1998 CQ WPX CONTEST
Call used: WK6LA, West LA Contest Club, K6LA, op
Category: Single Op All Band Power: 1500
Hours of Operation: 35:56
band QSOs points
160 0 0
80 10 44
40 471 2196
20 934 1647
15 111 208
10 7 21
TOTAL 1533 4116 X 616 multipliers = 2,535,456
Comments:
Murphy had the courtesy to strike sometime between my Thursday PM
check on the hardware and software and the Friday morning check.
The short of it, about 2 hours later, after the latest version of
NA wouldn't see radio 1, was that two serial ports on my Flexport
card had died overnight. Fortunately I have six serial on the
computer, so I was able to reconfigure the remaining good two on
the Flexport.
I took an enforced break at 1800 Saturday morning because I
manage my son's little league team. We were playing a team we had
beaten five times earlier in the season for the right to go to
the championship game. We took a 4-0 lead into the top of the
last inning. Out of nowhere the other team started hitting the
ball and we lost 10-4 to end our season.
I was back in the chair, still with no sleep, at 2230, drowning
my sorrows with iced tea. I must say the EU opening over the
pole, starting about 0300, flutter and all, was enough to help me
forget the baseball game. By 3AM local I was dead tired and the
40 meter JA run wasn't happening, so I took a nap. I thought I
set the alarm for one hour later, but it turned out to be 2 and I
missed whatever 40 meter JA opening there was.
Sunday morning 20 meters was incredibly interesting here as the
band opened just after sunrise around 1330. I worked a few
Carribean stations and then a few Europeans as the band opened. I
got to 14059.6 and no one was there. The band was so quiet I had
the AF gain full open, like 10 meters can be. I called CQ. One at
a time, EU stations just above ESP, probably running 100 watts at
most to a low dipole, no flutter, started calling in. I made 58
EU QSOs, mostly new mults, mostly just over ESP, in the next 61
minutes on the quietest 20 meter frequency I ever remember
having. That was fun.
503 0 pointers. That wasn't fun. Can't wait for the rule to
change next year.
73. Ken, K6LA - Ken Six Los Angeles, KWIDELITZ@DELPHI.COM
ex-AB6FO
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