Thoroughly convinced I could better my score from 2007, and since I had found a very comfortable spot last year, I set out to model and then configure my Buddipole antenna into a vertical ground plane for 20 meters.  I tried it out at home, and it played much better than the off-center fed horizontal configuration I used last year.  I built a mast extension in two pieces out of 3/4" copper pipe and fittings, and the ropes connected to the radials became my guys.  The plan was to use my K2 with the QRP cover, my Elecraft WM1 wattmeter in its W8FGU enclosure, a solar charged 12 Ah gel cell, and a Bencher paddle.  My hearing is really shot from SE Asia duty many years ago, so I would take the little Radio Shack headphone amplifier too.

Then, I got a call from Vern, W6MMA, of Superantennas.com who deseribed his YP-3 portable 3-el portable beam and suggested that he bring it up for me to try out.  This sounded great, so I modified my plan but still took the Buddiepole.  We met at Overlook Park in Auburn CA (same place I was last year).  Vern is on the left in the photo on the main FOBB page.  I'm a little mobility challenged, so biking or hiking to the site was not an option, and neither was paddling since the American River is about 1,000 feet below the site.  So to do our best to maintain the spirt of the FOBB, we parked and then lugged our gear over to the picnic table.

Vern's antenna went up in about 20 minutes.  He has a base for it that he drives the front wheel of his car onto to anchor it.  The mast telescopes to 21 feet.  Setting up the gear was easy, but Murphy was watching.  Turning on the K2, the Tx worked just fine, but the Rx was totally dead to signals on the antenna connector, and was internally generating a bunch of noise.  Couldn't find the problem, so we went to Plan B ... my KX1.  With the 12 V supply I got about 4 watts out of it on 20 meters.  The photo is the operating position about half way through the contest.