ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, SSB
Call: K3KU
Operator(s): K3KU
Station: K3KU
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: MDC
Operating Time (hrs): 19:33
Summary:
Band QSOs
------------
160:
80: 249
40: 77
20: 40
15: 18
10:
------------
Total: 384 Sections = 75 Total Score = 57,600
Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club
Comments:
I learned a lesson from Sprint SSB the previous weekend: Phone is more enjoyable
if I take lots of breaks. My usual 2345Z start. N1MM+ says I had six official
"off" segments, ranging from 30 minutes to 120 minutes, and I took
lots of breaks of less than 30 minutes. QRT at 0145Z, with several chores to
do and alarm clock set for 1015Z Monday morning.
I proved once again that a small signal is much more effective on CW than on
SSB. The few teeth I had left after SS CW were completely kicked in on SSB.
Lots of CQ-in-my-face. Many, many, "You're just above the noise" who
managed to pull me through.
I spent a lot of effort the past few weeks trying to fix RF-in-the-mic problems
with the N1MM+ message playback. I thought I had it fixed well enough Thursday
evening, but it wound up being useless on 20M.
My usual strategy of starting (at 2345Z) with a quick tour of highest open band
for quick mult's did NOT pay off. 20M yielded only N8OO. A few minutes on 40M
got about 10 QSOs, including SK(!), MB, and ONN (all of which were easily
available later in the 'Test; and a second ONN answered my CQ Sunday evening).
My other usual strategy of trying to avoid working the West Coast Big Guns
overnight (save them for Sunday daytime on the high bands) also did not work.
20M just would not give me a good opening.
15M, for the little time it was open, was a blast. I found it open about
1820Z. I waited in line a couple of QSOs to work Manitoba friend VE4GV
operating at VE6 Sugar Victor (I already had the AB mult). Then I heard a WY
station S&P. I quickly calculated (actually, I took a guess; what else can
you do?) which direction he would tune, and how far, and plopped down and called
CQ (with 100W and a dipole). A few CQs yielded a reply from a random STX.
Then, logged in the same clock minute, the WY called in. Oh yes! Oh yes! (I
later heard him running on 15M, and was SO GLAD that I did not have to fight
the pileup.) After the WY, I quickly found new mult's ID, UT, MT, AK, and WTX.
I spent about 62 minutes on that foray for only 13 QSOs (including a second
VI), but also for six mults, five being unique. I also heard a PR S&P (one
time), but could not attract him. But I never heard any of the West Coast
Sections that I was missing.
Four Sections never heard: EB; ND (worked two on CW, and heard one or two
others); NT (easy QSO in SS CW; I thought I was looking in the right places,
and I did find and easily work two AK's); GTA (the Surprise Rarity of 2017).
Two Sections heard only S&Ping: SB; PR.
Two Sections heard CQing, but could not beat the pileup: SF (not loud enough
anyhow); NL.
That missed NL is a typical Little Pistol story. I found him Sunday morning on
20M, sending NR 11. Withing a few QSOs my case was hopeless. The M and U
stations were all over him, and they were too loud for me to beat on SSB.
Sections with only one QSO (some of these are astounding):
AR; BC; EWA (heard "my" guy struggling to work another EWA!); LAX;
MAR; MB; OK; OR; ORG; PAC; QC; SCV; SD; SJV; SV; UT; WTX; WY.
I still don't get phone. Besides my compromised audio perception ("Was
that twoo or threee?"), it takes me a long time each contest to get a feel
for how to tune in an SSB signal (really!). And my radio seems not to hear a
lot of what other people hear. People say that I'm being clobbered by QRM that
I cannot hear (on low bands, so it's not a skip effect). I think I have local
noise that buries a lot of otherwise workable signals.
Well, my deliberate extra time off left me with a better attitude than I had
after SS CW. I'm ready for my QSY to W3LPL for CQ WW CW this Saturday night.
And I'm already eager to do SS again ... CW.
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