NA Sprint CW Contest
Call: DJ1YFK
Operator(s): DJ1YFK
Station: DJ1YFK
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: JO32QG
Operating Time (hrs): 3:02
Radios: SO2R
Summary:
Band QSOs Op Time
---------------------
80: 0 2:00
40: 0 1:00
20: 0 0:02
---------------------
Total: 0 Mults = 0 Total Score = 1
Club: Worldwide Young Contesters
Team: KU5B Fanclub
Comments:
(Total score NOT 1 as reported above, but the form didn't let me submit it with
the true score, 0)
After an extremely successful team effort in February 2002 (LY1DS and me, 23rd
place of 24), and another (DL-)record breaking entry in September 2004, it was
time for some serious action.
Radio 1: Elecraft K2, Doublet 2*15m
Radio 2: FT-890/AT, random wire, 6/6/6/6el for 28 MHz
Started the contest on 20m with 2nd radio, just to make sure it was really
closed. Of course it was; the last WAE station I hear there was 2 hours before
the Sprint started. Scanned 40m with the 1st radio, and I actually heard
something. After 5 minutes I identified it as a birdie of my laptop; too bad.
10 minutes into the Sprint and still no QSO? This does not happen every weekend!
But twice THIS weekend, because my undoubtely heroic efforts to win the SOC
marathon sprint, which took place right before the NA Sprint were also nuked by
some X-Flares.
OK, what to do now? My friend C would quit the contest now and go to Pizza Hut,
but everyone knows that you only win contests when you stay in the chair. Don't
give up! In order not to die of boredom, I went to 80m, worked all the european
night owls who were calling endless CQs, went to the SSB portion to listen to
the big guns working WAE (at least they were calling CQ; I observed one major
european M/S station calling CQ on 40m for 20 minutes without a single caller.
After 21 minutes someone called; unfortunately it was a european. On 80m however
they were even working the odd NA station, there is hope!), even checked 20m
regularly for openings (although I knew exactly that there was no opening).
At 0228z, the impossible happened: I hear CW, fast CW, _weak_ fast CW on 3538.
Not identifiable, but it was a sprint exchange. A thunderstorm was approaching,
I could see lightning, but it was still some miles away. Adrenalin! Spin the
VFO, and suddenly I hear a TITANIC signal, W4AU. With an average noise level of
S6, he was at approximately S4. I called him, excited, with shaking fingers, but
knowing well that he couldn't possibly hear me. And he didn't.
Wosh, what a depressing moment this was!
In the following minutes, I scribbled down some notes about stations I heard,
which I will now copy&paste here, uncensored:
0228: CW 3538
0229: w4au s4
0230: "130 john va" 3542
0231: w4au w2rz? 297 bill nj
0232: w4pa, k7sv 3539
0232: w4au clg w4pa, w4au loud X
0233: k7sv .... john nj n2rm X
0233: ve3ej n2rm
0234: k5tr
0234: w4au louder than anyone else
0235: k4bai 180 john ga, loud too
0237: andy ny loud (n2nt maybe?)
0238: n3am 163 john pa
0238: ve3ej X
0240: n3ad
0241: n2nt
0241: n2rm loud
0242: w4au ... john...
0244: n3dxx art
0244: w4au
0245: w2rq loud 228 bill nj
0246: n2rm X
0246: k5gn dave tx, aa3b
0247: n3dxx art de ..
0248: k7sv ... fl wj9b
0249: wj9b .... co? .. w?5??
0249: w2rz
0250: cq aa3b X
0251: w4pa & k5zd (?)
0252: k1dg, n3ad X
0253: wt9u 182 will ...
0253: w3yy 153 bob va
0253: n3ad X
0254: aa3b n2nt (549, pileup) 265 andy nj (bud 529)
0254: k3md wj9b? ... will fl
0256: k1ar weak
0257: n9rv (??)
0258: aa3b
0258: w3yy loud
0259: n2gc 271 andy nj n2nt
0259: 267 pat in n9rv
0300: k1ea, aa3b, n2gc aa3b 215 bud pa
0301: ? n2gc 155? mike ny
0301: w2rq loud
0301: ? wj9b 193 will fl
0302: ad4eb (just audible) n3ad (539), n2nt (549)
When a capital "X" appears in the line, it means that I tried to call the
station mentioned. Of course noone heard me, noone even bothered to send a "?"
or "AGN".
The signals didn't get significantly louder during this time, but the statics
got, and the thunderstorm was now only about a mile away.
After a long struggle (4.5 seconds) with myself, I decided to throw the big
switch and give up. 3 hours in the contest, 0 QSOs. Althought this was already a
full blown SO2R effort, we left some room for future improvement. I'll be
back!
PS: Sorry Colin ;-)
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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