01/24/2006 | W9SZ This was an unique contesting experience for me. I left home at 5:30 AM on Sunday, got to my hilltop at 6:30 AM and was set up by 7:30 AM. Temperature was a little below freezing and everything was covered with frost. The view was breathtaking and spectacular. It probably got up to 35 later in the day.

I had all bands from 144 through 10368 MHz with me but found out when trying to QSO with K2DRH and K3SIW on 3456 that my transverter for that band was dead (I suspect the LO quit but haven't had time to troubleshoot yet). I did manage a QSO with K3SIW on 5760. Also, K2DRH and K3SIW gave me QSO's on 2304.

All the rest of my equipment was in fine condition and I worked a few people through 1296.

I had to leave for a while in the afternoon on Sunday but came back to the site and was operating in the evening through to the end of the contest. Things got interesting after sunset when a very heavy fog rolled in. The temperature dropped below freezing and everything outside my car except for the Coleman lantern I was using for light became coated with hoarfrost. I was using the "Armstrong" rotor method and the antenna mast became quite slippery. I was also
paid a visit by a skunk some time in the evening. We didn't have a direct confrontation but he left his odor in the vicinity.

Activity in this contest seemed way up this year compared to previous years, at least in this area. I never had a time when the bands went dead. One thing about QRP portable operation is that you can't expect to work everyone you hear. I spent a lot of time calling people who never heard me. For some reason I just couldn't work too many grids to the south or southeast. I heard several stations as far south as EM65 but they didn't hear me. My site is supposed to
be the highest hill in this part of Illinois, but there could be some
obstruction to my southern path. Northern, western and eastern paths seemed quite good. I'll have to analyze the paths from this site with Radio Mobile later.

By the end of the contest, I was getting pretty cold despite running the car for heat. I had trouble sending CW because my fingers didn't work. I was using paper logs and my pen didn't like to write on damp paper. (Everything, both inside and outside the car, was either damp or frozen by the end of the contest.) When it came time to tear down antennas, I had to take frequent breaks to warm up. At one point while taking down antennas my fingers went from feeling cold to
feeling warm. That scared me. I really didn't want frostbite. The next day my fingers seemed fine, so I guess I avoided it.

I drove home (a 45 mile trip) in extremely dense fog. I had to slow down to about 30 mph, so the trip took twice as long as expected. But I made it home safely, had some hot chocolate and went to sleep.

Maybe I can get a consolation prize for sticking it out to the end? I have to wonder if I'm crazy for trying QRP Portable operation in a January contest. I guess I'm not quite ready to go on a Peter I DXpedition!

Thanks to everyone who did work me and I'm looking forward to the June contest when things will be warmer.

Equipment:

All transverters and antennas are homebrew.
144: 10 watts to 6 element long Yagi
222: 10 watts to 8 element long Yagi
432: 10 watts to 12 element Yagi
903: 10 watts to 18 element loop Yagi
1296: 10 watts to 24 element loop Yagi
2304: 1 watt to 2 foot diameter dish with WA3RMX feed
3456: 1 watt to 2 foot diameter dish with WA3RMX feed (was dead during contest)
5760: 1 watt to 2 foot diameter dish with WA3RMX feed

IF rigs: Two HTX-100 transceivers; for microwave bands one HTX-100 has been modified with a 144 MHz transverter built into the radio.

73, Zack W9SZ -- W9SZ