The W9GRS Station got on air for the October 2012 edition of the School Club Round Up from October 15-17.  We knew that it would be a limited operation as our teacher and sponsor would be out of town on Thursday and Friday.  We managed to get 17 different students on air and worked 102 contacts in that short amount of time.  Unofficially we garnered 24 school stations, 6 clubs, 12 DX, and 25 states for a total of just over 25,000 points.  We had a lot of fun operating both SSB and PSK and a handful of students are prepping for a VE Testing session at the end of November.

Thursday proved to be an exciting day for me personally, as I traveled to Louisville for a science conference.    Ever since starting up W9GRS, Neil Rapp, WB9VPG and his students at Bloomington H.S. South (K9SOU) have been instrumental in helping guide us in our development as a school station.  We have made it a point to make a traditional QSO between schools and becomes a highlight of SCR.  Knowing that I would be driving past the K9SOU qth, Neil and I made arrangements for me to visit K9SOU and experience first hand their operations.  I had the privilege of operating as a guest for their school club round-up operations and made a whopping 1 QSO!  I stepped aside as junior, Padraig, KC9UUS took over and magnificently worked a growing pile-up.  I had a lot of fun helping out and being able to have an "eyeball" with unofficial mentor Neil, who helped me get the ball rolling in terms of setting up a school station.

It was great to be able to take advantage of the unique experience of bringing 2 school stations together.  Definitely looking forward to seeing what is in store for our next SCR experience!