North American QSO Party, SSB - January
Call: K4HQK
Operator(s): K4HQK
Station: K4HQK
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: Alexandria, VA
Operating Time (hrs): 5:45
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
160: 17 12
80: 30 16
40: 74 30
20: 18 14
15: 12 7
10: 0 0
-------------------
Total: 151 79 Total Score = 11,929
Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club
Team:
Comments:
Just as in the NAQP CW contest this year, I opened on 10 meters but found the
band dead. I heard a few regional stations but they were too weak for my
patience. I bagged 10m and moved to 15 meters, which had a little more activity
(non-local) than on 10m plus a long skip. Signals were up and down, mostly
around S5. I worked a dozen, all out west. (When I checked back at 1600 EST,
however, 15m was dead.)
After a one-hour break for a late lunch I returned to the contest at 1500 EST on
20 meters and found it populated largely by stations in the Midwest and West,
plus several VE3s and a VE5. The vertical antenna and strange band conditions
allowed me to eke out only 18 QSOs in an hour before giving up on this band.
By 1600 EST I thought I should check 40 meters, which proved to be a good
decision. The band was moderately busy with a mix of strong and weak signals
from the Eastern half of North America.
Following a break for dinner (1745-2000), I returned to an even-busier 40
meters. It was long now in every direction, enabling plenty of strong-signal
QSOs from New England to California to Florida—a typical 40m night. My haul on
40m: 74 QSOs, including eight in Canada (VE2s and VE3s only).
By 2130 40m had slowed down for me so I switched to 80 meters and enjoyed a
quiet band, strong signals, first-call responses, and the occasional brief chat
with a PVRC friend. Range was mostly the Eastern half of the U.S. plus a KP2 and
a VE3.
At 2215 I thought what the heck, I’ll try 160 meters despite my poor antenna
and no SSB experience on that band. Activity was at best moderate with plenty of
space between signals. To my surprise and despite a fairly-high noise level, 17
stations in the S.C.-to-Ontario strip heard me well enough for an exchange.
After 45 minutes of this I went QRT at 2300.
John K4HQK
Alexandria, VA
Station: IC-7410, Cushcraft R6000 vertical, dipoles for 80 and 40 meters, and on
160m I used one leg of the 80m dipole.
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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