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[3830] ARRLDX SSB ND0C SOAB QRP

To: 3830@contesting.com, randydvm@iw.net
Subject: [3830] ARRLDX SSB ND0C SOAB QRP
From: webform@b41h.net
Reply-to: randydvm@iw.net
Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 17:57:25 -0800
List-post: <3830@contesting.com">mailto:3830@contesting.com>
                    ARRL DX Contest, SSB

Call: ND0C
Operator(s): ND0C
Station: ND0C

Class: SOAB QRP
QTH: Minnesota
Operating Time (hrs): 26

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:    0     0
   80:   10     7
   40:   17    14
   20:  186    72
   15:  109    39
   10:   12     4
-------------------
Total:  334   136  Total Score = 136,272

Club: Minnesota Wireless Association

Comments:

Well this was a real exercise in masochism.  As opposed to the fun of the CW
portion, this weekend was just plain miserable most of the time.  I would guess
that over 50% of my QSO's required a fill or correction of callsign or state. 
After the great conditions two weeks ago, I had high hopes that we'd have
similar favorable propagation - but it was not to be.
  
In general the conditions seemed to be very mediocre and it was very tough
going from here in the "black hole" with very modest antennas and only 5 watts.
 80 and 40 were brutal and I missed a lot of multipliers that should have been
relatively easy to pick up.  My only success on the low bands was at 3-4 AM
local time - so much EU in the log on those bands!  15 was marginal at best to
Europe and JA on Saturday, no Europe at all on Sunday.  10 opened a little to
SA on Saturday but was dead here on Sunday.  20 was, of course, the work-horse
band and I eventually managed to eke out 72 countries, but it was far from
easy.  In the CW weekend it was like shooting ducks in a barrel on both 15 and
20 to Europe and JA.  What a contrast this weekend.  It seemed like the bands
were noisy in general and of course with 15 not providing solid E-W
propagation, 20 had to carry all the weight - what a zoo!  I thought that
signal levels were down - especially from the Caribbean and Central America.

As always I was impressed by the skill and great ears (and good filtering) out
there in pulling out my puny signal.  Thanks for the patience and persistence. 
Special thanks to Martti at CR2X in hanging with me to complete the QSO.  After
30 years of running exclusively QRP, I continue to be amazed at how 3 or 5
watts can get through - especially when conditions are crappy. 

It has been several years since I've had the chance to make a half-way serious
effort in this contest on either CW or phone - and I really had a blast.  Now
I'm looking forward to WPX - 1st time in many years to go full-bore in that one
too - so look for the ND0 prefix from my megastation (with 5 watts to mediocre
antennas).  

Rig: Yaesu FT-897D running 5 watts out; Heil microphone (every little bit
helps!)
Antennas: Wilson SY-3 three element triband Yagi at 48 feet (15 meters)above
ground; dipole for 40 and 80 at 45 feet (14 meters) above ground.  

73,
Randy, ND0C

You don't have to be crazy to run QRP... but it helps.  :-)


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