ARRL Sweepstakes - CW
Call: K6LA
Operator(s): K6LA
Station: K6LA
Class: SO LP
Section: LAX
Operating Time (hrs): 24
Radios: SO2R
Summary:
Band QSOs
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160:
80: 84
40: 159
20: 340
15: 367
10: 222
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Total: 1172 x 80 = 187,520
Club: SCCC
Comments:
This year I decided to go low power hoping that with the sunspot cycle maximum
10, 15 and 20 meters would be the money bands. Since the extra power is worth
more on 40 and 80 meters I figured the A category would give me my best shot
from the West Coast at the top spots. It seems to have worked out. Even the QRP
stations, and there were a lot of them, were sometimes as loud as the high
power stations. Even 40 and 80 were long (and quiet too.)
Some statistics:
Category # QSOs %
A 657 56%
B 237 20%
Q 154 13%
M 52 4%
S 8 .5%
U 67 6%
Last year I made a note to myself to start on 10 meters instead of 15 meters. I
did, but got off to my worst start in years. Only 79 QSOs the 1st hour. I heard
N6RO say on the real 3830 he made 117 in the first hour. Wow.
After 5 hours I was about 25 QSOs behind my last low power effort two years ago
and lots of A stations were giving me higher numbers. Talk about being
discouraged. I had been hitting the 2nd radio hard from the start, making as
many as 17 Qs on it in the 2300 and 0400 hours. Eventually the 2nd radio QSOs
paid off. (I made a total of 217 of 1172 QSOs on the 2nd radio.) By the time I
took my 2 hour nap (3 ½ hour break,) I had caught up to last year, needed only
NL for the sweep, albeit an hour of off-time behind.
Speaking of the sweep, I?ve got a good sweep story this year. VO1MP called me
about 5 minutes before the contest started on 10 meters. I was tempted to try
and ragchew with him till the contest started but didn?t. I never heard him
after that until 1800 Sunday. That happened because after my QSO with Tom,
N0SS, he asked, ?u need NL?? I replied ?r? and he sent ?QSY 28056.? I took a
listen on the 2nd radio and it was mayhem. I called about a dozen times and
figured I?d try later. When I did, VO1MP was working split, but I still
couldn?t get through. The third time was the charm at about 2000 when I heard
him CQ without a response. I believe I would have found him by myself since he
was loud and the attention grabbing pile-up was louder. But thanks, Tom. Maybe
I can return the favor next time.
I?m also pleased to say I had very few frequency fights and less encroachment
than usual. Probably due to more than two bands open at a time. The only one I
remember well was on 40 meters when I answered WA0SXV?s CQ. He didn?t respond.
He didn?t call CQ or QRZ. He went away, probably to get some food or go to the
bathroom. I started calling CQ and worked a couple of stations. He came back
and started CQing again without so much as a QRL? or ? and then ignored me. Not
cool buddy. My best accessories are the refrigerator and large bottle within
headphone extension cable distance. Now I might have been aggressive defending
a run frequency after a 2nd radio QSO, but I sure wasn?t gone over 3 minutes.
No question activity was down this year. That was made harder to take by the
great propagation.
More Statistics:
Section # Worked Check # Worked
OH 57 90-00 111
IL 55 89-89
94
MI 46 70-79
248 N 46 60-69
331
MDC 41 50-59
320
40-49
30
PAC 3 30-39
33
SD 3
ND 3
ME 3
WTX 3???
WY 2
MAR 1
PR 1
NWT 1
NL 1
Around 0145 Sunday, just when I had a great run going on 20 meters (well, great
for late Sunday in the Sweepstakes) and thought I might make my goal of 1200
QSOs, the Sunday doldrums hit me hard, There is a 14 minute gap in the log, the
longest of the weekend. I remember it came shortly after hearing WP2Z, K4XU and
K7BG giving out numbers not too far behind me. During the brain freeze I
remember thinking ?I can?t let them catch me? but couldn?t do anything to break
my dazed feeling and find someone to work. I finally pulled out my earbuds,
changed to a different pair and started jumping around the shack. That got me
back on track and I picked up a whopping 27 QSOs in the final hour.
The number in the exchange is one of the great things about Sweepstakes,
especially when you have a second radio, because you can really check out the
competition. Matt, K7BG, was really catching up to me in the last few hours. I
listened to him for a while and he definitely was getting more calls than I
was. I purposely QSY?d a few kHz up from his frequency and started calling CQ
to pick up the new guys he was working who I hoped were S&Ping up the band.
One trick I thought up that definitely didn?t work was going up in the phone
bands late Sunday afternoon and calling ?CQ for a CW QSO.? In ten minutes of
trying I put one QSO in the log. I read the rules carefully and there is
nothing that prohibits this. You can bet if it had worked, I would have kept it
to myself.
73 & CU in Phone SS & ARRL 10 Meter Contest
Ken, K6LA
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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