I got on the air at 7:04 which means no time for photos. I actually heard "bleedover" which doesn't happen very often on 432 MHz nor in FN22. It was a conversation between a couple friends from back home in the western part of the grid (off the side of the antenna at that moment). There were no fewer than four SSB stations on the air from FN22 during this event, and reports are that there were also at least 3 more FN22 stations on FM simplex. I did bring the FM Yagi, but during setup I realized that I wouldn't be able to use it as originally planned, as the 432 station is "patched together" temporarily while being re-worked. I later remembered that the bandpass filter is set up for the SSB portion of the band anyway. After working through the first-hour frenzy of 6 stations, I worked my best DX in the second hour, which was Maine station K1DY FN54 (313 miles / 504 km) who was worked on voice. The second half of the sprint was all CW. In the fourth hour I worked 5 stations and each was a new grid, including my 2nd best DX to Maryland station K3MEC FM09 (294 miles / 473 km) who was loud and gave me a good signal report. As others alluded to, the upper-level low pressure system must have set up a brick wall to the west because I was unable to work anyone west through northwest beyond my own grid. VE2XX was loud on CW at one point, but he was working someone at the time so I turned the VFO and did other things. Unfortunately, I never heard him again. I really need to learn to be patient and wait to see whose frequency it is. If it had been his frequency, we could have easily worked and I would have another QSO and new grid in the log.
No lightning static crashes were heard from the thunderstorms that hit Connecticut to my southeast. I did hear some interference from the same commercial gear that was affecting me in last year's fall version of this event, but it was quieter this time without the higher gain of the external preamp versus the gain of the amplifier's built-in preamp. More than an inch of rain was reported in the 24-hour total for the areas I drove through and operated from in eastern Otsego and western Delaware County, NY. Part of Interstate 88 westbound was closed as I was heading east toward the hilltop.
BAND QSOs GRIDS ----------------------------- 432 19 12 --- claimed score = 228 ---
MD UTC CALLSIGN GRID -------------------------------- PH 2312 N2SPI FN22 PH 2312 KC2SFU FN22 PH 2321 K1TR FN42 PH 2322 N2RLA FN22 PH 2329 W2KV FN20 PH 2330 WA2ONK FN20 PH 0000 K1OR FN42 PH 0004 K1DY FN54 CW 0014 WZ1V FN31 PH 0027 W2GIO FN31 CW 0115 K3TUF FN10 CW 0135 W1GHZ FN34 CW 0144 K1TEO FN31 CW 0145 K1PXE FN31 CW 0204 K1RZ FM19 CW 0237 N3RN FN11 CW 0242 K1HC FN53 CW 0250 K3MEC FM09 CW 0255 AC2BL FN23