ARRL DX Contest, CW
Call: K8CN
Operator(s): K8CN
Station: K8CN
Class: SOAB QRP
QTH: NH
Operating Time (hrs): 33
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
160:
80: 15 13
40: 189 68
20: 261 71
15: 302 75
10: 43 29
-------------------
Total: 810 256 Total Score = 622,080
Club: Yankee Clipper Contest Club
Comments:
Congratulations to Dave, N1IX on another plaque for the shack wall, and to Ron,
VE3VN for showing what careful antenna farm design can do for QRP contesting
from a city lot. The "Iron Men of the West," Frank, W6JTI and Gary,
N7IR set the bar for BIC time. John, W2GD deserves a standing ovation from QRP
contesters the world over - P40W may be a great station, but racking up 3.6M+
points as QRP DX is mind-boggling.
This year was my first full effort since 2013 - last year I was occupied by a
family medical crisis, and the previous year I was too sick to put in much time
until Sunday. I used my 2013 results as a benchmark, and the great
accomplishments of QRP ops last year were inspiration for ambitious goals this
year. However, it dawned on me late Saturday that I would fall short of my
2013 results, and I ratcheted my expectations downward.
The power line arc noise that has plagued me for 2 years was evident again this
year, although some dampness on Saturday morning helped quiet the arcs for a few
hours. Since I had cranked down the DSP filter bandwidth, the arc noise created
a constant background hash that made signal copy pretty difficult. Propagation
was kinder to me than I had anticipated, especially 15 meters - nothing really
rare was worked, but there were pleasant surprises to be had.
My 20 meter Lazy H, the sole antenna here, has sagged badly this winter due to
a broken support line that is snagged in a low pine bough - it is more aptly
described as a low 40 meter dipole with a lower twin nearly at roof level.
That it works at all is a credit to the great ears of the DX ops who really
work hard to copy my weak signals. Thanks to all for your patience and effort
to put me in your logs. Maybe next year I'll have the H back at full height
and add a couple more dreamed-of wires for my perennial weak band, 80 meters,
and the North/South paths to JA/South America.
The results I reported above will undoubtedly be adjusted downward - I fell
prey to the GJ0KE bait without even batting an eye - there goes 2 Qs and 2 band
mults for a corrected raw score of 615,696 points - oh well! It was still
incredibly fun, and I learned how to contest from the standing position when my
legs got too jumpy to sit any longer - a new skill for me.
73/72,
Mike, K8CN
Rig: K3 @ 5 watts, 20 meter Lazy H, Johnson Matchbox doing yeoman duty making
the sagging H look like a real antenna to the K3.
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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