96 CQ WPX SSB - 10 Meters

[HENRYPOL at aol.com]

SPECIAL NOTE: If your score was over 10K, don't even bother to read this.

Call: WB4HFL
Mode: SSB
Category: Single Operator-Low Power
Band: 10 (only)
QSO: 65
QSO Pts: 188
Pts/Q: 2.9
Prefixes: 35      
Score: 6580
Time: 19.5 hours! (that's right, see below)

Equipment: TS850, TS830, Heil HC4, JPS NIR-10, Ameco PT-3 preamp, 4 ele. at
50 ft. (hanging in tree, no tower to distort pattern!) fixed South, 3 ele. at
55 ft. (in another tree) fixed WSW.

Looking at all of the all-band scores, it looks like just about everyone gave
up on 10 meters.  Propogation, when it existed, was only to the South.  I was
never able to get any type of run going, so S&Ped pretty much the whole time.

Missed 4 multipliers Friday night when I decided not to break into a group of
 local rag chewers.  Lesson Learned!!  I did hear KP4XS and KE5FI for a brief
time Saturday but could not get them to hear me.  Only worked two stateside
stations, a W4 in VA and a local WB4 here in Raleigh.  Everything else was in
South America, mostly Argentina (40 LUs).

Althought CT says I only worked 6.8 hours, there was a lot of time spent
listening to atmospheric noise and stations I had already worked.  0000 -
0300, Friday night, couple of local ragchewers, nothing else!  1200 - 1400
Saturday morning, a few weak meteor (comet?) scatter bursts, nothing else!!
 1600 - 2200 Saturday, rates were 6, 12, 9, 13, & 2 (eat your heart out
guys!, hi).  0000 - 0300 Saturday night, NO local ragchewers, NOTHING ELSE!!!
 1200 - 1400 Sunday morning, a few short bursts, someone's 20 meter 2nd
harmonic (verified with second rig), nothing else!!!!  1730 - 2100 Sunday,
rates were 9, 9, 3, 2!  2300 - 2345 Sunday, nothing new heard, I QUIT!  

73,
Henry Pollock - WB4HFL
henrypol at aol.com