ARRL DX Contest, CW
Call: K5ZD
Operator(s): KM3T
Station: K5ZD
Class: SOAB HP
QTH: MA
Operating Time (hrs): 40.5
Radios: SO2R
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
160: 46 35
80: 521 76
40: 929 87
20: 1208 91
15: 822 86
10: 84 52
-------------------
Total: 3610 427 Total Score = 4,624,410
Club: Yankee Clipper Contest Club
Comments:
Station: See http://k5zd.com
Equipment: 2xElecraft K3, Alpha 76A, Ameritron AL-1200, W5XD Keyer Box (SO2R)
Software: Win-Test 4.7
Thanks to Randy for opening the station to me. It's been a while since my last
SOAB adventure and my first serious SOAB in ARRL CW - lots of fun!
First time using Win-Test in SO2R configuration - used it with Randy's W5XD box
and it "just worked." Spent a couple hours Friday afternoon getting dialed in
to the Win-Test SO2R-specific keystrokes. Just a basic, simple SO2R setup -
less moving parts = good. We use Win-Test now and KC1XX and I've used it on
some DX trips - seriously industrial-grade contest software. Very stable and
few surprises.
Biggest disappointment was my total off time - Friday night a bad thunderstorm
cell moved through and decided it best to disconnect all antennas - two
separate off times due to that and so lost around 35-40 minutes of prime run
time on 40. The major part was self-induced Saturday night...went off for a
nap at 0100Z and my alarm (iPhone) was not switched off silent. Whoops. Used
to getting 6-8 hours of sleep a night and my body took over. So was off from
0100-0800Z Sunday morning and missed many Qs and many mults on 40/80/160
combined. Lesson learned. Two alarms. Loud ones. I estimate I am down
around 600-700 Qs and 40-50 mults just due to off time, so it was costly. I am
in the best physical shape I have ever been in and I thought that would help -
perhaps it helped in some other immeasurable way, but not with sleep.
Conditions seemed great - no idea what the solar flare this past week might
have done to conditions. Moved a few mults - special thanks to NH2T (N2NL) who
called in on 40m Saturday morning and moved to 80 with me. Tough one from here
unless conditions are right. Also to 3B8/F6HMJ who moved from 15 to 20 -
thanks! And thanks to all the other DX who moved bands to help with mults -
MUCH appreciated. 10m was open skew path both days but on Sunday morning
Europe seemed to peak further south, almost SSE. I hear 160m was great
Saturday night but I was only dreaming about it. :-) 15m was pretty good but
no really deep openings and didn't snag a JA until Sunday night (skew path).
20m was its normal self and 40/80m both were good.
I was happy with my SO2R performance. Having only done it seriously a few
times, the learning curve is steep and there is a lot of relearning when you
only operate single-op sporadically, like I do. Fortunately I have the
attention span and processing cycles to deal with it but there is a lot to
learn. Learned a lot about myself, my personal limitations, what happens when
sleep deprivation starts kicking in, and mainly what kind of (ideal) run
frequency I need when SO2R-ing. That greatly influenced my choice of run
frequency. It's the same frequency everyone wants: the clear one with no
thumping and clicking. The K3's are great - they can make a normally crappy
run frequency into a decent one. Definitely a game-changer on CW.
Hats off to all the other SOAB guys who probably crushed me and to everyone
else on a fun weekend. Hopefully see you again in another one. And to all the
DX stations who get on for this contest: many thanks to you for increasing the
activity and providing the multipliers that make the game so exciting.
See you all in ARRL DX SSB.
73,
Dave KM3T
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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