Call: KK6MC/R
Operator(s): KK6MC
Station: KK6MC/R

Class: Rover LP
QTH: AZ
Operating Time (hrs): 13.5

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
    6:   52     5
    2:   56     6
  222:           
  432:   56     6
  903:           
  1.2:   46     4
  2.3:           
  3.4:           
  5.7:           
  10G:           
  24G:           
-------------------
Total:  212    21  Total Score = 11,064

Club: New Mexico VHF Society

Comments:

This was a shakedown rove for my new rover. It replaced the one that got
destroyed by hitting a horse at the end of the September contest. I found a lot
of things that needed to get fixed or adjusted, so things were less than
optimum. The 222MHz and 902 transverters did not work and I couldn’t fix it
during the contest, so I was without those two productive bands. I could not get
the WSJT interface to work so I was off the digital modes. Things to work on for
next year. On the up side, all the antennas worked, and the new power line we
ran from the main battery kept the aux battery nicely charged.

I rove in AZ in the January contest as the weather is much nicer. When I first
started doing this 10 years ago there was little to modest activity in AZ, but
the last few years it has really picked up, due to three factors, SOTA activity
scheduled around the VHF contest, moving the contest off the same weekend as the
160M contest, and the WSJT modes. There were 11 SOTA stations on summits, many
well equipped with 6 bands. Thanks to WA7JTM for putting that together. There
were 5 rovers out, including me, a long ways to come from the days when I was
the only rover in January in AZ. Microwave activity has really increased in AZ
as well, which really helps with the QS0 Points. 

I started Saturday afternoon in the Petrified National Forest at DM54. Activity
was very slow, but I did manage 5 QSOs, including 3 nice ones with W9RM. I then
moved to Pintado Point, DM55, in the park and managed a few more QSOs. Then on
to DM45 and a few more. I was disappointed in the activity level on Saturday and
I think propagation was really flat.

We overnighted in Chandler and got a good start Sunday morning at the Maricopa
convergence where I have finally figured out how to operate from the four grids
and go quickly from one to another and not be on the Ak-Chin Native American
community. There was good activity all morning with the SOTA guys, the rovers,
the fixed stations and the increased microwave activity. We pulled up stakes in
early afternoon, had a quick lunch and headed north to DM34 in the Aqua Fria
National Monument. Activity was still good there, although by that time in the
afternoon most of the SOTA ops were off the mountains. 

We were plenty tired by then, so we called it quits, headed for Flagstaff where
we overnighted and had supper and a night cap at the Beaver Street Brewery.