ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, CW
Call: W8FN
Operator(s): W8FN
Station: W8FN
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: North Texas
Operating Time (hrs): 24
Radios: SO2R
Summary:
Band QSOs
------------
160: 0
80: 75
40: 287
20: 262
15: 255
10: 100
------------
Total: 979 Sections = 83 Total Score = 162,514
Club:
Comments:
This one was a good one. Great propagation and lots of participation made it
easy to get the sweep and lots of QSOs.
Mr. Murphy only visited once, in the second hour of the contest. For some
unknown reason the wireless keyboard I've been using for the last 2 or 3 years
developed a condition that caused it to drop keystrokes, or sometimes fail to
respond at all. This is NOT a good thing to happen when you're running and the
rate meter is hovering at 100+. After a bit of consternation and a lot of
really bad language I was forced to get rid of the thing and pull out my
trusty old 1998 model mechanical keyboard. Since the old keyboard isn't
Plug-N-Play that meant completely restarting the computer and all the software
(microHAM Router, LP-Bridge and N1MM Logger). This exercise cost me about 25
minutes of prime rate time on 15 meters and may have been the margin that kept
me from making my goal of 1000 QSOs. Actually, the keyboard failure turned out
to be a good thing. With the classic keyboard I found that my keyboarding error
rate was noticeably lower than it had been with the old wireless device with the
"chiclet" keys. I'm looking at a new wired mechanical gaming keyboard
to replace the wireless as I just can't trust it any more.
I was amazed at how well the 40 meter inverted vee at just under 50' worked for
me. Lots of good rate and quick comebacks on 40. 80 wasn't so good. The
bidirectional mode of the SteppIR on the high bands is a wonderful thing for a
contest like SS, but the way conditions were I was working lots of stations off
the side of the antenna with good signals, including VY1EI.
This year I think I finally came to grips with using both radios. Having the
second radio was much more a great help rather than a distraction as in years
past. I only made a few screw-ups with the radio focus; my apologies to the
guys I inadvertently stepped on with a CQ because I had the wrong Transmit
focus selected.
Thanks for all the QSOs and see y'all in next year's SSCW. I've only missed one
since 1979 and I intend to keep the string going in 2014.
73...
Randy, W8FN
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