Yesterday was the annual running of New Jersey QRP Club’s Skeeter Hunt QRP contest. Even though I’m not much of a contester, I always look forward to this four-hour sprint.
This year, I was asked to be one of the bonus “Palindrome Skeeters.” These are participants with skeeter numbers that read the same, forwards and backwards. My assigned skeeter number this year was 66.
For this year’s contest, I operated from a piece of property owned by my daughter and her husband. I set up in a field on top of a hill, a place I’ve used many times in recent years. Since I had plenty of room, I planned to get up there early to set up some sort of long wire antenna. That didn’t quite work out. I got there later than planned, so I just set up my trusty homebrew vertical on the back of my truck. That’s always a quick way to get on the air.
I spent most of my operating time on 40M, alternating between calling CQ and searching/pouncing. Although most signals weren’t very strong, there were lots of them. Every time I thought I had run out of skeeters to work on 40M, I’d find another one buzzing out there. I eventually moved up to 20M, where the signals seemed much stronger. Searching and pouncing, I added a few more skeeters to my log.
The bugs were bad yesterday. I didn’t see any real skeeters, but I did encounter every other insect known to man. I even killed a tick that was taking a leisurely stroll across the table. When I eventually lost my shade, it was time to call it a day.
I operated for a little over two hours, which is longer than my attention span usually lasts. (Remember when I said I wasn’t much of a contester?) I ended up with 30 contacts, 28 of which were skeeters. Four of my skeeter contacts were with fellow palindrome skeeters. I also hunted a POTA station I came across in amongst the skeeters on 20M.
My 30 contacts won’t set any records, but it’s my best showing in recent years (or maybe ever). Once again, I have to give a shout out to Larry W2LJ for putting this fun contest together.
72, Craig WB3GCK
WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio 
I’m with you on “attention span”! I really enjoy QRP portable operating, but much more than an hour and I’ve had enough. Two hours for set up, operating, take down, and pack up is about my maximum. Don’t think I’ve ever made 30 contacts in an outing, maybe somewhere in the high 20s though. 73 de KR8L
LikeLike