CQWW WPX Contest, CW
Call: W6YX
Operator(s): N7MH
Station: W6YX
Class: SOAB QRP
QTH: Stanford
Operating Time (hrs): 32
Radios: SO2R
Summary:
Band QSOs
------------
160: 2
80: 43
40: 137
20: 409
15: 174
10: 9
------------
Total: 774 Prefixes = 400 Total Score = 597,200
Club: Northern California Contest Club
Comments:
This is the third in my trifecta of SOAB efforts in WPX CW starting with HP in
2015, LP in 2016 and now QRP in 2017. Equipment was K3/P3 x2 @ 5W, YCCC SO2R
box and the usual W6YX antennas. Rotators on 2 antennas were stuck, beaming to
the US and South America.
SO2R was only marginally helpful so I used 2 radios only about 1/3 of the time.
CQing was not very productive after the first few hours. My S&P strategy
alternated between the typical slow turning of the VFO knob, checking every
callsign, to a revised strategy of checking only the signals above some signal
threshold (S 6 or 7) on the P3. This latter strategy was most effective just
after changing the beam heading. With QRP I couldn't work most weaker stations
anyway.
I planned to sleep between about 0500 and 1000 the first evening but the
conditions were so good I didn't quit until 0930. I thought about staying
longer but I had to drive home and didn't want to be too drowsy when driving. I
probably missed many 6-pointers and Asian mults on 40 but the high rates of
6-point Q's using high power were just not there operating QRP.
I dawdled and ate breakfast at home with family, getting back on the air at
1600 and only worked a few more EU on 20 as most of the stronger signals were
already in the log. Rates dropped in the late afternoon due to the CME and I
went home for a nap, hoping to stay awake later to work the AM JA opening on
40, but discovered that I couldn't sleep with 4 grandchildren playing in and
around the house for the holiday weekend.
After more family time including dinner I finally got back to W6YX and saw I'd
already taken 11:30 in off-time and clearly wasn't going to make it through the
end of the contest without more sleep. Scratch the goal of operating 36 hours.
I went QRT for the night a half hour earlier than the previous day but got up
earlier and was on the air from 1400 to the end of the contest. What a slog for
much of the day, just tuning up and down 20 meters, occasionally checking 15 and
10. CQing was less productive than S&P. Signals picked up in the last 2 or 3
hours but my QRP couldn't easily compete in the RBN-fueled packet pileups on the
low-number stations so I'd have to come back after the pileup died down.
My operating was punctuated with separate visits by KE6FZF, AA6XV and K6TJ.
With the slow rates I ended up chatting instead of operating while they were
there. Pete/K6TJ had worked about 15 Qs in the contest from his home station.
As with my other QRP efforts there were a few stations that never came back to
me despite multiple calls on several passes of the band. They must have had
heavy noise or were beaming in some other direction.
Thanks to those who endured multiple repeats from me. As another QRPer
mentioned in a comment there were times when I wasn't sure the other station
finally got my number since I'd hear the tail end of their callsign after many
repeats - was that "TU CALLSIGN" or "TEST CALLSIGN"? I
expect more NIL penalties than usual.
73,
-Mike, N7MH
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