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[3830] SS SB VE4GV Single Op LP

To: <3830@contesting.com>
Subject: [3830] SS SB VE4GV Single Op LP
From: rkaufman@shaw.ca (Rob Kaufmann)
Date: Mon, 18 Nov 2002 07:20:41 +0000
                        ARRL SWEEPSTAKES -- 2002


      Call:      VE4GV
      Category:  Single Operator
      Power:     Low Power
      Band:      All Band
      Mode:      SSB
      Section:   MB

      BAND     QSO    QSO PTS   SECTIONS


      160        0        0        -
       80        6       12        -
       40      423      846        -
       20      723     1446        -
       15      129      258        -
       10      416      832        -
     -----------------------------------

     Totals   1697     3394       80

               Score:  271,520


Power Output: 150 watts     Hours of operation: 24

Equipment Description:
FT1000D, IC 735, DX Doubler SO2R Box
KT34XA@ 66 ft , 40-2CD@72 ft, Inv. Vee for 80 m
DVK, CT, Preparation H

Soapbox:
With dreams of the elusive 2K QSO LP effort also comes the cold reality of
decreasing sunspot cycle and its effects on VE4 propagation.  This year I
thought I was ready.  My first (semi) serious effort at SO2R LP.  I
meticulously studied my 2000 effort (1900 + q's)for a hint. What did I
learn?  I needed a solid first 8-9 hours of 100+ qs/hr if I hoped to come
close. Hit the hay with 1100 q's and then try again sunday.  Last year was a
shambles because of me attending the local pro football playoffs. (They
played again this weekend in the semi final (away) and lost, so  I'm glad I
was in SS instead of watching on TV.)

First hour was typical 10 M - 152 hour. Unreal- best EVER rate. BUT This
year I would NOT be burned by trying to go to 15 m right away.  (It killed
my 2nd hour last year. Interesting that Bill WB0O did so well on 15, being
so close to me.) I chose to boot 15 and go directly to 20 where stations are
plentiful and less spread out. Looks like 10 m just never took off the way I
hoped and I never found a good spot on 20 at hours 2 and 3. A few 2nd radio
qs. This is what happened:

BREAKDOWN QSO/mults  VE4GV  ARRL SWEEPSTAKES  Single Operator

HOUR      160      80       40       20       15       10    HR TOT  CUM TOT

  21    .....    .....    .....    .....    .....   152/35   152/35  152/35
  22      .        .        .      93/19      .      14/2    107/21  259/56
  23      .        .        .      68/3     33/2       .     101/5   360/61
   0      .        .        .     142/6      3/0       .     145/6   505/67
   1      .        .        .     105/2      5/1       .     110/3   615/70
   2      .        .      14/1     34/0      2/1       .      50/2   665/72
   3      .        .     110/2       .        .        .     110/2   775/74
   4      .       3/1     70/0       .        .        .      73/1   848/75
   5    .....     2/0     69/0     .....    .....    .....    71/0   919/75
   6      .       1/1     25/1       .        .        .      26/2   945/77
   7      .        .        .        .        .        .        .    945/77
   8      .        .        .        .        .        .        .    945/77
   9      .        .        .        .        .        .        .    945/77
  10      .        .        .        .        .        .        .    945/77
  11      .        .        .        .        .        .        .    945/77
  12      .        .      25/0       .        .        .      25/0   970/77
  13    .....    .....    62/0     10/0     .....    .....    72/0  1042/77
  14      .        .        .      62/0      7/1       .      69/1  1111/78
  15      .        .       2/0      7/0     13/0     30/0     52/0  1163/78
  16      .        .        .       2/0      1/0     79/0     82/0  1245/78
  17      .        .        .       3/0      1/0     76/1     80/1  1325/79
  18      .        .        .      62/0     10/0      1/0     73/0  1398/79
  19      .        .        .      36/0      2/0     19/0     57/0  1455/79
  20      .        .        .      25/0      6/0     15/0     46/0  1501/79
  21    .....    .....    .....    .....    32/0      7/1     39/1  1540/80
  22      .        .       1/0      1/0      7/0     23/0     32/0  1572/80
  23      .        .       2/0     27/0      4/0       .      33/0  1605/80
   0      .        .       7/0     24/0      2/0       .      33/0  1638/80
   1      .        .       2/0     21/0      1/0       .      24/0  1662/80
   2      .        .      34/0      1/0       .        .      35/0  1697/80
DAY1      .       6/2    377/4    649/30    83/5    386/38      .   1501/79
DAY2      .        .      46/0     74/0     46/0     30/1       .    196/1
TOT     .....     6/2    423/4    723/30   129/5    416/39    ..... 1697/80
BREAKDOWN in mins/QSO's per hr  VE4GV  ARRL SWEEPSTAKES  Single Operator

