‰  NOW 30 WPM  ‰  TEXT IS FROM AUGUST 2008 QST  PAGES 93, 94 AND 85  ‰

MICROWAVES AND FOR HAWK WATCHING THE FOLKS IN THE BACKGROUND IN BOTH
PICTURES.  WHEN THESE TWO ACTIVITIES COINCIDE IN SEPTEMBER, THE SUMMIT GETS
PRETTY CROWDED.  INVARIABLY, SEVERAL ROVERS WILL SHOW UP AT THE SAME TIME
AT SITES IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS AND ALL WANT A CONTACT.  OPERATING SEVERAL
MICROWAVE BANDS FROM 10 GHZ UP IS HARD ENOUGH, BUT ADDING AS MANY AS NINE
LOWER BANDS IN A VHF CONTEST CAN GET PRETTY CRAZY.  ON THE OTHER HAND,
THERE ARE INEVITABLY SLOW PERIODS AS WELL FIGURE 3 SHOWS HOW KB1VC AND
W1AIM PREVENT BOREDOM.  WHEN THE SITE IS CROWDED, THE WIND IS BLOWING, DOGS
ARE BARKING AND A FLEET OF MOTORCYCLES ARRIVES, IT GETS PRETTY HARD TO HEAR
THE RADIO.  GOOD HEADPHONES ARE ESSENTIAL FOR CONCENTRATING ON THE SIGNALS
WA1MBA, KNEELING IN THE CENTER OF FIGURE 2, IS DIGGING OUT A WEAK ONE ON 78
GHZ.  ESSENTIALS I TRY TO DO AT LEAST ONE PORTABLE OPERATION EARLY EACH
SUMMER, BEFORE CONTESTS, BECAUSE SOMETHING ALWAYS GETS FORGOTTEN ON THE
FIRST TRIP.  I TAKE ALONG A PAD TO WRITE DOWN ITEMS FORGOTTEN AND OTHER
‰  FROM PAGE 85  ‰
W2FCR/351 JA9RRH/332 W9RXJ/353 NA7AA/337 K4CIA/357 W4VQ/356 HL3IUA/340
JR4LNG/340 UA4RZ/346 G3VKW/349 K9FD/343 W4WX/335 JA3ART/353 W2FKF/343
‰  END OF 30 WPM TEXT  ‰  QST DE W1AW  ƒ