>
>If you are in these numbers, how many hours did you put in and why didn't you
>do more? Would a 12 or 24 hour category change your mind?
>
>
>Ed N1UR
Hi Ed,
I'd fall on your list of top 40 scores, and I put in 35 hours. From my part of
the world, there was essentially nothing to do from 0200Z to 1100Z. During
those hours all frequencies above 80 meters were dead, the sun was up in
Europe, and the only signals you could hear were the guys in the Caribbean
worked hours earlier. To a lesser extent the same thing happens after 1900Z to
2130Z when we no longer have any propagation to Europe on the high bands and
the sun isn't up in JA yet. Other than waiting for an LU or PY to show up,
there isn't anything you can do to make contacts. This is true even with
monster stations like W0AIH with high stacks. For a single op it's pretty tough
staying awake when you're tuning a dead band. N2IC's point is well taken; it's
better to get some sleep and be fresher for a possible European run in the
morning.
There is a practical limit to the amount of operating time I can expend during
a weekend due to the nature of my job. I put in 9 hour days and a lot of it
involves heavy physical labor. My body is used to getting up at 1100Z and
sleeping at 0400Z. It's very hard to break that cycle after all these years,
and frankly I need some recovery time.
I have nothing but respect for the guys like W4PA, K5ZD, N6TJ, etc. who can sit
in the chair for the full 48. And again I don't see any pressing need to change
the rules just because I can't. On the other hand, given my circumstances I
doubt any of the top guns would operate the full 48 either. Because of that I'd
be in favor of a 12 or 24 hour format within the framework of the contest since
that has more to do with my personal reality.
73 Steve K0SR +
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