[3830] AA4LR NAQP CW

[Bill Coleman AA4LR]

North American QSO Party - CW 1997


Date: 08/03/1997   Call: AA4LR   Exchange: BILL GA  

 Band        QSOs       Mults

 160CW         0          0
 80CW         22         12
 40CW         22         17
 20CW         12          8
 15CW          0          0
 10CW          0          0

total:        56         37     claimed score:      2,072

Team: South East Contest Club
Operating Time: 2:40

Equipment:

Kenwood TS430S running 90 watts (sometimes)
Cushcraft R7000 (40-10m)
125 foot doublet at 15 feet (80m)

Comments:

This is the first CW contest I've worked that I would call fun! Since I 
was reunited with CW contests in January 1996 (after a six year hiatus), 
most of them have been work. This time, I copied every dit in my head. 
Still have a long way to go, but the pencil appears to be history.

Operating time was severly limited due to family obligations. (Never 
schedule a family reunion on a contest weekend) I finally got on the air 
at 0320Z. Found 20m open, but just barely. The only signals on were 
NAQPers! 40m had a normal level of activity. 80m had an incredible noise 
level, but signals rang clearly above that. I suppose 160m was even 
worse, but I don't have an antenna for that band. Worked everything I 
could hear, except for XE2MX, which says a lot for this pipsqueak station.

R7000 is tuned for the phone end of 40m, so SWR was rather high at the 
low end. Rig only put out about 40 watts on that band. Even called some 
CQs and got two answers. Rest were S & P.

Many thanks for the fine operators who could decode my hand-sent CW. I 
won't call it "grotty" anymore, because I've actually gotten better at 
it. Several fine operators slowed their sending speed to reply to my 18 
WPM CW. (I can copy faster, but I don't SEND faster, at least not well) 
Some slowed after I requested QRS. NM5M hung in there sending his name 
over and over until I got it. I dunno what happened, but my brain wasn't 
working that late at night.

Great contest - I can't wait for the phone portion!





Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at radio.org
Quote: "Not in a thousand years will man ever fly!"
            -- Wilbur Wright, 1901


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