2020 SoapBox Comments

(2021 Comments coming soon)

DL4JLM:   Bad conditions. OK for one FT8 contact

JH7UJU:  FT817ND, 5 Watts, Yagi

K1GQ:  Skookumlogger, K3S,KPA1500, OB40-2, 2XA-3B-12, wires

K2DFC:  Always enjoy the HI QP. See you next year.

K3TW:  Many thanks for another very enjoyable Hawaii QSO Party. It’s always great to hear Hawaii on the bands. Greetings from warm and sunny Florida. Aloha and mahalo!

K6GHA:  I just couldn’t miss getting at least a few Q’s into my favorite QSO party. This is the first year in 10 that I haven’t been able to do a full time effort in the HIQP.  This last week, the California wildfires have taken a devastating toll on the local hams of Santa Cruz county. Over 10 have lost their homes, stations, and most of their belongings. Some of us are still in the path of the uncontrolled destruction, and are awaiting a second lightening storm starting tomorrow morning. Currently I am within a mile of the evacuation zone, and awaiting the notification to evacuate. I ma not have to, but I am grateful for enough notice to at least take most of my station from Santa Cruz, and hope we will be back strong for the CQP.

K8TE:  The usual suspects showed up and handed out plenty of contacts — Thank-you. We sharks (State QSO party challenge participants) were circling around hoping to make at least two contacts. Hearing a whisper here in NM. I only worked 50% more stations on 20M CW than 40M. Let’s hope 2021 brings much better propagation. 73, Bill, K8TE

KA0PQW:  Fun contest. Thanks for having it.  73 Matt KA0PQW

KA3UNQ:  Another year of poor propagation, the west coast wall and COVID keeping a lot of statins off the air. I did manage to work all that I heard so that’s my silver lining I guess. Mahalo to all who took part.

KD5ILA:  Thanks for the QSO party. Worked everyone I heard.

KD8DEU:  Managed a few after our 50th wedding anniversary.

KE0TT:  K3/10 running at 5 watts to an 88′ dipole up 45′ fed with window line and a vintage matchbox tuner. Thanks for your copy of my QRP !! Condx were rough with logs of QSB, but am grateful for the 9 Q’s. C U next time.  73, Dan

KE2D:  As usual I had limited time and propagation between HI and NJ is a relatively limited window. Hope I helped give out NJ to a very few stations. The attempt to include FT8 was interesting but it doesn’t mesh well. I saw a few stations on 20M late Sunday but only one including his island in the CQ. 2 or 3 others just calling CQ with grid square. I wish there was a better way to make this work. I had a couple try to contact me: I’d say “1D SNJ” and they’d say [XX DB], etc. I just gave up and went back to CW.

KE3O:  First time playing in the Hawaii QSO Party. Rough going competing with QRM, QRN, and transmitting at low power from the mainland east coast. Still, lots of fun though.

KJ9C:  So So effort, better than nuthin

KK4BZ:  Antenna = 3 element tri-bander beam, equipment = Flex6400. Thanks for the fun!

KX4KU:  Pretty much a check log. Operating time was limited as well as thunderstorms. But I had fun trying. Next year maybe conditions will be more favorable and time not tight. Thank you.  73

N2EM:  Very disappointing. I worked every Hawaiian station I heard, but it seemed that very few Hawaiian stations were on, and few of them ever changed bands or modes. I expected to work KH6 on 160, but only one station even went down as far as 80 meters. Nighttime operation was a waste of time, and daytime wasn’t much better. I did not work digital, but it is hard to imagine that there were many stations on digital modes, either.  (Note from KH6TU:  I only made 2 QSOs on 160 and 6 on 80. Conditions were poor but I did make 577 digital QSOs too.)

N7JEH:  Great conditions and then boom, radio silence

N7VS:  Thank you for sponsoring another interesting contest. Sorry I couldn’t  5 watts and a wire antenna. Rig: Elecraft KX3  5 watts output. Antenna: Radioworks

NS2N:  Need better procedure for FT-8 contacts. Only one station seemed to be using the FD protocol.

SM5CSS:  Elecraft K3 100W to KT34XA 20M up in the tower. I also heard KH6JC at 1821Z around 14035 but I couldn’t work him. No other KH6 stations heard.

VA3RKM:  K3, vertical. Weak signals, but fun nonetheless!

VA7FC:  Where was everybody?

VE3VHB:  Didn’t know what to expect, but very disappointing lack of HI stations. Will not bother again.

W0YJT:  I stayed up late for 40M

W1QI:  Thank you for sponsoring the QSO party.

W7DRA:  40 rig; SX 71 with an ARC5 VFO and Globe Chief 90, ground plane. 80M Heath HW16 with three parallel 810 tubes at 450 watts ant wire in a tree.

W8KNO:  Played in the OPQ on Saturday and heard no HI coming through the din. I’m glad I worked anyone!

WQ6X:  This was another WQ6X last-minute remote operation from NX6T in Fallbrook. The propagation to Hawaii from W6 was excellent, leaving me to wonder why there was such poor turnout from KH6-land. Of course I raise this issue every year. In past HQP events I have taken awards for CW only. This year there is no distinction to modes; it’s all SOAB. Bummer DEWD.  Read all about this gig from the WQ6X perspective:  http://wq6x.blogspot.com