ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, CW
Call: W1SJ
Operator(s): W1SJ
Station: W1SJ
Class: SO Unlimited HP
QTH: VT
Operating Time (hrs): 24
Summary:
Band QSOs
------------
160:
80: 380
40: 149
20: 540
15: 1
10:
------------
Total: 1070 Sections = 81 Total Score = 173,340
Club: Radio Amateurs of Northern Vermont
Comments:
A big windstorm came up the Sunday before the contest and knocked over trees and
took the dipoles down. So, it was a mad scramble all week to clear trees off the
house and put the antennas back up.
A few hours into the contest, 20m had significant short skip and all call areas
were workable. The pileups were huge! The rates were up, but somewhat slowed by
having to pick calls out of the mess. I felt like scores were going to be
significantly better this time out. The QSY to 80M continued with nice rates,
but things quickly ran out of gas around 0800, and I beat a hasty retreat to
bed.
Sunday was the usual slog, as the rates got slower, and slower and s l o w e
r!
By the end, I couldn't buy a contact - I even offered money. This contest is
much like the tax code - you get penalized more (i.e. no QSOs) for doing well!
It was so bad that I found I worked everyone who was CQing and appeared on the
skimmers. No one was left!
Mults were tough to get. I kind of figured that PR and VI would be not around.
The skimmers confirmed that no one was CQing from there, although I did see
NP4A pop a couple of times on 40m. Probably should have gone up there to look
for him, but at that hour, its not a band I do well on. VI was virtually
unobtainium. Fortunately, someone in the rare and mysterious NNY called me with
a hour left to go. He was QRP and gave me #20, so I know this section was tough.
It would have been a major embarrassment to miss a section only 13 miles away
from my QTH.
All and all, not a bad result considering that not a sunspot can be found.
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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