CQWW WPX Contest, CW - 2019
Call: KA1IS
Operator(s): KA1IS
Station: KA1IS
Class: SOSB40 LP
QTH: ME
Operating Time (hrs): 30
Summary:
Band QSOs
------------
160:
80:
40: 797
20:
15:
10:
------------
Total: 797 Prefixes = 530 Total Score = 1,532,760
Club: Yankee Clipper Contest Club
Comments:
Another field operation from the top of Witt Hill in Norway, Maine.
Four 3 element inverted-v wire beams, 35 feet high at the apex's. Pointing NE,
SW, NW, and SE. IC-7610. SkookumLogger, Bioenno LifePo batteries, Walmart cabin
tent, propane heater (yes it gets cold here at night).
WPX CW is my favorite contest because you can work local stations, so it makes
low power ops more fun on 40 meters. Especially without sunspots. Conditions
seemed similar to last year.
My aim was to do better than last year. QSO total was about the same but I spent
more time working US stations for multipliers, and used information from last
year's logs to know when to get serious about working DX for QSO points. The
window of opportunity is short - even for Maine. When the band closes, that's
it.
This year I tuned the open wire feed lines so they were all resonant about
7.040. This made for instant direction switching. Although I forgot to replace
the window line on the SW antenna with open wire line - of course it rained
Saturday night and the SWR went off the charts.
One thing that drives me crazy about WPX CW is that by Sunday afternoon, QSO's
become a comedy of NR? NR? and super high speed NR repeats of 4 digit numbers,
until each QSO lasts about 10 minutes - like one of the outer rings of hell.
They ought to waive the serial number for the last 12 hours of the contest.
About the field operation... Maine is my favorite place to be. But the end of
May is an exception. The surface of the tent looked like an entomology textbook.
Swarms of black flies waiting for me unzip the door. And the ticks. At one point
during a QSO there was a tick crawling across the computer keyboard. Winter is
actually easier.
Thanks to all the ops who participated. And to Bob, KQ2M, from YCCC, for help
with antenna design and operating advice for 40 meters.
Tom
KA1IS
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