[FQP]Mobile Configuration, Mobile Window, Comment

[ABowenN4OO]

N4OO Mobile setup: IC706 Mk II, Clear Speach DSP unit, K3 Memory keyer, 
Vibroplex paddle (see below).
Home brew antenna mast, 8 ft high with a 4 ft T bar on top. Effective 
length about 12 ft., ICOM AH4 autotuner.
Antenna is double wall tubing, telescoping, mounted on aluminum tool box in 
back of pickup truck. Can be lowered
for parking garages, etc. Logging by pen and paper.
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Mobile Window. I hear fairly well. I finally found a clear spot around 
14035 but soon had competition. I finally moved to 044-045 where it was 
quiet and I could hear the weaker signals. I tried to come back to this 
spot after each QSY or location change. It took a while to be found (3 or 4 
CQs) but after that, it was usually bedlam for 20 minutes or more.

I guess I like being able to find my own spot and stick to it. I thought 
the 030-035 region was too crowded. I was reluctant to go below 030. 
Perhaps I am too sensitive, but I do not see the point of trying to compete 
with the other mobiles. There is a lot of  space between 030 and 050, and 
we all have VFOs.

I could not operate at all in the evening on 40M. There were multi RTTY 
sigs above 035 and below that my receiver went into paralysis. I should 
have turned off the noise blanker and preamp, but could not find the right 
menu combination to punch off the NB. Curses on some of these menu things 
that require a crib sheet to get to.
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Comment: It should be noted that I operate CW mobile regularly. Getting 
ready for the FQP only involves adding a memory keyer in line and providing 
power to it. Early on Saturday, I went to hook up my memory keyer in the 
truck. When I applied power, the keyer started sending mixed dits and dahs 
by itself. After a lot of fiddling with the wrong things, finally 
determined that the key paddle had developed a short of some kind (it is an 
old Brown Brothers). Not having time to clean and dry it, I wired in an old 
Vibroplex paddle. Not very comfy but it worked. What I did not discover 
until well into the contest, was that there was contact bounce on M and X. 
Maybe it developed from sitting in the sun or otherwise elevated 
temperature in the cab. W9AEM thought I was some kinda lid that could not 
get his call straight. He kept coming back with his call, leaning hard on 
the M. When I sent it, it came out G. Same thing happened with X. I finally 
tightened down all the return springs and that fixed the problem but made 
sending a little more difficult until I got on to really whacking the paddle.

I had a lot of trouble with NN3SI. At first I copied C3SS. Then I finally 
got the NN3 but could not figure out what NN35 was. More ditti dum dum 
dittis. Finally got it, but then had to QRX while the guy explained that he 
was at the Smithsonian station. Thanks for the QSO (I think).

I noticed that K4MUT jacked up his code speed a little this year. I met and 
talked with him about it at Dayton last year.

First stop on Sunday morning was on a National Forest road off FL 267 in 
south Leon Cty. Had not been there 5 minutes when a forest service truck 
came roaring up and wanted to know what I was doing. I pulled the plug out 
of the speaker and let him have a few seconds of code before I explained 
that I was in a radio contest which activated all Florida counties. "You 
make sense out of that stuff ?" he asked. "Yes, of course", I said, "It is 
sort of like music to me". He was satisfied with that and drove on to 
whatever he started out to do in the first place.

One high spot was a QSO with W1YL where we exchanged OJs. I had that 
programmed into one of the memories and sent it about every 3rd or 4th QSO 
and in response to those who sent it to me.

I congratulate those single operator-drivers like NF4A, who cover a lot of 
ground and maintain great QSO rates. I am a little too old to muster that 
much motivation, so have to be content with my mediocre score from a 
mediocre effort. It must be fun, otherwise, why would we do it? But I must 
also admit that at the end of the day on Saturday, I wondered why I was 
doing this. I quit early on Sunday.

Now I gotta key all that stuff into the computer program. Maybe tomorrow.

Some time back, I wrote an article on my experiences with mobile antennas 
which was published in the club bulletin. If anyone wants an updated 
version, send me an e-mail.

INK N4OO