03/07/2005 | YI9VCQ I looked forward to this event after all the fun I had in the CW section. An urgent mission came up the second day into the contest and I was unable to operate.

Not all was lost. I completed contacts with my friends W3CF (Doug) and K3WW (Chas) who are part of the Frankfurt Radio Club in Pennsylvania. They are just two of the many fine operators in the club who have lended their knowledge and support to someone they've never met in person. It was a suprise and thrill to find them on 15 meters!

Also, Marty, the son of K0HW (Jim), is stationed at the same Army camp as I. He and I spent about 4 hours looking for his dad on 15 meters on the first day of the contest. The propagation started to move westward but we failed to reach into South Dakota. We did work quite a few new mults, so I think Marty was good luck for me!

My new homebrew vertical really performed well. It is 24-feet of military antenna sections mounted at the end of a tin roof. The metal roof really kicks the signal out. I could hear better on it than on my Windom antenna.

73 from Camp Cooke, Iraq DE
Korey -- YI9VCQ