ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, CW
Call: K4RO
Operator(s): K4RO
Station: K4RO
Class: Single Op QRP
QTH: TN
Operating Time (hrs): 24
Radios: SO2R
Summary:
Band QSOs
------------
160: 0
80: 282
40: 305
20: 147
15: 62
10: 0
------------
Total: 796 Sections = 80 Total Score = 127,360
Club: Tennessee Contest Group
Comments:
Another CW Sweepstakes has come and gone. Seventy Five years
of Sweepstakes, and some of you have been there for more than
fifty years. I worked one guy with a check of 31. I wonder if
he has operated SS for 75 years? Good to hear the calls W4KFC
and W3GRF in there. Those guys were contesting "before my time,"
but I have read enough contesting history to understand their
significance. Good show by the clubs activating those calls.
My score was very close to last year, even though it seemed like
there were more stations active. Heard KR2Q and KC5R even or ahead
of me early on, but I did not hear them later in the contest. All
of the guys who beat me in previous years were running A or B power.
I might have a chance this year, but have learned to not count my
contest chickens before they hatch.
The only antenna I added this year was a 15 meter dipole at about
50 feet beaming KL7/VE8. The first contact was with KL7RA after my
sunset, so at least it was ready if the band opened. A nice QSO with
VY8EI the night before the contest om 20m was also a hopeful sign.
The wooden post holding the 4BTV rotted out and collapsed last month.
I am hoping to replace it with something better for next season.
The box holding my 40 meter boom-matching unit disintegrated after
10 years, and will have to be replaced. I'm not looking forward to
that task, as just the inspection itself at 101' was a bit hair raising.
It won't take power, and needs to be replaced before the next wind storm.
I did find an outdoor rated HV box for the next one. Wish I'd done that
10 years ago. It gets harder to climb the tower every year, especially
now that I not going up and down it every month. Regular bicycling has
helped my stamina, but I need more arm strength for the antenna work.
I got off to a rather poor start. I got beat out every time I called
someone, and had a 7-minute gap with no QSOs in the first 15 minutes!
After settling down and remembering how weak I was QRP, I started to get
into the flow. I would likely benefit from more casual QRP operating,
and not just do it in CW SS. It's a bit of a shock when you're used to
stations coming back on the first call to feel weak in every direction.
I stayed more on the band edges this year, and didn't bother trying to
hold a run frequency very hard. It just doesn't work when I'm not loud,
and only raises my blood pressure to fight. My energy was better spent
finding the next CQ frequency. Speaking of CQ's, I got very few replies
most of the time, except during peak band openings. That's QRP for ya.
Sunday was anything but boring. I think I operated even better on Sunday,
despite being a little tired as usual.
Getting the sweep was a big goal this year. At least I sure hope I did.
After two years in a row of having lost my sweep during log checking (due
to my copying errors) I was humbled and determined to be more vigilant.
I didn't even realize that my sweep was busted last year, until I read my
LCR report on Thursday evening. Embarrassing, as I even asked the League
for a mug last year. I hope the sweep holds up this year. I also paid
more attention to the log entries. N1MM Logger can accidentally swap the
check and number if you don't enter the data correctly. I hope to see
fewer of those errors in my 2008 LCR.
The special 75th anniversary sweep awards added to the enticement for sure.
I worked Eric during the first hour in a pileup that was way out of control.
QRP makes one use every trick in the book, and invent a few new ones as well.
Thanks for pulling me out of the chaos OM! Never did hear VY1JA. I'll bet that
J is relieved to have someone else carry the torch after all those years of
being something of a "SS saviour" to many. The last section was of all things,
NLI! Few things in life compare to working the sweep QRP. Thanks to everyone
who made an effort to put the rarer sections on the air.
Had several stations call me, and then just disappear, never to come back.
A few of the callers were known SO2R guys, so they may have had a CQ answer
right as they called me. Others probably bailed after deciding that they
wouldn't be able to copy anything but my call sign. There were a few QSOs
that just could not be completed, and I'm sure it was because of my signal.
Many thanks to those who sent "NO QSO" before giving up instead of just going
away without a word. I know that the hardest part of a QRP QSO is on the
receiving end. THANKS for taking the trouble to copy me.
73
-Kirk K4RO http://www.k4ro.net
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
______________________________________________
3830 mailing list
3830@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/3830
|