CQWW WPX Contest, CW
Call: K8MFO
Operator(s): K8MFO
Station: K8MFO
Class: SOAB(TS) LP
QTH: AMISH OHIO
Operating Time (hrs): <10
Summary:
Band QSOs
------------
160:
80:
40:
20: 343
15: 53
10: 4
------------
Total: 400 Prefixes = 294 Total Score = 237,846
Club:
Comments:
Greetings from the â??Other Sideâ?? of contesting. My first contest effort
was in CQWW CW 1959, when I managed 7 QSOs â?? one of them was OQ5IG in the
Belgian Congo. I was hooked! Since then I am usually there at the
â??starting bellâ?? for all of the majors. Even did 1969 WPX from a bunker on
Mount Adams in Hong Kong as VS6AJ. I have had my serious moments in contesting,
but for as long as I can remember, the FUN FACTOR is what TURNS MY CRANK, RINGS
MY BELL, or MOTIVATES me to compete. I am as serious a contester as most
of you on this Reflector, but I do things MY WAY. WPX CW 2009 was no
exception.
After a very frustrating winter of bringing a Drake R4C receiver back to life,
and finally winning the battle, I decided to bring out the BIG GUNS and spend
some time in WPX. I surveyed my weapons. In the house hamshack, I have
rotaries for 40 through 10 at 100 feet plus, and decent inverted L and V
antennas for 160 and 80. My K3 radios, coupled with AL-1200 and TL-922A
amplifiers are quite capable of snuffing out the most dedicated QRP guys!
But WAIT â?? my game is to have FUN and the decision was easy! Letâ??s fire
up the recently renovated R4C and pair it with a Johnson Viking Ranger II and
its mighty 30 watts out in the BARN. I have a super antenna farm out there
with a recent hamfest bargain R7 vertical, and a Buxcomm Windom, high in a tree.
So off I went for 10 glorious hours, all search and pounce of course,
doing my brand of contesting, mostly on 20 meters.
Highlights? Working JT1CO on the first call with the R7. Discovery?
That a Windom antenna, designed in 1927, at 60+ feet, beats an R7 vertical in a
clearing, by leaps and bounds, EVERY TIME. This was another great
contest for me. It doesnâ??t matter if I am at PJ2T, or a nice Caribbean
location, or on Market Reef â?? contests are a whole lot of FUN if you donâ??t
take things too seriously. Right now I can hardly wait for the next
contest adventure.
I had a thought about a new contest award - Let's reward people for operating
with "minimal stuff". We could call it the "K1TN Award" in honor of long
time contester Jim Cain, who delights in making QSOs under difficult
circumstances. Maybe Jim could provide a hand written certificate and I would
be glad to throw in a half bottle or so of my own homemade wine!
I bet Jim is just as happy at the end of a contest as I am after using a
Ranger!
73 Don K8MFO��..FUN GUY
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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