[FQP] NX4N- 2012 FQP Results SOAB LP (Op + Driver)

[Christopher Blake]

Hi All,
Just one oversight that I feel compelled to acknowledge-
I thanked a lot of our FQP leaders but forgot one that brings many of us
near and far recognition- Jeff, WC4E does an incredible job creating all
those certificates.  I wanted to correct my oversight and recognize Jeff
for the many, many hours he spends doing this each year.

Thanks buddy!

vy 73,
Chris, NX4N

On Wed, May 2, 2012 at 1:49 PM, Christopher Blake <cqdenx4n at gmail.com>wrote:

> Hi Friends,
>
> Sorry it took me so long to post but Lili and I traveled early to South FL
> to visit family before the contest and  I paid dearly for missing work
> Friday and part of Thursday; just coming up for air to send this out -
>
>
>
> Woohoo!  What a difference a year makes!
>
> Better planning, antennas, routes, driving and propagation along with more
> butt-in-seat time and less rust on this OM’s operating chops resulted in a
> much improved score and even more fun for Lili and me.
>
>
>
> First, the results-
>
> NX4N, cw only, Single Op with Driver
>
> Band    QSOs    Pts  Sec
>      7     189     756    0
>     14    2663   10652   66
>     21      97     388    9
>  Total    2947   11788   75
> Score: 884,100
>
> QSO Party - 2012-04-28 1600Z to 2012-04-29 2159Z - 2991 QSOs
> NX4N Max Rates per N1MM:
> 2012-04-28 2044Z - 6.0 per minute  (1 minute(s)), 360 per hour by NX4N
> (N1MM rate meter hit 400 for one brief moment second as brain was melting)
> 2012-04-28 2210Z - 4.0 per minute  (10 minute(s)), 240 per hour by NX4N
> 2012-04-29 2127Z - 3.5 per minute  (60 minute(s)), 207 per hour by NX4N
>
>
>
> FQP 2012 was just AWESOME - Lili and I had a great experience in nearly
> all aspects and everything seemed to just go our way.  Our route planning
> skills had improved as we covered 48 counties vs. 40 last year.  We
> actually planned 47 but Lili somehow/someway gained *30 minutes* the 1stday and
> *almost an hour *the next so we did Duval Saturday night and were able to
> squeeze in Lee County on Sunday.  It should be to her great credit that
> although we missed a turnoff Sunday along a new, never-tried route she
> still got us into all counties (just out of order) and earned back huge
> chunks of time.  Now that’s the driver for me!  Accordingly, Lili has
> been officially promoted from NASCAR to Grand Prix.  Guys like John
> N4EEB, Art N4PJ and I know how very lucky we are to have wives that
> actively encourage and support our manic addition to FQP Op+Driver class.
> Hats off to each of you, ladies - and thank you!
>
>
>
> I had been playing with antenna improvements all year long and ended up
> going from my “multi-bander” (i.e.- tuned whip) to ‘monobanders’ (i.e.
> Hustlers).  I did homebrew a couple of antennas which played very well
> too and were a much fun to build.  One of the best antennas was not mine,
> but “Da 20m Bomb” that Team K4KG towed as they passed us in Nassau (thanks
> guys for not transmitting as you went by- I would have jumped through the
> roof!).  Wow, what an impressive antenna setup.
>
>
>
> Onto the real deal- operating!  Pileups from beginning to end were just
> amazing – big but very orderly (a real testament to the quality of our
> out-of-state ops).  So nice to see how much participation has grown.  In
> addition, I was happy to see many friends from last year and a new one –
> HI8A, who likely gave many of us a new mult!  Farthest QSO’s were JO7WXN
> and even VK6AA/m – way cool.
>
>
>
> Now, no FQP road trip would be boring without its little challenges,
> including:
>
> -          A dozen or more bus-size horse flies (would you believe 2 to 3
> inches!) in the everglades at our starting point (makes any antenna
> adjustments a sprint event!)…
>
> -          Lee, K4LJP and I separately planned the same exact starting
> point, a nice tri-county spot in South FL.  Lee and I worked out a plan
> to swap usage of that spot at the beginning; so sorry Lee had so many
> problems that he didn’t make it (wishing you better luck for next year
> Lee!)…
>
> -          I tried to adjust my WINKEY weighting in N1MM to be more like
> an Accu-Memory but basically ran out of time before the contest to finalize
> it properly because of some needed last minute antenna adjustments.  This
> resulted in “unique” but somewhat less than optimal keying during the
> contest (hope it didn’t bother folks too much; I’ll get it fixed for next
> year). It certainly did *not* sound like an Accu-Memory ;->
>
> -          15m just teased us all weekend, with promises of wide open
> paths came and went quickly.  Perhaps next year…
>
> -          Rain, rain, rain mostly in the South and Luv, luv, luv bugs in
> the north.  The worst of both worlds; and of course for our route the
> rain came *before* the bugs…
>
> -          My homebrew 40m antenna with 3.5” air wound coil radiated
> great, but not just on 40m.  Driving along at night Lili saw the entire
> drivers display panel in our Suburban light up completely several times.  While
> it was truly mesmerizing, I backed down to 80watts to clear it up- better a
> dB less than accidentally engaging the cars ABS…
>
> There are of course improvements I have in mind to address these issues as
> well as working on my overall operator skills, station setup, etc.- I
> definitely have more upside to amp-up the ‘Fun and Run’.
>
>
>
> *Mobiles unite!*
>
> Some of these counties seem like the size of Texas.  It plain sucks to be
> stuck in an endless county and knowing you still have 20minutes to get to
> the next one with nothing but crickets responding to your CQ’s (been there?
> Got the T-shirt? Do you practice hitting the F1 key in your sleep?).
> I would like to propose that we, FQP ROVERS UNITED, submit petitions to
> the Board of Commissioners in Levy, Marion, Palm Beach, Collier, Osceola
> and Polk counties to divide these monsters into at least four counties each.
> Bet you can name a few more to include…  Surely they will see how much we
> rovers suffer at this injustice and will act with compassion. ;->
>
> On a more somber note, we were gassing up after the first day when a young
> couple approached us, saying they were living behind the gas station.  The
> man simply asked if we could buy his wife a hamburger at the McDonald's
> next door; didn’t ask for money or even any food for him.  They waited 20
> minutes at a distance while we finished refueling and then ordered and
> brought their food.  It felt really good at the end of a “me-me-me” day
> to help others less fortunate and at the same time put my contest endeavors
> into a bit of perspective.
>
>
>
> In closing, I’d like to thank Dan, Ron, Eric and Chris of FCG for making
> FQP such a fun event with a future that is as bright & sunny as our state.
> You guys do such a terrific great job and I’m honored to help out this
> coming year to update the record books (I believe there will be quite a few
> updates!).  I also want to thank K0RC and NO5W for providing us with
> major big-time quality tools that improve the FQP experience for all
> involved.  Bob and Chuck, you guys are top notch.
>
>
> Finally, a tip of the hat to our out of state friends who support FQP
> through their loyal participation; you are just super folks and nearly all
> of you also deserve recognition as superior operators.  Thank you for
> making it so much fun here in the Sunshine state; and please encourage your
> friends to join the Party next year!
>
>
>
>
>
> CU in FQP 2013!
>
>
>
> 73/OJ,
>
> Chris, NX4N
>