CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB
Call: W6QU
Operator(s): W8QZA
Station: W8QZA
Class: SOAB QRP
QTH: San Diego, CA
Operating Time (hrs): 24.1
Summary:
Band QSOs Zones Countries
------------------------------
160: 0 0 0
80: 7 4 4
40: 16 7 6
20: 65 18 28
15: 85 19 38
10: 5 3 3
------------------------------
Total: 178 51 79 Total Score = 57,980
Club: Southern California Contest Club
Comments:
STATION W8QZA:
Radio: Elecraft K-2, 5 Watts.
Antennas:
10-15-20 Meters: 3 el Stepp-IR up 32 feet
40 & 160 Meters: DX-LB trap dipole up 30 feet
40 Meters: Butternut HF-2V Vertical with 3 radials
80 Meters: Inverted L
-----------------------------------------------------
This year was worse than last year with Qs, DXCC, and WAZ all down by about 10%.
That put my score down about 20%. But there was still more than enough activity
to make it interesting from beginning to end.
10 Meters was dead all weekend here except for one magic 10 minute moment on
Sunday at 18:20 Z where there were several strong signals from South America and
I picked up a couple of double mults. Ten minutes later the entire band was DEAD
again!
40 & 80 Meters: No one knows what QRP is like until they operate the second
contest night on these bands with modest antennas! I operated for two hours
Sunday night with one Q to show for it: ZF9CW! And in the two hours before
sunrise on these bands I managed one Q: VE6SV!
My best Q of the entire contest came out of the blue. I always tune bands from
the top down and start at the top even though on 15 M there might not be a
signal for the top 100 KHz. Late Sunday AM I was tuning down from the top when I
found a weak isolated signal. I had to listen to him call blank CQs about 10
times before I finally made out his call: 6W1SU! I normally could never work a
signal this weak, but he came back perfect on the first call. This kind of Q can
make my entire contest!
My DXCC was 42 and my WAZ was 21, pretty weak when you consider those two
numbers were 93 and 30 6 years ago!! I had only 8 Qs (4.5%) in Europe mixed
between 20 and 15. 112 Qs (63%)were off the North American continent. All my Qs
were S&P, of course.
I still love this contest, it's just a matter of changing expectations.
CU in the CQ WWDX CW! ...Bill W6QU - W8QZA
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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