Picnic and PAQP Report

October 14, 2017

What happened

We gathered at the Pleasant Hill Fire Company about 10 am. Getting the portable mast up was first on the agenda. Then we pulled up and trimmed the inverted vee antennas for 40 and 20 meters. This went well, except for a few masterfully crafted knots in the ropes. An Icom IC-718 and N3FPJ software running on a laptop computer formed the remainder of the station.

Next we turned our attention to Brian's chili. Perfect for a fall picnic.

By noon we were ready for the contest. 20 meters was a disappointment. 40 meters was the best band.

By evening we had logged 232 QSOs, 24 states and 58 counties. We operated 5h 26m for a rate of 42.8 QSOs/hour. We ate all of the chili. Tear down was quick and by a little after 6 pm were were on the way home.

Some pictures

	Al, W3TRW, ready for an on-time start.
	Bill, N3WD, started here and then mobiled through 22 more counties before the contest ended.
	Sharon, K3DUH, did the driving while Bill did the operating.
	Mike, W3MBC, logs while Brian, N3VN, operates 40 meters. 20 meters was not productive the whole day.
	Charlie, W3CQB, poses with the 40 foot portable mast.
	Al, W3TRW, inspecting the halyard holding the inverted vee antennas.