[FQP] KK4TA/M SSB only with Driver

[Tom]

I remember years ago riding my motorcycle on a miserable rainy day in Mississippi, getting soaked every time a big truck passed me, getting knocked all over the road by the wind and draft from the trucks, and wiping the grime from my face shield with my glove so I could once again see the road.  I was soaked to the bone and freezing by butt off.  Through it all I remember thinking to myself, "Can life get any better than this?

This week end I had the same kind of fun in the FQP.  The day started when my laptop started getting flakey, and finally gave me colorful stripes on the screen and nothing else.  I finallhy got it to work long enough to transfer my GenLog and Streets and Trips files to disk and load them on my son's computer which I managed to borrow for the weekend.  (This was the third computer to die on me in the last few months)  I did not have time to print turn maps for my wife, so I was using Streets and Trips under my logger to navigate as well as operate.  This caused some tense and confusing moments when we drove past turns.  Many out of state big guns were CQing in the window for the duration of the contest on SSB.    My wife and driver was sick for most of the trip--putting us way behind on my carefully planned schedule with countless stops and delays.  I had a few good runs on Saturday  on 20 early and later on 40.  Things got rougher on Sunday.  The contacts I made all made comments on how loud I was--especially into the Northeast, but I had trouble getting and holding a CQ frequency.  On the last day, I finally started S&Ping the stations I could hear on 20, and then moving to 40 to CQ the FL and other SE Stations.  I spent hours CQing with no success in counties like CLA, HAM, SUW, UNI.  with no success.

We made it back to STL by the end of the party to give N4PN the county on SSB.  Approximately 400 q's, ssb only. Should have been 1200.  Oh well. 

But did I have fun.  You bet.  Will I do it again?  You bet!  With a few changes.

73 

KK4TA
Tom