06/22/2006 | K1DS/R AND N1XKT/R After installing the new 350W amp for 2m, 100W amp for 1296 and the 8W amp for 10G in the rover, we set out to cover 7 grids on 12 bands. Of course the 6m Es was an attraction, but we tried to keep a relatively fixed travel schedule, considering traffic on the weekend roads, including the Pocono 500 race on Sunday that would clog Rte 80 in PA. Spent the first few hrs in FN21, then hopped over to FN20 at Allamuchy in NJ and met up with WA3GFZ and NR6CA. The wind was ferocious and it was hard to get the dishes set up and keep them from rocking, but managed to make QSOs thru 10G. Headed to Seabright, NJ in FN30, to our favorite spot down the end of Island View Way, where as anticipated, the local police showed up within 5 minutes of our arrival, reminding us not to block the fire rescue zone at the dead end of the street. The local residents have also gotten to know us with our semiannual trips there, and we chatted with them as they joked, "we watch what we say on our cell phones when you come here.." and "do you have Jack Bauer(from the TV show '24') in there?" . Heading north on the Garden State Parkway, we cross over into NY and head east on the New England Thruway to a new spot in FN31 near the Sikorsky Airport in Stratford, which turns out to be a great rover location. Not only is it coastal, but it was easy on & off the highway, and there was no-one there to interrupt radio operations with explanations. Well, at midnight, we didn't really expect visitors, except for a few "submarine race watchers." The full moon and the clear ocean view was a great visual. Zee'd out in Milford and in the AM we headed to Watch Hill, RI for FN41. The airways were certainly quieter as we got further east, and we decided to skip FN51, as the drive was a stretch, and conditons were marginal on the microwaves. Headed north to FN42 atop Mt Wachusset, encountering other rovers up there, and as usual KA1OP, who was manning his microwave dishes on 10-24-47GHz. Finished off in FN32 at a rest stop along the Mass Pike in Ludlow, but things were really quiet from there. It wasn't until we were back toward Bridgeport, CT that things picked up on 2m, and then had continual QSOs on the lower 4 while in motion all the way back to home through the end of the contest. Covered almost 900 miles, and everything worked well. Best thing we fixed while on the road was a squeaking noise that the shelf of our operating desk was making due to loose screws. Once the undersized screws were replaced the van was once again a nice quiet environment. Looking forward to the rest of the season's contesting. Rick-K1DS & Leon-N1XKT father & son rovers. -- K1DS