[600MRG] WH2XGP / W7IUV change over plans

[Larry Molitor]

The authorization to operate as W7IUV comes at a very busy time for me. The plan was to begin amateur operation promptly at 0001z, 16OCT17, Sunday evening. However family commitments will likely delay that. I will be on as soon as I can manage and continue until there is no more detectable activity.
137 kHz: I have the capability to transmit on 137 but it requires a day or so to change over from 475 operation. For that reason, it is unlikely that I will be on that band until some time in the future.
475kHz: WH2XGP will probably shut down sometime Saturday to begin the change over. Due to the other commitments I have this weekend this make take some time and I want to ready when the start bell rings.
Operation as W7IUV will start off with CW and JT9. I will alternate back and forth as activity and conditions dictate. I will not consider any other modes, especially NOT FT8.
I will strictly adhere to contest style exchanges. IE calls, report, and 73. I am not interested in any other data. Please do not try to be cute and use free text on JT9. Free text is around 6 dB less sensitive than the canned messages and it invariably causes missed exchanges.
Being old and decrepit, I won't be able to run all night. I hope to stay awake long enough to work most of the active guys. I will try very hard to drag my butt out of bed at 3AM local time to work eastward at their sunrise and VK at their sunset. 
I will likely maintain this style of operating for several days or until there is no more "new" stations to work.
QSL's: My logs are all kept with paper and pencil just as they have been for the last 60 years. I don't use LOTW or eQSL or any other modern crap, so don't ask. If you want a paper QSL, send a SASE. No SASE, no QSL.
I will monitor the ON4KST chat.  Since I cannot monitor other modes when running CW, ping me on the logger if you need me to look for you on JT9. Also, if you cannot operate CW on the frequency I'm using, ping me to move down to where you are. I can move around the entire band. After the first day or two, I will consider schedules for the difficult paths, but please keep it realistic. If I have never heard you and you have never heard me, it's a complete waste of time and energy to run a schedule.
My WH2XGP grant is still good for 8 months or so. Since there is no practical difference between the power I managed to run as WH2XGP and the part 97 power limit, there is little point in using that call. If I can figure out some way to significantly increase my ERP, I may entertain some kind of beacon activity under that call later on.
AS WH2XGP, I ran a WSPR beacon petty much 24/7. This was intended to increase band activity and allow other potential ops the chance to work on their RX and TX during the daylight hours. It was always disappointing to see no one else doing this. After the initial surge, I will probably go back to running a WSPR beacon as W7IUV during the times when I am not in attendance. Since the FCC graciously allowed us "automatic operation" on these new bands, I believe we should take advantage of that and maintain a presence as much as possible.
Hope to see all of you in my log in the next few days!!
73, Larry - W7IUV / WH2XGP