Transcript Document 7414464

Eighteen Years of CQP from Imperial County
The general vicinity
A little closer
Desert View Tower
3000 feet
Elliot Mine
4010 feet
The Operators
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Fred, K9VV (~5 years)
Bud, N7CW (~18 years)
Harv, K6QK (~13 years)
Jim, K6ZH (~8 years)
Kurt, K7NV (1 year)
Rick, N6ND (1 year)
Bruce, N7TY (3 years)
Paul, NN6X (3 years)
Terry, N6CW (1 year, by callsign only)
Elliot Mine is located about 5 crow-fly miles south of I-8, on a 4WD road.
Before 4WD, we had to haul the equipment and 5 KW generator up the hill
This is rugged country, 100 yards North of the Mexican border
We thought we might work 2M
into San Diego, but the antenna
made a better tarp support than
than radiator. The sunspots
were up, so were brought a
10M monobander (in the
background). This is K9VV
operating true Field Day style
with a KW. This was also
before computer logging!
More Fans
Beer
Rock on Fan
CQP, 1988 - a young N7CW knows how to use that microphone!
Nighttime operating, probably
K9VV.
The antennas and operating site.
We borrowed a 4WD truck to avoid schlepping the equipment, the tarp’s
a little more professional, but the yagi needs some work.
Most years the wind blows >20 knots and keeping the antenna pointed
and together is a full time chore.
Getting the antenna up was cause for celebrations and pictures.
We have advanced to computer logging (note the squint) and boom mikes.
K6QK tries to read the computer screen.
Beer
With the wind blowing, some years it got cold.
Beer
We could work EU on 10M until 4 PM. It’s still pretty rugged operating.
The CQP from Hell: We tried operating from the Salton Sea.
We were located next to an inlet
of the Salton Sea, at the south
end, at Red Hill Marina.
Immediately behind the tent was
the largest pile of bird dung
known to man.
The wind direction was over the
pile, into the tent….
Beer
Looking north, from the bird dung pile.
The very top of the hill at Elliot Mine required serious 4WD.
Every set up task was a challenge, due the constant wind.
Even when it’s finally up, it needs to be guyed against the wind.
Putting up the 80/40M vertical - the highest accessible point in Imperial Co.
Look carefully, the Salton Sea bird dung pile is in the distance.
The vertical broke in the wind, so we put up 80/40M dipoles.
Beer
The site from below.
One year, everybody had a conflict – I put in about 4 hours from the truck.
2001 – Single op by N7CW
I forgot boom pieces, so I rebuilt the yagi as 2 elements. Vertical in the
background, with an American flag on top (3 weeks after Sept. 11, 2001).
Beer
My helpers were party animals, but whatever it takes to get antennas up
in the air.
We finally got smart – The view from the Desert View Tower.
A big tent, toilets, 220V from the mains, toilets, the tower trailer, toilets –
it was heaven.
With Harv’s trailer, antenna erection is a piece of cake.
In 2002, we used a 40M dipole,
a 6M beam and tribander.
Cranking it up.
2003 – tribander, 2 elements on 40, the 80M vertical and 6M beam.
2003 – with the Desert
View Tower in the
background.
Can you see the tribander
and the 40M yagi are
pointing 180° from each
other? We couldn’t either.
It took 4 hours to figure it
out – that cost us 400
QSOs and the category
win.
Not Beer
N7CW coaching N7TY
K6ZH
N7CW and K6QK
Ben owns the Desert View
Tower. He’s a great guy,
but he is nuts. With K6ZH.
The Scores
1989 – N6CW (N7CW, K9VV) – 2390 QSOs + 58 mults
1990 – N7CW/6 (N7CW, NI6W, K9VV) - ?
1991 – KD6QK (N7CW, KD6QK) – 1334 QSOs + 56 mults
1992 – N7CW/6 (KD6QK) – 1974 QSOs + 58 mults
1993 – Can’t find the records
1994 – Can’t find the records
1995 – N7CW/6 (KD6QK) – 1175 QSOs + 58 mults
1996 – N6ND (N6ND, N7CW, KD6QK) – 1821 QSOs + 58 mults
1997 – N7CW/6 in San Diego county – 955 CW QSOs + 57 mults
1998 – N7CW/6 (KD6QK) – 647 QSOs + 56 mults
1999 – W6PT (N7CW, K6QK, K6ZH) – 1759 QSOs + 58 mults
2000 – W6PT (N7CW, K6QK) – 1118 QSOs + 56 mults
2001 – N7CW/6 (N7CW)– 2100 QSOs + 58 mults *
2002 – W6PT (N7CW, K6QK, K6ZH) – 2249 QSOs + 58 mults
2003 – W6PT (N7CW, K6QK, K6ZH, N7TY) – 1866 QSOs + 57 mults
2004 – W6PT (N7CW, K6QK, K6ZH, NN6X) – 2064 QSOs +58 mults**
2005 – W6PT (N7CW, K6QK, K6ZH, NN6X, N7TY) – 1979 QSOs + 58 mults
2005 – W6PT (N7CW, K6QK, K6ZH, NN6X, N7TY, N6EEG) – 2043 QSOs + 58 mults
Red & Green – We won our category. Green – Record set and still stands
* - Imperial County and California Single Op County Expedition
* * - California Multi Op County Expedition
Other Data
Log Submissions
700
Number Logs
600
500
400
300
200
100
02
20
00
20
98
19
96
19
94
19
92
19
90
19
88
19
86
19
84
19
82
19
80
19
78
19
76
19
19
74
0
Year
The K6NA station with N6TR as the operator holds the San Diego
County single op record, from 1989, with 2928 QSOs and 58 mults.
K6AM holds the California Low Power single op record, from 2002,
with 1805 QSOs and 58 mults.