[3830] K3SV ARRL 160 CW Summary (Long)

[K3SV at aol.com]

My first time to write a short summary so, if you get bored, move to the trash
bin.

Just a quick summary of some notes I took during the contest.
The band seemed better last year and this year I figured that
using packet was not worth it and, considering the poor DX conditions
we've been having, I didn't think the extra DX was worth the 
effort. It seemed that the west coast was never going to open on
the second night, almost like there was a curtain somewhere around
the Mississippi River. About 0400z things finally opened to the
west but I was never able to snag SD or AK.

I scrambled on Friday to add another EWE to the west but it 
did not perform as well as the K9AY. The EU beverage was handy
when the few DX that called came through. 

Here's the quick notelog:

2200	Start contest and first answer to CQ finds that the radio
	      and computer are not talking and I can't log a thing! Panic.
	      Fixed in 5 minutes and back on.
2224	J6A calls and I forget whether I need to get a serial number
	      or not. (didn't matter cause he wouldn't give me one, HI)
2300	Find out the west EWE I manufactured that afternoon is not
	      working.
0000	Band opens to west and find out that W7CA (Wyo) and I are
	      CQing on the same freq. (small war breaks out, I submit and
	      move off)
0127	Son-of-a-gun, N6RO starts to appear as the band opens west
	      and we're CQing at each other.
0140	Can't hold a run rate, band is weird, go from 90 an hour
	      back to 35.
0208	Band opens again to Calif and get a EU call.
0235	Strange north/south EWE is hearing west coast better than
	      any of the other receive antennas?
0251	ED1RCW calls, maybe there is hope for some DX.
0400	Rate back to nil.
0440	I don't have Xray vision, and I'm not a weather man, but 
            based on the sudden increase in noise....IT JUST STARTED 
            TO RAIN! (not good)
0500	S9 noise on Xmit antenna, hearing few calls over the rain
	      static.
0630	Every year there is one operator that insists on calling 
	      CQ right in a spot that wipes out anyone that calls me
	      and even if I move, they move with me. I don't pull my hair
	      out, not much left anyway.
0700	Appears that rain has stopped, since I am in the basement
	      and the family is in bed, I figure no more rain since the
	      noise is now back to normal.

I get a 90 minute snooze somewhere in here and hope to wake up to
catch any sunrise activity. This turns out to be no biggie, since
the conditions from my QTH did not offer anything different than 
if I would have just stayed at the radio and picked off the few that
were still awake in the US.

1930(Sat)
	Start day 2
2050	Finally hear a station west of Ohio.
2145	QRN is terrible, summer like conditions, the temp outside
	      is 65, and it's December folks.
2230	DX call from "G" land, similar to some of the early, and 
	      short, openings to EU right before/after sunset in PA.
0030	Band is back to NIL.
0130	Barely can hear W6's, no 0's or 7's at all.
0200	One call from Utah, nice signal, but nothing else from west.
0230	A call from NM, there is hope.
0300	Almost like there is an RF curtain down the middle of the US.
0400	Colorado answers, and then I pick off a few of the west coast
	      type mults that I still need and feel better about a rather
	      long night of hearing nothing.
0700	Not much left to work, do some search and pounce and pick up
	      a few. It sounds like the smart folks are in bed.
0800	Finally get just over 950 contacts and decide that sleep is
	      more important than the few that I could pick up in the next
	      hours. Decide to shut down and get some rest for the annual
	      Xmas tree hunt and decoration.

All considered, it was a good contest. If conditions were like last
year I think my goal of 1000 contacts would have been achievable. 
Can't have everything though, the other bands are having alot of fun
with the improving conditions. 73 and Merry Christmas de Bill K3SV

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