WA7BNM CQWW CW SOLP

[Bruce Horn]

               1996 CQ Worldwide CW

    Call: WA7BNM
Category: Single Op, Low Power
          Unassisted, All Band
Location: S.Calif

Operating Time: 24 hrs

Band          Q          Z          C          D
-----------------------------------------------------
160           1          1          1          0
 80          36         18         22          0
 40         184         27         55          4
 20         321         29         66          8
 15         182         26         47          4
 10          16          9          8          0
-----------------------------------------------------
            740        110        199         16

Score: 627,579

Antennas:
 160m - None
  80m - Rotatable dipole at 100 ft
  40m - 3-el yagi at 90 ft
  20/15/10m - Stacked tribanders at 105 and 72 ft

Comments:
  First time ever in this contest -- lack of CW skills, but mainly
  have always been in Chicago for an annual meeting that is always
  the week after Thanksgiving. Tried to work on my CW in contests
  earlier in the year to get ready for this. The sun spots should
  be in full bloom by the next time I get another chance at this one.

  40m CW is so much more enjoyable than 40m SSB. Going from a dipole
  to 3-el on 40 was the best antenna investment I've ever made, even
  if it is a "shorty."

  Had a 90 hour on 20m late Saturday afternoon for my best run. 15m
  didn't yield the Qs that it did in the 96 SSB CQWW.

  Went to 10m Saturday afternoon and heard nothing. Decided to CQ for
  a few minutes to see if I could at least get a local mult. N2RM
  answered my first CQ for zone 5, followed by K5NA for zone 4, followed
  by a local for zone 3 -- I was a happy camper! Other than a KH6 later,
  that was it for 10m on Saturday. Returned on Sunday to actually work a
  few DX stations, but everyone was dirt weak.

  Highlight of the contest was working XZ1N on 80m 49 minutes after
  my sunrise. While tuning 80m, I heard another West Coaster giving his
  call. When I stopped to check out who he was calling, I heard the XZ
  calling CQ, but not hearing the other guy. I think I dumped my call in
  once or twice, but the XZ came back to some DX I couldn't hear. Seemed
  to be someone the op knew, because the contact became a CW QSO about
  how the XZ operation was going, etc. I was sitting there thinking about
  losing propagation and fearing that he would be spotted on Packet at
  any second, and the hungry hordes of contesters and DXers would descend
  upon him. After what seemed like an eternity, the op ended the QSO and
  called CQ contest again. Amazingly, there was still just the other guy
  and me. I dumped in my call, and he heard me! Wow, XZ in the log. Made
  for a nice Sunday.

73 de Bruce, WA7BNM   (bhorn at netcom.com)



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