[FQP] FQP 2014 KJ4LQX SOAB/NA/LP

[Marty Grove]

Wonderful weekend!  Weather could have not been any better.. maybe a 'bit'
cooler during the day so I could sit outside and operate.  But no rain,
little wind. it was fantastic.  

After a hiatus from last years' FQP, I was back to Okeechobee County with
the camper.  My wife would rather have a colonoscopy than camp with me
during a weekend of radio ops, so it was just me and the dog who's always up
for a camping trip.  Just being myself, it was truly an 'unassisted',
SOAB/LP event for me.

My plan was to set up two antennas, and ultimately I did, but not the two
antennas I had originally planned for.  I took a Platinum Coast Amateur
Radio Society (PCARS) project antenna, the FB-5, and thought I had taken my
homebrewed, portable (collapsible) hexbeam antenna.  I had all the hexbeam
parts needed with the exception of the shaft that the wires terminate to. it
was left behind in my garage and didn't get packed.  The alternative was to
dig out my just-in-case antenna, a G5RV Jr. that I have and put it up in the
air.

Unfortunately, state parks frown at the thought of throwing ropes into their
trees, so I manufactured a stand to support those military fiberglass
push-up poles you find at virtually every hamfest.  I was able to extend
them up to about 35 feet.  Then I strapped a Rohn push-up pole to the rear
of my camper, also extended about 35 feet.  I strung the dipole across the
poles and had a second antenna in the air.  

Inside I had an HP laptop running N3FJP this year.  In the past I have
always used N1MM.  I've become quite a fan of the N1MM software but wanted
to see how N3FJP's logger would work this year.  I was pretty happy with
this logger and may use it again in the future, possibly Field Day.  

The radio was my IC-7000 with an LDG IT-100 tuner. I used a Yamaha CM500
headset and a homemade foot switch to key the rig.  All the equipment worked
flawlessly all weekend.  But the G5RV left much to be desired.  My last FQP
back in 2012 using the my hexbeam I managed 400 qso's on the first day and
about 100 more on Sunday.  This year using the G5RV jr. and the FB-5 I had
only logged 325 QSO's for the entire weekend, working about 16 of the 20
hours.

Bands, like many have already said, were often quiet.  I gave some of them
(10- and 15-meters) long attempts, but could only manage 3 or 4 QSO's in an
hour or so.  20 meters was by far the best for activity pretty much all
weekend long.

Saturday morning for the first couple of hours I had collected abbot 90
QSO's, then things dropped off significantly.  I struggled all day trying to
scare up any contact I could find.  I managed to have a decent run for the
last couple hours on Saturday, adding another 150 or so QSO's to the log.

Then Sunday came along and the calls just didn't come flowing in as I would
have liked.  All told at the end of the two days my final QSO count was a
mere 325.  I managed to work 46 states, 18 various countries, and 25 Florida
counties.  

My stats are as follows:


CONTEST: FCG-FQP

CALLSIGN: KJ4LQX

LOCATION: SFL


CATEGORY-OPERATOR: SINGLE-OP

CATEGORY-STATION: FIXED

CATEGORY-TRANSMITTER: ONE


CATEGORY-POWER: LOW

CATEGORY-ASSISTED: NON-ASSISTED

CATEGORY-BAND: ALL


CATEGORY-MODE: SSB

CLUB: FCG

CLAIMED-SCORE: 39000

 

All in all, a great time was had.  I gotta admit that one of the favorite
aspects of the FQP is contacting the other Florida county hams and having a
brief discussion on how they are doing.  Good thing 40m allows for many of
those local contacts, and probably where the G5RV jr. worked the best,
acting as an NVIS radiator for those local contacts.

As for pictures. below are a few hyperlinks to my setup.  Just click on them
and your web browser should open them up for you to view.  

Thanks Dan and the entire FCG for another fantastic FQP.  Great Job!

Marty - KJ4LQX  

The Campsite <http://www.grovecamp.com/FQP_2014/Camper.JPG> 

The FB-5 antenna <http://www.grovecamp.com/FQP_2014/FB-5.JPG> 

Rohn Push-Up pole <http://www.grovecamp.com/FQP_2014/Rohn.JPG> 

Homemade stand and fiberglass mast
<http://www.grovecamp.com/FQP_2014/Stand.JPG> 

The station <http://www.grovecamp.com/FQP_2014/Rig.JPG>