[3830] WK6LA (K6LA, op) CW WPX SO/AB/HP

[KWIDELITZ at delphi.com]

                       1998 CQ WPX CONTEST


     Call used: WK6LA, West LA Contest Club, K6LA, op

     Category: Single Op All Band         Power: 1500

     Hours of Operation: 35:56

     band      QSOs     points
     160          0          0
      80         10         44
      40        471       2196
      20        934       1647
      15        111        208
      10          7         21
     TOTAL     1533       4116   X   616 multipliers  =  2,535,456

     Comments:

Murphy had the courtesy to strike sometime between my Thursday PM
check on the hardware and software and the Friday morning  check.
The short of it, about 2 hours later, after the latest version of
NA wouldn't see radio 1, was that two serial ports on my Flexport
card  had  died overnight. Fortunately I have six serial  on  the
computer, so I was able to reconfigure the remaining good two  on
the Flexport.

I  took  an  enforced break at 1800 Saturday  morning  because  I
manage my son's little league team. We were playing a team we had
beaten  five times earlier in the season for the right to  go  to
the  championship  game. We took a 4-0 lead into the top  of  the
last  inning. Out of nowhere the other team started  hitting  the
ball and we lost 10-4 to end our season.

I  was back in the chair, still with no sleep, at 2230,  drowning
my  sorrows  with iced tea. I must say the EU  opening  over  the
pole, starting about 0300, flutter and all, was enough to help me
forget  the baseball game. By 3AM local I was dead tired and  the
40  meter JA run wasn't happening, so I took a nap. I  thought  I
set the alarm for one hour later, but it turned out to be 2 and I
missed whatever 40 meter JA opening there was.

Sunday  morning 20 meters was incredibly interesting here as  the
band  opened  just  after sunrise around 1330.  I  worked  a  few
Carribean stations and then a few Europeans as the band opened. I
got to 14059.6 and no one was there. The band was so quiet I  had
the AF gain full open, like 10 meters can be. I called CQ. One at
a time, EU stations just above ESP, probably running 100 watts at
most  to a low dipole, no flutter, started calling in. I made  58
EU  QSOs, mostly new mults, mostly just over ESP, in the next  61
minutes  on  the  quietest 20 meter  frequency  I  ever  remember
having. That was fun.

503  0  pointers.  That wasn't fun. Can't wait for  the  rule  to
change next year.

73. Ken, K6LA - Ken Six Los Angeles, KWIDELITZ at DELPHI.COM
                ex-AB6FO

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