CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB
Call: KR2Q
Operator(s): KR2Q
Station: KR2Q
Class: SOAB QRP
QTH: NNJ FN20ru
Operating Time (hrs): 32
Summary:
Band QSOs Zones Countries
------------------------------
160: 10 2 3
80: 31 8 8
40: 68 12 43
20: 193 25 75
15: 311 22 80
10: 82 9 24
------------------------------
Total: 695 78 233 Total Score = 594,943
Club:
Comments:
I wasnâ??t really sure what I wanted to do this weekend. I donâ??t like phone,
but I love contesting. I was thinking about LP on 15 monoband, but never
firmed anything up in my own mind.
Further frustrating the matter, this was the first time that I was â??reallyâ??
single op, since the XYL was away for the weekend and left me with the dog, who
required walking about 10 times per day, and since I would have to cook for
myself. So knew ahead of time that Iâ??d have unwanted time-offs.
The contest beginsâ?¦.
This was my worst start ever: only five (5) Qs in the first hour and only 34 Qs
total in the first 4.25 hours (of which 16 Qs were USA or Canadians). The big
problem for me was that 20m was totally dead, which meant everybody from the
states went to 40 (with me). Since 34 Qs in 4 hours is not my idea of fun, I
became disgusted and went to bed. End of â??local dayâ?? number one (Friday
night local).
Got on 20 just before 1200z and the rate was â??OKâ?? for QRP. Then I went to
15 just before 1300z and was happy to find the band was open. I again had a
decent rate for QRP. Now I was â??stuckâ?? with an all-band effort.
Just before 1700z, I checked 10m and found one signal: a V5 who was very weak
and, as is typical of 10m, answered my QRP call right away. Spent at least 10
minutes tuning up and down 10m for more â??good stuff,â?? but absolutely
nothing â?? not even â??bad stuff.â?? The V5 was my 2nd QSO on 10m so far, the
first being with NA2U.
>From there, it was alternate tuning across 20 and 15, picking up Qs. Around
1830z I switched to the south antenna (15m) and picked up 30 Carib, CA, SA
stations over the next 45 minutes. Then I had the bright idea to check 10m and
found it wide open to the south where I spent the next 90 minutes working just
about everything I could hear.
>From 2315z to 0345z, I hopped from 40 to 80 to 160 and back. My biggest
blunder was thinking that I could recline for a few minutes just before
midnight (local) on day 2 (local Saturday). Needless to say, my few minutes
turned into six hours. If my wife had been here, she would have prevented
that.
Usually, for QRP, I feel pretty loud on 40m, but not this time. When I hear
the Europeans asking for multiple repeats and complaining to the loud USA guys
about their local EU QRM, I know that I am in trouble -- and that proved to be
the case. 40 was extremely difficult.
One of the few pluses for this particular contest effort is that for the first
time ever, I worked a new mult as my last QSO of the contest (in the last
minute too). Thanks to GM0B (40m).
Another â??funâ?? event was repeatedly hearing VP8NO answering CQs on 10m. So
when I next happened to hear him calling someone, I went up a few and started
calling CQ. I had an LU answer me and then, on my next set of CQs, VP8NO
called in. Hooray! Those two contacts were the only Qs during the entire
weekend where I was not S+P. The funny thing (for me) is that Iâ??ve had
several â??QSOâ??sâ?? with VP8NO on the Elecraft reflector (and mostly
off-line) where we have done such great things as discuss the merits of the K2
type of pushbutton versus those used on the K3. ï?? What can I say; you
canâ??t contest all the time.
And another other â??funâ?? event was also on 10m and that was calling in the
pileup on ZS6EZ. When Chris heard me, the exchange was, â??Doug, your 5938â??
(no callsign). How cool is that? Pretty neat for QRP. Gosh, I sure hope it
wasnâ??t K1DG or K4LY orâ?¦.. That possibility didnâ??t cross my mind during
the QSO.
On the opposite end of the scale, the biggest disappointment was hearing 9M8Z
CQing with NO TAKERS, but he never heard me, despite my many anxious minutes of
multiple attempts. I had worked several JAâ??s in this same time frame, so I
figured it might be possible, especially with â??no takers,â?? but, well,
thatâ??s QRP. Similar thing with C91, except that he ALWAYS had a massive
number of callersâ?¦and I never even bothered to try.
After the contest, I ended up with 99 separate DXCC countries worked with QRP;
something I always like to track.
Well, now I have a couple weeks to think about more antennas until the CW
weekend. I just hope I can successfully convert my â??thinkingâ?? into
â??doing.â??
de Doug, KR2Q
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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