ARRL DX Contest, SSB - 2019
Call: W6QU
Operator(s): W8QZA
Station: W8QZA
Class: SOAB QRP
Cabrillo Category: Single-Op All-Band Non-Assisted One-Transmitter QRP
QTH: San Diego, CA
Operating Time (hrs): 14.6
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
160: 0 0
80: 13 9
40: 21 10
20: 75 32
15: 33 19
10: 2 1
-------------------
Total: 144 71 Total Score = 30,672
Club: Southern California Contest Club
Comments:
STATION W8QZA:
Radio: Elecraft K-2, 5 Watts.
Antennas:
10-15-20 Meters: 3 el Stepp-IR up 32 feet
40 Meters: 1/4 wave vertical with 3 radials
40 & 160 Meters: DX-LB trap dipole up 30 feet
80 Meters: Inverted L with 2 radials
-----------------------------------------------
Conditions were pretty bad. I felt claustrophobic only working stations in North
and South America and nearby Asia and Oceania. Not one European or Africa Q! I
heard one weak Euro on 20 M the first day and four or five on the second day. I
spent all day Sunday working between one and four Qs an hour, struggling in the
pile ups on Caribbean stations.
N1MM+ shows only 14.6 hours op time. I did a full effort on this contest
sleeping 3 1/2 hours the first night and 4 1/2 the second night. But I spent
hours tuning and calling without a Q which N1MM+ counts as "off
time".
My best Q by far was working T32AZ on 80 Meters. I found him calling weak blank
CQs and once I managed to figure out his call I got him on the first try! My
numbers on 80 are much better with the new inverted L.
I also managed to get AH2R on 40 Meters, and got a tremendous, much needed
"ego boosting" comment from the kind op at PJ4G when he said my 40
Meter signal from CA was "Booming". I was using my low DX-LB trap
dipole with an SWR of 2.9 at the time. Must have been on a very rare peak!
15 and 20 Meters were the usual for weak condx with no Qs out of the ordinary.
I checked 10 Meters numerous times both days and found the magic only once when
I heard and worked PY5IN and PY5SAT in a couple minutes on Saturday. ....and
that was it!
My DXCC was only 37 and my WAZ was a feeble 16. I had 95 off-continent Qs. In
good years, my DXCC is in the 80s or 90s and WAZ in the mid to high 20s.
....but that was then!
I have said it before and will repeat it now, it's still fun!!
73 and see you in WPX SSB. I'm thinking of using a club call NA0CW but it seems
that with all the special calls that even a W6 can be a good prefix.
...Bill W6QU - W8QZA - NA0CW ??
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