Sorry for being a bit late--was out of town for a week following the
contest, and had a lot of stuff waiting at home.
NI6T, SO/HP, from the K6VX QTH in Macdoel, Siskiyou County
MODE QSO QSO PTS MULTS
CW 807 2421
SSB 645 1290
-------------------------------------
Totals 1452 3711 58 = 215,238
Comments
101 fewer QSO's than last year, but 114 more CW Q's, which did not quite
make up for the QSO shortfall. Score last year was over 220K, so my
County Record stands.
Ray's shack was torn up this year, so I brought my own gear--a bit less
power, for starters. Ray's 4-el quad was broken, so I used a backup
TH6--so a few less dB on 20 (and 15, for whatever that was worth). No
160 this year, probably lost 30-50 Q's. 80 was great, but I was again
frustrated with 40. Here I was using Ray's full-size 3 el at 160 ft, but
the rotator was in the main shack, about 100 yds from the aux shack I
was using this year. I went to 40 at about 0020Z and got a big rate, but
the band died suddently after 2 and a half hours---dunno if everyone got
tired of the QRM and went to 80 or went to bed. So I did not get quite
the bump I thought I would get.
There were some GREAT QSO totals among single-ops like AB6FO and KG6LF.
If Jerry ever figures out CW, he will be dangerous, as Ken already is.
I think AB6FO's ever-increasing scores point out a fact about
CQP--2-radio operation is really an advantage in this contest, at least
at this part of the cycle. One spends a lot of time struggling to
maintain a rate after the "good" times are over, and being able to cover
two bands efficiently is just murderous. I think ALL the people on 15m
on Sunday were also on 20 at the same time---except me.
I think lattitude and longitude are also factors. I dunno what KG6LF
thinks--he flattened 20m SSB from Shasta--but in the three years I have
operated from far-north Siskiyou, from a generally well-equipped
station, I have come to believe from listening to the competition from
Southern Cal--often outside the skip zone and therefore audible--that
the openings are definitely longer down there, being almost 800 miles
south and 150 miles east. Siskiyou is almost in Oregon!
This is a great contest, and I am glad that K6VX relented ("I hate to
see a grown man cry") and let me come up, despite having his place torn
up. Look out next year--Ray is presently constructing 80 and 160 m
four-squares, the quad will be fixed, and there may be a few fixed
monobanders, as well. Without two radios, and being in the Klondike, I
am sure I can't beat Widelitz, but the County record will fall!
--
Garry Shapiro, NI6T
Editor, The DXer
newsletter of the Northern California DX Club
--
FAQ on WWW: http://www.contesting.com/3830faq.html
Submissions: 3830@contesting.com
Administrative requests: 3830-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems: owner-3830@contesting.com
Sponsored by: Akorn Access, Inc & KM9P
|