[WIQPmail] WiQP KE0TL mobile

[Rolf Krogstad]

Another fun time driving through NW Wisconsin.  We should drive the same
route when there are leaves on the trees and no distractions from the
radio.  It really is beautiful country.  For once, Murphy did not pay a
visit...unless you count the time that the power cable to the old XP laptop
(with almost no battery) wiggled loose and we didn't notice until the
computer shut down!

Highlights - three QSOs with Laci OM2VL in the Slovak Republic, two on 40
and one on 80.  I can't believe working that far on 80 meter mobile given
the totally inefficient Hustler vertical and tiny ground plane.  He must
have a great antenna AND especially great ears.  Another first was being
called on 20 meters by JO7WXN.  In 12 years of Mn and WI mobile QSO parties
I have never been called by Japan.  Most QSOs by callsign:  NU0Q 10 (Iowa),
AF8A 8 (Ohio), K9CW 8 (Illinois), plus multiple people at 7.

Taty only operated about 30 min on SSB but just couldn't get anyone to hear
her so she turned the radio back to me.  She can't wait for the sunspots to
return and make possible a repeat of her first WiQP experience when she
operated the entire 7 hour contest on 40 SSB without ever touching the VFO.

The last hour was the best with 92 QSOs - at times it was a wall of sound,
nearly all zero beat - all while barreling down some lesser traveled road
with the computer bouncing and causing typos in the callsign or report and
causing my finger to hit the wrong F-Key macro.  It is a real trip (excuse
the pun).

The day concluded with what has become a WiQP tradition, dinner at
Tippycanoe's in Osceola with Mark WA0MHJ and XYL Julie.  Mark didn't
operate mobile in Wisconsin this year because of his Covid vaccine at 3pm
in Duluth.  As he puts it: "I made it to POLK county with three minutes
left in the contest, and no radio".

Here is the breakdown of our score:

 Band   Mode  QSOs     Pts  Mul
   3.5  CW     118     236    7
     7  CW     245     490   35
    14  CW     122     244   19
    14  USB      3       3    2
 Total  Both   488     973   63
Score: 98,408

73
Rolf NR0T
and Taty KE0TL (a.k.a. OA4ABC)
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