“The Best-Laid Schemes O’ Mice An’ (K)M1N(DY)” – North American QSO Party 2022

If you see a coupla shiny glass marbles engraved with my name, mind giving them back? I am pretty sure I lost a few…

I took a ride up to Salisbury Beach State Reservation to set up an antenna and try my hand at the North American QSO Party (NAQP SSB) for a few hours. Equipped with a portable heater for the back of my van, I figured the 25 degree weather and bright sunshine would feel toasty after the past single digit days. I brought Nellie (my dog) with me.

I chose a spot away from the small crowd, and near a cluster of pine trees. (That car that is parked near my van came after I took my antenna down.) The large parking lot never held more than 20 cars.

Unfortunately a bank of handicapped parking spaces separated me from the stand of trees I planned on using to tie the free end of my antenna to. I highly doubted that there would be anyone using these spots given their rather inconvenient location, and figured I could put my antenna up far over the roofs of anyone who did decide to park next to me. I was wrong, however. Long after I took down the mast and antenna, a person parked next to me.

The antenna is my homemade 49:1 40M EFHW. The mast is a Mr. Longarms painter pole. The trailer hitch mast holder was custom built for me by Jim KC1MJB.

The trailer hitch mast mount is composed of square metal tubing with a commercial mast mount u-bolted to it. I added an anti-rattle hitch stabilizer between the metal tubing and the hitch receiver to snug everything up.

The mast mount was designed to fit a standard military mast. However, with a teensy weeny modification, namely using wrenches as shims to take up excess space, a Mr. Longarms painter pole works perfectly with this hitch mount!

So, why exactly do I have you looking for my marbles? After making a spectacle of myself setting up this antenna (no joke, no fewer than 6 cars stopped and asked me what I was doing!), I began to assemble my new Yaesu FT991-A for its contest debut. And then! I realized I left the battery at home. My radio had no power supply… Any thought of enjoying some ocean-side RF contesting evaporated.

Dejectedly, I took down the antenna and packed it away. It was, however, still a lovely winter day, and I figured Nellie would want to take advantage of a “Dogs Allowed” walk on the beach. And I am never one to miss an opportunity for an adventure, or let a lack of voltage stop me from having one in the first place. We walked through a break in the sand dunes.

Nellie set out to find herself some seafood.

While I watched the surf come in and go out.

My best laid plans now thwarted, I went home. I managed to make 12 ssb contacts for the NAQP from my qth battling an S9+ noise floor from the middle of Boston. Well, at least I didn’t have to worry about noise at Salisbury beach. At all.

And though I seem to be missing a marble or two, I am still happy to get out there, set up an antenna, and count the waves.

KM1NDY