CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW
Call: W1WEF
Operator(s): W1WEF
Station: W1WEF
Class: SOAB HP
QTH: ct
Operating Time (hrs): 33.25
Summary:
Band QSOs Zones Countries
------------------------------
160: 26 11 16
80: 215 14 54
40: 806 29 103
20: 394 25 87
15: 557 28 99
10: 943 28 105
------------------------------
Total: 2941 135 464 Total Score = 5,122,648
Club: Yankee Clipper Contest Club
Comments:
CQWW CW 2011
I was really looking forward to this one. All of my wire antenna repairs were
completed following the storm of the century. Fortunately my aluminum stood up
fine, but this area looked like a war zone with tree limbs on top of power
lines all over the place after the CQWW SSB heavy wet snow storm while leaves
were still on the trees. Conditions had been super lately, and I was ready to
roll.
I started out on 40 where I thought could run right off the bat, but it was
very slow going until I decided to S&P. At the start of the contest you know
every station is a new one, so you can drop your call even if you donâ??t know
his (assuming you didnâ??t hear him send zone 5).
I stuck with it Friday night until about 07Z, and tried to sleep but failed.
Two hours later I searched the low bands and found some good mults. When I went
to 20 I was shocked to find bad QRN that sounded like high voltage arcing from
a power line, perhaps to a tree. It was too loud to be fun and I was very
discouraged. I got in my car and drove up and down the street for 20 min
looking for a tree on power lines and listening on the 706, but the only real
noise I heard was beside the pole at the bottom of my driveway with a
transformer on it...and it was different from what I heard in the shack. Iâ??m
not sure what I could have done if I found it anyway, in the middle of the
contest. I went back into the shack and wondered if the noise was from HV
leakage in my amp in which I recently fixed a HV failure. Turning off the amp
it was still there, but thinking about it later I may not have waited long
enough for the caps to discharge.
Signals were starting to come up, and the noise level seemed to be dropping, so
I began operating again, wondering if it would return. Signal to noise ratio
stayed high all day, and I had a ball...until around 5:30PM when I suddenly
felt very sleepy and started wondering why I was doing this! After a great day,
I had fallen behind my last yearâ??s totals, and decided to say the heck with
an all out effort. I took 12 hours off. I even went to Starbucks at 11Z, but
then decided to head home and give it another go. I was now way behind my last
yearâ??s totals, and figured Iâ??d never catch up now.
Rates were great all day Sunday. I stayed in the chair pretty much until the
end. The great conditions restored my enthusiasm for great runs and the thrill
of finding new mults. I never recalled seeing my score increase so much with a
new single or double mult, and at some point in the afternoon set a stretch
goal of 5M. The last two hours I really worked to reach it, and decided in the
last hour it wouldnâ??t happen by just running. In that hour I went to 20 and
found some new Caribbeans, Africans, JAs and zones 17 and 19. In the last 20
min after already making my goal of 5M, I went to 15 for a cushion with some
great Qs to keep me coming back to this game. First, 9M8/AI6V. Carl had
trouble pulling me out, but when he did he thanked me for finding him and said
â??see you in Visaliaâ??. Next, a 9M6, WH0, AH2,VK2 and JAs.
I really enjoyed the great conditions. Other than the noise problem that never
came back, and my inability to stay awake, I might have done real well. Do
they still sell Geritol?
SO1R SOHP FTDX5000D AL1500 Single tower with three TH6â??s and an XM240,
4 sq with wires on 80, 160 Inv L, two beverages.
33hours,15 min JACK W1WEF
PS I have an extra FTDX5000D for sale at a good price w1wef@arrl.net
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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