CQWW WPX Contest, CW
Call: NT5C
Operator(s): N3BB
Station: N3BB
Class: SOAB HP
QTH: Austin, TX
Operating Time (hrs): 36
Radios: SO2R
Summary:
Band QSOs
------------
160: 10
80: 84
40: 786
20: 941
15: 448
10: 21
------------
Total: 2281 Prefixes = 690 Total Score = 3,278,190
Club: Central Texas DX and Contest Club
Comments:
Sorry! I just now posted this whole thing as "N3BB." Here's the proper call-sign
used in the WPB...N3BB
The WPX is one of my favorite contests since it includes a maximum operating
time of 36 hours and thus some strategy is required.
If possible I like to start with a solid JA run on 15 meters, and then switch
to 20 meters for EU and then 40 for EU. It is really really difficult to run
EU
on 40 meters here even with the best antennas and it is interesting
(frustrating) to hear the east coast run them like they are locals. For us it
is almost impossible except at EU sunrise when the signal enhancement bounce
helps. From here in central Texas the off-time plans usually are based on
taking the time between the EU and JA runs on 40 meters. The last EUs runs are
workable between 03Z and 04Z, which is before ten PM here, so obviously the Ws
still are up and active then. We can work EU on 40 two or three hours after
their sunrise, but the rates are not high. If we get a polar opening on 20
meters then that is the single best opening we ever get in the summer
conditions to EU but at the bottom of the sunspot cycle that opening does not
happen, so I worked the Ws until the rate dropped as only the hard core stayed
up. Since the JA sunset is about 10Z, and we can start working them (running
them) on 40 meters at 09Z, I took off from 0630Z until 0930Z as sleep time.
I struggled to waken and started CQing, and the first four QSOs on 40 meters
were with VK4, E51, JA9, and a 3D2, so the band was open to the Pacific. With
EU and JA et al being six pointers, a key element of this contest is
maximizing
these sixers. The 40 meter JA/Pacific run continued until 12Z, but the JAs
become fewer and fewer and the Ws become more and more until 40 meters was
procucing one point per QSO and it was time to look for EU on 20 meters and
get
the prefix trove as well as three points per contact. We hope that 15 meters
will open to EU as there is less noise and QRM than on 20 meters, and the
rates
are better, but Saturday that did not happen. So Saturday was a slog to EU and
the US on 20 meters and a very difficult day. After the absorption on 20
meters
to EU becomes almost total, then it's Ws on 20 and 15 and good prefixes but
one
point per QSO. So I took my second break from around 1715Z until around 1945Z,
to get at least one good ninety minute REM sleep cycle. I wakened to find 20
meters reviving a little to EU, but things still pretty sloggy.
My hope was for a JA opening on 15 meters at late afternoon but we got skunked
again, nada. So much for that. The first day was almost as bad as it gets,
with
no JAs on 15, no over the pole opening on 20, and no EU run on 15 meters.
Somehow I ended up day one with 1,360 contacts and was amazed! Only the JAs on
40 meters had been pretty good. (Note for the northeast USA readers, does this
sound like we are in a different contest? The answer is YES!) The good news
for
us was that no storms had approached, which is terrific. As K5NA noted in his
comments, the radar showed strong storms coming north from the Gulf of Mexico
and splitting into two large masses, one to our west and one to our east. That
was a huge break so far, but it was not to last for me.
