ARRL DX Contest, CW - 2023
Call: KU2M
Operator(s): KU2M
Station: KU2M
Class: SOSB40 LP
QTH: Wayne, NJ
Operating Time (hrs): 16
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
160:
80:
40: 848 76
20:
15:
10:
-------------------
Total: 848 76 Total Score = 193,344
Club: Frankford Radio Club
Comments:
Two events coalesced into making this weekend happen as it did.
First, it turned out that I had to work through the weekend to meet some
obligations. Second, my friend since high school, Doug, KR2Q, informed his inner
circle of radio pals that his linear amp had crapped out mysteriously just a few
days before Friday.
Since I didn't want any temptations to get on 15 or 10 during the day and get
sucked in and forget my work obligations, and because I felt sorry for Doug, who
sounded quite upset that he had no amp, I decided to offer him the use of my
Alpha 9500, and I'd just play around using Low Power. Doug gladly accepted, and
came to get the amp on Friday. I didn't have the time to go to his place to help
him up his stairs with it, but somehow he managed to haul the beast up to his
2nd floor shack! Motivation is a wondrous thing. Hmmm.... hope I get it back!
:)
I had never operated 40M exclusively in a contest, and since the band was only
going to be open more or less after work hours, and I had some decent antennas
for 40 (a pair of DB36 SteppIRs), I decided that I would give 40M a shot -
although I wasn't expecting much, since I'd only be running 100 watts.
Overall, though, things worked out better than I anticipated - of course,
running unassisted, I was shy on mults, but there was no shortage of activity,
and to my surprise I was able to hold a frequency (more or less) even with low
power, enabling me to enjoy some insane EU runs. My op time estimate is
plus/minus a few hours, since my laptop was found DOA Monday morning and I am
not able to access my log to assess a more accurate operating period, but it's
pretty much what I did, time-wise. Luckily, I uploaded my log right after the
contest before my laptop flaked out on me.
But the high point of the weekend was getting up a little early on Sunday to see
if I could snag a JA or VK multiplier on 40M before the sun got too high.
Conditions to JA were tough and they had a hard time hearing my 100w, but I did
manage to get my call through to a few of them, and so, was happy to put JA, VK,
and a ZL into the log. As the sun began creeping up over the hills to the east,
the band was definitely dying, and I decided to do one last tune-around before
shutting off the radio. Suddenly, who do I stumble upon but JT1CO - and he was
LOUD! He must have just showed up, and there was an immediate avalanche of the
big Kilowatts calling him - I thought it was hopeless, but couldn't resist, so I
turned the antenna up north and put my call in. To my astonishment, he came back
to me and I worked him - with the sun up, no less.
Moral of the story: as Wayne Green used to say (as in his callsign), "never
say die!"
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
______________________________________________
3830 mailing list
3830@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/3830
|