06/16/2002 | K9AKS I made the last minute decision to go to Iowa, rather than to Belmont Mound in Wisconsin (where I had been the last two years) to operate Single Op QRP Portable from EN42. After driving around for a couple of hours, I stumbled onto a new housing development on the Mississippi River bluff a few miles north of Dubuque, Iowa. It is a subdivision with very large lots (selling for well over 100,000 bucks each) and some new multi-million dollar "McMansions." I ran into the developer who gave me permission to sit on her un-occupied lot at the top of the development. The site afforded good views in all directions and a spectacular view of the river itself for a few miles upstream and at least ten miles downstream. The photo shows a view to the southeast (the antennas are pointed east).

Because it was dark by the time I was settled, I waited until Saturday morning to put up the tower and antennas, and was ready well before the contest started. The weather was great all weekend. I used an IC 746 for 50 and 144 MHz, and an FT 736 for 222, 432, and 1296, held down ten watts on all bands. Everything worked fine, except I had trouble with the rotator binding in the southwest direction, for which I could find only a temporary solution (shake the tower). Late Saturday, I made the decision to avoid the South to West quadrant, thereby cutting off several grids that I otherwise would have worked.

Highlights included: I worked Kentucky and Tennessee on two meters the night before, but not during, the contest. During the contest, we had three modest six meter openings: to the southeast, to Texas, and to the northwest (late in the contest). These provided fewer contacts than I would like, but a pretty good grid-to-QSO ratio. Many SSB stations responded quickly to my weak CW signals. I ended up with 112 QSOs and 63 grids on six. On Saturday, I was hearing 2s and 3s on two meters from mid-afternoon on, but was able to work only one of them with my ten watts. Conditions were pretty good into Michigan and Ohio and I completed four-band QSOs with several people out there. I appreciate all the good operators who were able to pull out my weak signals. Rovers helped my score, especially the dynamic duo of K0PG and K9ILT.

My 65,685 points (316 QSOs and 151 Grids on five bands) is higher than the existing Midwest Division record, and is my personal best. Congratulations to K9PW who broke the all-time June QRP Portable record, which had stood since 1988. 73 -- K9AKS