Texas QSO Party Returns For 2008 With Some Ops Sidelined By Hurricane Ike Damage

By Jamie Dupree NS3T  radio-sport.net 
Posted September 22, 2008

While the damage from Hurricane Ike is by no means going to short circuit the 2008 Texas QSO Party, organizers say they expect that the aftermath of the storm may mean some counties won't be activated this year in the Lone Star State.

"I think we'll be at least 30 counties shy of activating all 254," says TXQP chief Chuck Sanders NO5W, who told radio-sport.net that damage from Ike is "extensive in the southeastern part of the state."

"The most affected counties appear to be Orange, Jefferson, Chambers, Galveston, Brazoria and Harris," said Sanders, who lost power for several days at his home QTH.

"Many others in the area have been severely affected to the extent that there will likely be no activity from those counties," Sanders added.

But don't let that stop you from operating the TXQP, as there will certainly be enough activity from the rest of the state to keep the bands active, especially in the mobile ranks.

"I look at the TQP as a small vacation each year," says Matt Stouffer KE5MS, who will again be operating mobile with Dan Richards N5BE.

"We usually go down to Matagorda and have a guided fishing trip on Friday and then TQP on Saturday and Sunday," said Stouffer.

"Danny and I split the fuel cost so that will not be a factor," said Stouffer.

Also rumbling along the roads will be the K5NA multi-mobile team, which won that category in 2007.

"We push hard, take very short breaks and get a lot of pleasure from doing the weekend together," said Richard King K5NA.

"The route this year will be up to the lower Texas Panhandle and back to Austin. We will cover 650 miles the first day and 390 miles the second," King told radio-sport.net.

King's wife Susan K5DU is the "driver, navigator and operator on 2m and 440 MHz FM."

K5NA says he operates "from the front passenger seat mainly on 15m, with 10m or 80m available."

"Larry K5OT is the 40m operator and rides in the center set of seats behind the driver," said King. "Gary W5ZL operates on 20m from the third row of seats on the passenger side."

"We use as many filters and coax stubs as we can squeeze inside the car to help with station interaction," said King.

"There is so much stuff, we have to pack very small overnight bags for our one hotel night on the road. There just isn't any room in the car for more stuff."

Make sure you are listening closely if he you hear "NA" during the weekend, because a number of them will be on the air, running mobile.

"That'll be Alan N5NA riding herd over several west Texas counties while the Driving Burrito Brothers (K5NA, W5ZL, and K5OT) and Little Sister K5DU operating K5NA will be in some of the same territory," said organizer Sanders NO5W.

"I'm hoping that we can activate about 220 counties this year when we add the fixed stations," said Sanders. "Considering the circumstances (with Ike) that will be good.

"Last year we managed to activate 245 of the 254."