HOUR    160      80       40       20       15       10    HR TOT   CUM TOT

  21   .....    .....    .....    .....    .....    60/152   60/152   60/152
  22     .        .        .      50/111     .      10/86    60/107  120/129
  23     .        .        .      39/105   21/94      .      60/101  180/120
   0     .        .        .      57/149    3/64      .      60/145  240/126
   1     .        .        .      57/111    5/66      .      61/108  302/122
   2     .        .      10/84    34/60     3/36      .      48/63   349/114
   3     .        .      60/110     .        .        .      60/110  409/114
   4     .       6/31    55/76      .        .        .      61/72   471/108
   5   .....     7/18    52/79    .....    .....    .....    59/72   530/104
   6     .        .      35/43      .        .        .      35/44   565/100
   7     .        .        .        .        .        .        .     565/100
   8     .        .        .        .        .        .        .     565/100
   9     .        .        .        .        .        .        .     565/100
  10     .        .        .        .        .        .        .     565/100
  11     .        .        .        .        .        .        .     565/100
  12     .        .      29/52      .        .        .      29/52   594/98
  13   .....    .....    48/77    13/45    .....    .....    62/70   655/95
  14     .        .        .      50/75     9/45      .      59/70   714/93
  15     .        .       3/48    10/40    10/75    38/48    61/51   775/90
  16     .        .        .       2/69     1/45    55/86    58/84   834/90
  17     .        .        .       4/50     1/88    56/81    61/79   894/89
  18     .        .        .      49/76    10/63     1/40    60/73   954/88

I went to 20 early hoping for the amazing 9 hr 10m/20m 135,117,150,137 118
101,103 115 102 run I had in 2000.  As you can see, hrs  3 (101), 6(50),
8(73) and 9 (71) effectively killed off any hopes of coming close.  By the
end of the evening I was just hoping to hit 1700 qs total at the end of SS.
In 2000 I finished with a 40 M flourish ( final 2 hrs 69, 63).  This year it
was like doing root canal (which as a specialist I do for a living, so I
should know)on 40 and 20M ...in other words...hard work. 24q hr! (ugh) At
46, I feel like I aged a couple of years after this year's SS.  Can't
imagine what it's like doing the LP SS thing at 60 years of age!

If that wasn't enough, I caught VA7RR at the 1600 q mark and he was about a
half a dozen ahead of me. Well, that immediately banished thoughts of
quitting early.  He probably will win LP with that score (unless he ran out
of time and finished early). My closing numbers just didn't cut it.   If so,
congrats, he deserved it.

One more thing:
Did any one else notice participation waaay down? I've been doing SS from
this QTH for almost 15 years and I can't remember when it felt like there
was literally NO ONE to work after 2100 UTC sunday. (and that was with 2
radios!!) I mean, we have the Sunday afternoon blahs too, but this Sunday
was brutal.   Maybe we're just spoiled up here with the VE4 prefix but that
sh*t is NOT fun.

I was thinking of something new for SS. - Limiting the number of CQs you can
send!! Hook up the CQ counter to the DVK and give all of us just a limited
number of CQ's that we can send in the ENTIRE contest. (I think mine said
2700-and that doesn't count the ones I did live !)  Once you use em up... NO
MORE! You MUST S&P.  That would solve the Sunday afternoon "lunch/bathroom
break/NFL update/SS interruption problem. To keep a freq., it seems like we
set the DVK on rpt for 10 mins and then come back once we're done.  That
kind of frequency squatting doesn't help rates or congestion on Sunday.    I
know...not practical.

Look for me in the ARRL 10 M test.

Rob Kaufmann  VE4GV
rkaufman@shaw.ca


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