ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, SSB - 2020
Call: K3KU
Operator(s): K3KU
Station: K3KU
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: MDC
Operating Time (hrs): 22
Summary:
Band QSOs
------------
160:
80: 397
40: 126
20: 28
15: 55
10:
------------
Total: 606 Sections = 78 Total Score = 94,536
Club: Radiosport Manitoba
Comments:
That was almost as much fun as SS CW. I reversed a few-years' trend of
decreasing score, and my 606 QSOs is just behind my best-ever totals (2014 and
2015) from my 100W and-and-a-dipole home station. Propagation and participation
helped a lot. I was doing well into the Eastern population on 80M, something
that had slipped on phone the last few years. Finally getting N1MM+ voice
messages to play properly probably helped, too.
I made my traditional late start, at 2330Z, with a quick check of the highest
open band for any rare western Sections. The first station I found was VE4GV,
on 20M with a good pileup. Well, I'd stop for a fellow Radio Sport Manitoba
member any time, and any contest where I work Manitoba is a success, so this was
certainly worth a two-QSO wait. After that I got other nice-to-have-in-the-log
Sections: ND, WTX, NV, and SD. (I worked two NV, but not W7RN. How did he miss
me?)
After a too-long 30 minutes, plus 10 minutes to Facetime with the grandson (pics
available on request), I drop down to 40M. First station I find is K9ZO on his
way to a big score; loud. The only fancy QSO is KP2M (VI is easy, if they are
QRV, but who knows???).
Then, at 0050Z down to 80M, which turns out to be the money band, just like it's
supposed to be. Except for a little while Saturday evening 80M did not go
"very long", like it did in SS CW. At first I could not get a run
going, though VE3CX did answer a CQ for ONN, and S&P gave reasonable rate
and I nabbed VO1BQ (not as easy as I'm used to). Then, at 02Z (Sunday, UTC) I
started what turned out to be my longest-ever phone run from home: 90 QSOs at
73/hr. Sometimes that run seemed to spotlight ME, but, ominously, no MAR called
in.
That best-ever run was great, but my only other significant run was 45 QSOs
(also on 80M, at 01Z Monday). Only four other runs reached the official N1MM+
threshold of >10, topping out at 16. Three of those were on 80M, and one on
40M. Interesting factoid: my runs were not dominated by U/M class; lots of
A/B.
Speaking of 40M, many operators from the Mid-Atlantic report big volume on 40M,
but other than that one run I could not get anything going there. To get even
that little run (15 QSOs at 22Z Sunday) I had moved up to 7299 KHz. I was a
little surprised at how many people were willing to go that close to the band
edge to call me. I was surprised that >> I << was willing to go
that close to the band edge to find a run freq. (So far, no pink ticket.)
My 80M run dwindles out a little after 03Z, and then all night long it's pound
80M – CQ for a few QSOs, and S&P – with short trips to 40M to see who
has shown up. The rate starts dropping around 0730Z, but I have to push on
because I have to take a long break about 10Z for other obligations. At 08Z the
rate is so slow that I take a 30 minute break, then on again for 30 minutes. At
09Z I give up. I take a few minutes nap, then my one hour break.
With one antenna, one radio, unassisted, the most effective thing I could do
Sunday daytime was to CQ on 40M for the sparse replies and to S&P furiously
on 40M and 20M, with frequent checks of 15M for sporadic E or an opening to the
west. The 20M opening, without a beam, seemed not strong enough to give much
volume from S&P, but the loud ones were there to work (not on 40M and even
80M, like in SS CW), and I had to keep an eye out for the easy-to-miss western
and southern Sections – only one each of EB, MS, MT, SCV, SJV, UT and WY. Now
and then I'd CQ on 20M to see what would show up ("If you call a DL you
will work a DL. If you call CQ an MP4 might come back" –
K4YF/K3NPV(SK)). Could it be that one of those kind NT S&Pers would hear my
little signal, realize what I good fellow I am, and answer me? Nope. Nor AK.
When 15M opened it was as productive as anything else. CQing even brought a
short run of mostly CO and a couple of SK. I kept looking at the map to see how
far CO was from needed northwestern mults: EWA, WY, AB, BC, AK, NT (Hah!). I
did eventually find WY and AB. I found the EWA I'd been hearing S&P, but
just as I got lined up to call him the pileup started ramping up. About two
QSOs more and he said something like, "The band is breaking down. I'm
going QRT." And that was that.
So, cycle through 40/20/15M until 80M got productive again. I probably should
have checked 10M. I'll remember that for next year.
Lots of new activity Sunday evening. With no hope of the Sweep and a
good-enough CQing rate, I figured to push for 600 QSOs and hope that PE and MAR
would call in. No such luck, and I didn't S&P enough to find VY2NA.
In the end I missed MAR, PE, BC(!), EWA, AK, and NT. I usually say that the
common advice of "Don't worry about multipliers; call CQ and they will come
to you," doesn't apply to small timers. Well, this time I got these
Sections on CQ (that is, I did not get a chance at them S&P): ONN, QC, SK,
GTA.
I don't know if it's my old radio (TS-850) or neighborhood noise, but locals
with wire antennas – notably WR3R - were working low-band stations I could not
hear. ON 40M I called NX6T, who worked me and said "We tried calling you
on 80M."
I had three experiences with the Masters of Porcine Agriculture on 80M. One
fellow complained that I was too close to "their" freq. I said,
"I'm 2.4 KHz below you, on LSB!" He replied, "3 Kc OM!".
My run had dried up, so I moved. After all, I wouldn't weant to bother the
Heatkit AR-3 Net.
The second one, I called "QRL?" a few times with no reply, and started
to CQ. After two CQs a guy comes back and says "There's a net on this
frequency." Not very agile on the T-R switch. I apologized and moved.
The last time, down around 3630 I had a little run going when some guy comes on
and complains that "right between two conversations." (What – I
should move on top of them??). I said, "OK, if you identify, I'll
move." He wouldn't ID, so I called CQ a couple of times. About five guys
from both "conversations" came on freq and started calling me names.
I laughed, and announced "I'm taking my pile up down a bit," QSYed to
another hole and resumed.
I had organized my N1MM+ logging so that I could (maybe) keep my hands on the
keyboard (even though I cannot touch type). I set up messages to ask for and to
provide fills, and then I stuck little labels right on the F-keys so I wouldn't
have to think. Unfortunately, until the last hour or two of the contest, I
couldn't train myself to use those handy-dandy F-keys. It was easier, and more
natural, to just hit the footswitch and holler "Need your Check" or
"Six Zero". On phone, I couldn't even train myself to use the
apostrophe key to log-and-say-"Thanks -- K3KU". Toward the end of the
contest my voice was feeling the load, and I managed to get a little more
efficient with the keyboard.
But all that sour experience was overmatched by the fun of working old SS
friends (and saying "Hi" on phone) and welcoming the many SS
newcomers. One QSO was particularly rewarding. Sunday I got called by a KZ4 (I
didn't even know we had gotten that far into the alphabet.) He had no I idea
what was going on; he had just gotten his General ticket the day before, and he
was excited to be making HF QSOs. He had gotten his Technician ticket just a
couple of months before. I explained that there was a contest going on and
talked him through the exchange ("OK, I'm your number 2"). We chatted
for a minute, and I welcomed him warmly. He said I had made his day. What more
reward do you need than that?
73, Art K3KU
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