM, and 446 FM.  The 6
SSB station did very well.  The FM contacts on all VHF
bands were over 100.  The best 446 shot was to KA3JWE
in NHA.  The best 2m shot was to N3RN/R in SUL.  He
was coming in so loudly that it was hard to believe
his location.  Hats off to Bob for a solid roving
effort.  When you consider the bands involved, the
distances, and the likelihood that many people don’t
have great FM gear, the contacts are all the more
impressive!  Many 2m FM contacts exceeded 100 miles,
as the crow flies.  

It was nice to hear people give VHF and FM a try.  I
think that my announcement, as well as a few others
here, prompted people to get on and try.  Many ops
from BER took up FM to help the cause.  Thanks.  If
you missed out, next year at least do 2m FM.  You need
only monitor.

I think that the different configuration for VHF did
well.  Things are tweaked each contest and tried. 
This concept is a keeper.  Although, maybe it will be
tweaked a bit, too, who knows?

6.We were short a few ops, due to no shows.  Skeleton
crew would suffice as a description.  We also had new
hams.  We did OK, though.  No record breakers, but the
county was activated and all had fun.  Snuck some
807’s in too.  In a matter related to the 807’s, Adams
County was under a Small Craft Warning for a time! 
You can figure that one out, yourself.  The 807’s help
the CW operation.  It flows much better.  You just
copy.  Why fight with what works?

7.Where in the world was WX3A from WAY?  Can we get a
club to do WAY?  There are several near there.  

All things considered, it went OK.  No major problems.
 The main thing is that we were there for YOU!  It is
quite flattering to have a pileup going.  It makes you
feel important when you hear the roar!  Thanks for a
great contest!

Jim
N3PBH


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