2017SalmonRun

Results

Ten to make nine! As we sat on the Pend Orelle - Spokane County line with 10 minutes left in the Salmon Run, Jay had ten minutes to make nine Qs to reach 600 QSOs. We had started in Whitman County with me at the key on 20 m. After three hours which added Asotin, Garfield, and Columbia Counties we had a dismal 50 Qs compared to 70 Qs in 2015, the last time Jay and I did the Salmon Run. Twenty meters wasn't going well and we had nothing on 40. Jay took over for the next four hours and ran the QSO count up to 194. The "regulars", AE5GT, K2SSS, and K9CW plus a few more, were catching us in every county. We ended Saturday operating in the dark from the Grant - Lincoln County line on a dirt road with very few lights visible for about a far as you could see. Eighty meters was good to us from there.

Sunday morning saw good runs in Lincoln, 92 Qs, where we entered twice in order to catch Adams County, and Ferry County with 49 Qs. As we left Stevens County with about an hour left in the contest, I told Jay who was at the key, we would be hard pressed to make 600 Qs. A short stop at the Stevens - Spokane County line moved us closer to 600 Qs. We arrived at the Pend Orelle - Spokane County line with 20 minutes needing about 30 more Qs. Several regulars caught us on 20 and a quick look at 40 gathered four more Qs. Finally, at ten minutes left we needed nine Qs, ten to make nine. Sitting on a county line makes for two Qs if you haven't already worked that station in one of the two counties. A Q from a station we had worked in Spokane County made it nine to make nine.  At five minutes left it was five to make six. Possible, but Jay would have to gather them in quickly. A flurry of activity and it was four to make two. With two minutes left, Jay got a double to make the QSO count 601 so I changed the goal to 605 or two to make four. Jay came close to the revised goal with 604 Qs and 52 mults plus the W7DX bonus for 95,224 points. Conditions were tough, our QSO count was up from 2015, and our final score was down, but we had a great time.

Regulars with ten or more band-counties were AE5GT (19), K2SSS (18), K9CW (17), KI0I (16), WA6KHK (15), N7IR (15), W5TM (13), K5CM (11), and N8II (10). No one got us in all 20 of the counties we activated. There was only one DX, JA1YNE, who caught us just as we entered the mountains of Kitittas County. Thanks to all who worked us, tried to work us, and a specially big Thank You to the regulars!

Our best counties were Lincoln (92), Ferry (40), Douglas (45), Yakima (37), and Benton (35). The worst ones were Asotin (6) and Whitman (11).

Summary:

Band    Qs    Mults

80         44     6

40        101     5

20        457    40

15           2      1

Total    604    52 for 94,724 plus W7DX bonus for 95,224 points

Pictures and Comments

Saturday afternoon we sat on the Columbia - Walla Walla line for ten minutes and gathered four pairs of Qs.

Jay operates from the Columbia - Walla Walla line using a LT4004u netbook, N1MM+, and an Icom 706MKIIG at 100 watts to a Hustler antenna.

Now it is mid-afternoon Saturday and we're on the Benton - Klickatat County line which gave us seven pairs of Qs.  That is a vinyard over the top of the truck and wheat fields to the right of the truck.

This is on a side road off Blewett Pass at the Kitittas - Chelan County line.  Mountain country that yielded 5 pairs of Qs from this stop.

Now it is Sunday morning and Randy starts the day on the Okanogan - Ferry County line.  The 30 minute stop was good for 16 pairs of Qs, all of them worth two Qs each.

This was a Lincoln - Adams County line operation. Here Randy gathered 17 pairs of Qs. Wheat fields to the right, wheat fields to the left, wheat fields in front, and, yup, wheat fields to the rear.