California QSO Party
Call: K6GEP
Operator(s): K6GEP
Station: K6GEP
Class: SOFixed LP
QTH: Orange County
Operating Time (hrs): 16.5
Summary:
Band CW Qs Ph Qs
--------------------
160: 8
80: 69 54
40: 49 29
20: 104 86
15: 26 19
10:
6:
2:
--------------------
Total: 256 188 Mults = 50 Total Score = 57,200
Club: Orange County ARC
Comments:
I am lucky to have a few Elmers who give me advice on contesting, but
ultimately, I am my own coach. That "inner coach" is screaming at me for a
poor performance this weekend. He says I should have done much better.
My stretch goal was to make 700 Q's. 600 was the absolute minimum goal. With
439 Q's in my first effort last year, those goals seemed reasonable,
considering
my added experience and antenna improvements over the last year.
I finished with 444 Q's, and had only 5 additional Q's to show for 2 extra
hours
on the air. My score was about 2000 points less than last year.
I compared my scores to people I consider in "my league", and they did much
better than I did. Congrats to W6ZL, KQ6ES and K6DEX for some fine scores.
Analysis of my defeat:
I spent too much time on 80 meters because that was my best antenna. But,
I cannibalized my score on 40 meters in doing so. Combining my 40 and 80
totals from last year, I made no improvement, I merely shifted Qs from 40 to
80.
It seemed like the activity was over on 40 at 0300z. I think I need to switch
from 20 to 40 much earlier.
I should have done a higher ratio of CW Q's to Phone Q's. This year it was
1.36 : 1 CW to Phone. Last year it was 1.76 : 1 . That made a huge
difference
in the score.
I am not sure why I could only work 2 out of the 6 1-land states. Having my
dipole beam pointed due East on 20 had something to do with it of course, but
that should not have been a problem on 15, 40 and 80.
The 40 MPH Santa Ana winds early this morning were a factor, but is too easy
to make them into a scapegoat.
I really couldn't get any runs going until about the last 3 hours of the
contest. Last year I had many more runs earlier. Besides the hidden
transmitter effect, I really don't know what this problem was.
My CW was extremely rusty. I hadn't contested in CW since July, so it took
me a few hours to start copying those numbers well. Note for next year:
Practice with Morse Runner the week before.
I also shouldn't have given up the first 2 hours of the contest to do
something else. I really need to put more time in on it. Bum In Chair as
that one dude says.
--------------------------------
Thanks to the NCCC for sponsoring this wonderful event.
Multipliers Missed:
ME RI NH VT KY SC MS NT
Tnx again to all the VE3's who showed up. I think your enthusiasm is
spreading
to VE4 land. I can't believe I worked 3 different VE4s. I think there were
3 DE stations on too.
Calls to not confuse:
W0BH Kansas (Bob)
K0BH Missouri (Bob)
Rig: FT-990
Antennas:
80 meter dipole sloped from 50 feet
40 meter inverted vee up 50 feet at apex
20 meter 2 element dipole beam pointed east up 25 feet
15 meter dipole up 20 feet
Software:
N3FJP CA QSO Party - worked well
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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