ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, CW
Call: VE9AA
Operator(s): VE9AA
Station: VE9AA
Class: Single Op HP
QTH: MAR
Operating Time (hrs): 15:59
Summary:
Band QSOs
------------
160: 3
80: 71
40: 226
20: 147
15: 103
10: 5
------------
Total: 555 Sections = 80 Total Score = 88,800
Club: Maritime Contest Club
Comments:
VY1EI if you read this, please know that you made my weekend ! ! ! :-)
Goal: To get a mug....but Murphy doesn't want me to drink coffee I think.
Result: Get a headache.
Had the worst darn cold all weekend with a terrible sinus headache.
Too many cold remedies made my brain swim. Even moderate speed CW was hard to
copy and sometimes sounded alien to me. I am sorry if I sounded like a goof on
the key. This is a quick contest and not everyone sends the exchange the
same....
Blew up my amp @ 1:30am on 80m CW....a tiny waft of smoke and I shut it off.
No worries...we'll just let it cool off a bit. Turned it on 30mins later and a
few seconds later a huge CLAP like a cherry-bomb firecracker and 1000 cardboard
bits were transported out through the top cover at an amazing rate. Just like
confetti !
BIG smoke everywhere now---
I ran around the shutting off smoke detectors and checking all the bedrooms to
see who I disturbed. Everyone ZZZzzz....maybe just because the amp is almost
adjacent to my head it sounded louder? Ran 100w for an hour and went to bed.
Wired up spare small 300w amp the next day. Turned radio on and grabbed 2
fresh mults. 3 to go.
Real tough to find a VE6, but eventually landed one. Heard many VE5's and 7's
however.
Lots of real wicked echo on 20m and 40m making copy difficult at times. This
was not backscatter like for the New ENgland guys...but mostly on 5's and 6's
but kinda varied.
Tried like heck to go as fast as I could, but wasn't til mid Sunday my cold was
letting up a tad and found I could QRQ another 5wpm, hi- I send by hand.
Heard a thunderous pileup on 15m just as the sun was setting here and the
signals taking a big dive. Wow, it was VY1EI who was 20/9 with a truly unruly
mob after him....
little wonder---he's like a P5 in the SS contest....No chance.....he QSY'd a
couple times and about the time he was 529 we made it.
QSO 488 for QSO 488...it's no wonder he asked for a repeat. Fate? I think
so.
Wow, a truly great contest moment for me, and once again my family thought
(knew?) I was crazy as I did my "Sweepah" dance all over the house. Maybe a
titch too many cold medications?
No matter. Had a great time. Great activity from all over the USA but felt
the Canadians were a bit light on the airwaves. Heard VE1OP, VY2SS , VE1DT,
VY2ZM and a couple other MCC'ers on, so MAR was well represented. Surprised
that many asked me my section. Hint: VE1, VE9 and VY2 pretty much HAVE to be
MAR... ;-0
Wish I had made note of them, but there was a bunch of really great QRP
signals. Sometimes when I was running, a small "packet pileup" would suddenly
ensue and only half the ops were "U"....hmmm (hi hi)
OK, all the random comments I can generate for now.
Thanks much everyone for the sweep, the great QSO's and putting up with my
nasty CW...
Mike VE9AA "MAR" (Mar=VE1/VA1, VE9 and VY2)
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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