My first time to write a short summary so, if you get bored, move to the trash
bin.
Just a quick summary of some notes I took during the contest.
The band seemed better last year and this year I figured that
using packet was not worth it and, considering the poor DX conditions
we've been having, I didn't think the extra DX was worth the
effort. It seemed that the west coast was never going to open on
the second night, almost like there was a curtain somewhere around
the Mississippi River. About 0400z things finally opened to the
west but I was never able to snag SD or AK.
I scrambled on Friday to add another EWE to the west but it
did not perform as well as the K9AY. The EU beverage was handy
when the few DX that called came through.
Here's the quick notelog:
2200 Start contest and first answer to CQ finds that the radio
and computer are not talking and I can't log a thing! Panic.
Fixed in 5 minutes and back on.
2224 J6A calls and I forget whether I need to get a serial number
or not. (didn't matter cause he wouldn't give me one, HI)
2300 Find out the west EWE I manufactured that afternoon is not
working.
0000 Band opens to west and find out that W7CA (Wyo) and I are
CQing on the same freq. (small war breaks out, I submit and
move off)
0127 Son-of-a-gun, N6RO starts to appear as the band opens west
and we're CQing at each other.
0140 Can't hold a run rate, band is weird, go from 90 an hour
back to 35.
0208 Band opens again to Calif and get a EU call.
0235 Strange north/south EWE is hearing west coast better than
any of the other receive antennas?
0251 ED1RCW calls, maybe there is hope for some DX.
0400 Rate back to nil.
0440 I don't have Xray vision, and I'm not a weather man, but
based on the sudden increase in noise....IT JUST STARTED
TO RAIN! (not good)
0500 S9 noise on Xmit antenna, hearing few calls over the rain
static.
0630 Every year there is one operator that insists on calling
CQ right in a spot that wipes out anyone that calls me
and even if I move, they move with me. I don't pull my hair
out, not much left anyway.
0700 Appears that rain has stopped, since I am in the basement
and the family is in bed, I figure no more rain since the
noise is now back to normal.
I get a 90 minute snooze somewhere in here and hope to wake up to
catch any sunrise activity. This turns out to be no biggie, since
the conditions from my QTH did not offer anything different than
if I would have just stayed at the radio and picked off the few that
were still awake in the US.
1930(Sat)
Start day 2
2050 Finally hear a station west of Ohio.
2145 QRN is terrible, summer like conditions, the temp outside
is 65, and it's December folks.
2230 DX call from "G" land, similar to some of the early, and
short, openings to EU right before/after sunset in PA.
0030 Band is back to NIL.
0130 Barely can hear W6's, no 0's or 7's at all.
0200 One call from Utah, nice signal, but nothing else from west.
0230 A call from NM, there is hope.
0300 Almost like there is an RF curtain down the middle of the US.
0400 Colorado answers, and then I pick off a few of the west coast
type mults that I still need and feel better about a rather
long night of hearing nothing.
0700 Not much left to work, do some search and pounce and pick up
a few. It sounds like the smart folks are in bed.
0800 Finally get just over 950 contacts and decide that sleep is
more important than the few that I could pick up in the next
hours. Decide to shut down and get some rest for the annual
Xmas tree hunt and decoration.
All considered, it was a good contest. If conditions were like last
year I think my goal of 1000 contacts would have been achievable.
Can't have everything though, the other bands are having alot of fun
with the improving conditions. 73 and Merry Christmas de Bill K3SV
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