At 0230Z, a storm approached. So much for the "break." Fortunately it caused
rain static only from 0230 to 0245, so I lost only a bit of rate. There was no
lightning. EU seemed a little better on 40 meters than day one, with a nice
little burst of contacts between 0330 and 0400Z. Then it was "that" for the
bulk of EU and I slogged on using 40 meters through the W one-pointers and
some
EU stations who were coming in until 0630Z (three or four hours after their
sunrise!) until the rate pooped out and so I took another sleep break from
0600Z until 0920Z, when I struggled to waken and meet my good JA buddies for
our second go. The JAs were there, but there were fewer to work after a good
first day. Then another storm came over from 11Z to 12Z and that caused severe
rain static again and lower rates. By this time I had used almost nine hours
of
off-time and had planned for only one remaining slot in the mid afternoon when
twenty meters got draggy. It was the same ole' same ole' slogging through 20
meters with a few EU and mostly Ws when at 14Z I noticed that 15 meters seemed
to be opening and Heavens to Betsy, the good old band opened to EU! There were
not great big openings to EU but combined with good W rates, it was refreshing
and much better that slogging on 20 meters with most stations already having
been worked there. So it was off to some form of the races on 15 meters, until
18Z when the band faded, and I took off my last break from from 1820Z until
2050Z. I took a shower and managed a 30 minute very deep sleep in that time
and
was ready to hit it hard the rest of the way. I kept at it along with plenty
of
hard core SO2R on 20 meters. At 2030 another storm approached and there was
rain static again for almost thirty minutes with an effect on the rates. At
2130Z I switched SO2Ring to 20 and 10 meters and enjoyed a little opening on
10
meters, although others must have discovered the ten meter band open before I
did and got an advantage. I felt pretty good then, and was ready to grind it
out on 20 meters the last two hours with SO2Ring on 15 and 10 and then on 40
at
the end. But disaster struck for me as a major storm cell developed right over
me (as seen on the radar loop on TV after the contest ended), and a bad rain
static enveloped all the antennas. I could hear only on 10 meters as that
tower
is nestled between the higher ones for 15 and 20 meters, and also I was not
able
to listen only on the lower antennas of these stacks. So, I ended up with two
hours of twenty two QSOs per hour, or forty four total contacts the last two
hours. That certainly was not the way I had hoped to end the contest, but it
was the way it ended.
It was a close race here with K5NA but he did better on ten meters and racked
up an impressive JA total on 80 meters-great sixers there. He had two pretty
good last hours on 20 meters and pulled away to a nice margin with that.
Congratulations to Richard, and to all the terrific efforts across the board.
Thanks to John, NT5C, for allowing me to use his call again this year. With
several serious WPX contests now as "John," I probably have made more CW
contacts with NT5C than John, the renowned SSB DXer, has! Thanks again, John.
Below is my rate sheet FYI.
Jim N3BB
NT5C rate 2007 WPX CW
HOUR 160CW 80CW 40CW 20CW 15CW 10CW TOTAL ACCUM
---- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ----- -----
0 0 0 0 117 9 0 126 126
1 0 0 22 64 10 0 96 222
2 0 0 11 105 0 0 116 338
3 0 0 72 14 0 0 86 424
4 0 8 62 1 0 0 71 495
5 0 13 72 0 0 0 85 580
6 0 12 26 0 0 0 38 618
7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 618
8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 618
9 0 2 59 0 0 0 61 679
10 0 5 57 0 0 0 62 741
11 0 6 85 0 0 0 91 832
12 0 0 37 36 0 0 73 905
13 0 0 9 17 14 0 40 945
14 0 0 0 7 23 0 30 975
15 0 0 0 80 9 0 89 1064
16 0 0 0 73 15 0 88 1152
17 0 0 0 6 7 0 13 1165
18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1165
19 0 0 0 15 6 0 21 1186
20 0 0 0 10 2 0 12 1198
21 0 0 0 42 8 0 50 1248
22 0 0 0 58 3 0 61 1309
23 0 0 0 48 3 0 51 1360
0 0 0 0 37 17 1 55 1415
1 0 0 30 9 0 5 44 1459
2 0 0 41 0 0 0 41 1500
3 0 0 45 3 0 0 48 1548
4 0 0 50 14 0 0 64 1612
5 0 0 27 13 0 0 40 1652
6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1652
7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1652
8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1652
9 0 19 10 0 0 0 29 1681
10 1 16 20 0 0 0 37 1718
11 0 3 33 0 0 0 36 1754
12 0 0 17 9 1 0 27 1781
13 0 0 0 62 3 0 65 1846
14 0 0 0 6 72 0 78 1924
15 0 0 0 9 68 0 77 2001
16 0 0 0 11 60 2 73 2074
17 0 0 0 11 47 0 58 2132
18 0 0 0 5 35 0 40 2172
19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2172
20 0 0 0 9 21 0 30 2202
21 0 0 0 14 10 11 35 2237
22 0 0 1 16 5 0 22 2259
23 0 0 0 20 0 2 22 2281
TOTAL 1 84 786 941 448 21
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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