North American QSO Party, CW - January
Call: K7IA
Operator(s): K7IA
Station: K7IA
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: NM
Operating Time (hrs): 10
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
160: 54 26
80: 153 39
40: 155 40
20: 298 50
15: 134 34
10: 22 12
-------------------
Total: 816 201 Total Score = 164,016
Club: Arizona Outlaws Contest Club
Team: AOCC Hard Cases
Comments:
I fell just a bit short of last year's effort. I blew the first hour trying to
get some 10m mults, but low power from this canyon location on 10 and 6m has
never been effective (high power helps, but not much). I'm convinced that
knife edge diffraction over the ridge lines just doesn't exist for the magic
bands.
How to spend the two hour's break time is always a mystery and a challenge.
Other than the first hour, I was busy throughout, and I spent most of the time
in Run mode. Many, many calls went unanswered, despite overall good rates, and
I found myself thinking that the time may be approaching to give SO2R a whirl
(or at least SO2V).
For years, I've been fascinated by the nature of requests for repeats of my
exchange info: 90% of the repeats are for my state, New Mexico. Perhaps in
the fever pitch of contesting, "NM" sounds like "MN," or perhaps my 7-land
callsign just doesn't compute. So without further introduction, here's an
overview of our fair state:
1. New Mexico is part of the United States. In 1912, it was the 47th state
admitted to the Union. English is the principal language spoken here, but
Spanish and various Indian dialects are common as well. We pay Federal Income
Taxes, and the IRS knows where New Mexico is.
2. There is no border control between New Mexico and its adjacent three US
states. I'll make no comment about the border with "Old" Mexico!
2. A passport is not required for entry into New Mexico. American currency is
cheerfully accepted. All Post Offices fly the American flag, and mailing
addresses use Zip Codes. Incoming telephone calls from out of state do not
require international prefixes.
3. New Mexico's vehicle license plates are the only US plates where "USA" is
stamped, as: "New Mexico USA."
4. We have made orders for goods by telephone to vendors in New York and other
places. Some have refused to ship to us because of their concerns for
international shipping fees, requirements, and customs checks. With some
difficulty, we have provided geography lessons along the following lines:
a) Although we have two National Laboratories, one of the principal functions
of New Mexico is to separate Arizona from Texas.
b) It is easy to find New Mexico on the map. For viewers of The Weather
Channel, New Mexico is always behind the meteorologist, no matter where he or
she stands. New Mexico weather is rarely discussed.
5. Despite Hollywood depictions, scenery along Interstates 10, 40, and 25, and
White Sands National Monument, New Mexico is not all sandy country. While we
cannot boast of "14-ers," we have some pretty significant mountains here, some
rising to 13,000 feet. Skiing is excellent, and Al's Run at Taos will
challenge even the best. From our QTH, a 9,000 foot mountaintop is only six
crow flight miles away. New Mexico has running water (Rio Grande River and
others), great scenery, ghost towns, vast open spaces, and, well, you can find
the rest.
6. Although Mexican food has become very popular throughout the US, we eat
"New Mexican" food here, and it is available only in New Mexico. For example,
whenever New Mexican food is ordered in a restaurant, the customer is always
asked, "Red or Green?" In all other US states, Mexican food is seasoned only
with red chile, whereas in New Mexico, we grow not only the usual red
varieties, but we also produce the finest green chile in the US, and perhaps
the world. Red chile tends to be spicy and "full bodied," often described as
"hot." Green chile tends to be sweet and having a broader flavor than the
reds, but the greens can be quite "warm," too. When it doubt, it's always a
good idea to ask for green on the side, just to see if the chef's calibration
is the same as your own. Since 1954, I have counted five people who have
ordered "red." By the way, "chile" is a term related to the fruit of the vine,
the chile pepper, while "chili" is the name given to a dish made of pepper,
beans, and seasonings, with or without meat (con carne--with meat). Chili is
available in New Mexico, but if you ask for it, you will get strange looks,
because chili is available everywhere else, so why pass up a chance to sample
our sweet green chile?
Some of the above are my personal observations, but others are either word of
mouth from other seasoned New Mexicans or found in the pages of New Mexico
Magazine, a US publication. There are many more, of course, and they are
appreciated by all who have lived here for more than a few months. For those
of you who haven't had the New Mexico experience, our borders are open,
domestic airlines serve us, and the currency exchange rate is always
one-to-one. The Land of Enchantment is aptly named, and no two segments of the
state are alike. Off and on, I've lived in New Mexico since 1954, when I was
ten years old, and I am still discovering new and fascinating things about my
state.
My contest logger has a macro key programmed for "NM," and I am pleased to
press it for all inquiries. In any contest, there is but a handful of NM
contesters who are delighted to hand out the semi-rare, but domestic,
multiplier! I've encountered many ops who indicate their delight, in one way
or another, as they receive the new mult, and that adds to my contesting
pleasure.
So, when in doubt about "NM," please ask away. I'm certain I speak for all NM
contesters that we are proud to hand out our multiplier to you!
So come and see us, and when you do, get off of the Interstates and discover
the Land of Enchantment. NB, I have no connections with the NM Chamber of
Commerce!
Vy 73,
dan k7ia
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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