[3830] K0EJ ARRL DX CW - SOAB/LP

[bogus at does.not.exist.com]

                             2000 ARRL DX CONTEST
 
 
     Call used: K0EJ                                           Location:
TN near Nashville
 
     Category: Single Op All Band         Mode: CW              Power:
100W
 
     Callsign of Operator: K0EJ
     Hours of Operation: abt 39 hrs
 
 SO2R:FT1000MP/ TS930-Piexx/ICE filters/486DX33MHz/NA10.43
     band      QSOs      points    mults
     ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
     160         23          69      18  	inverted L 65' vertical
      80         53         159      35  	lazy vee(NE), 1/4 sloper
(SW)
      40        195         585      58  	2L Hygain @ 56'
      20        449        1347      78  	Skyhawk stack at 76'/33'
      15        556        1668      73       	and a C3S at 61'
      10        705        2115      78       	also 5L10M fixed west at
30'
     ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
     TOTAL     1981        5943     340      SCORE: 2,020,620
 
 
     Club or Team Name: Tennessee Contest Group

After having some good luck SOAB/LP during CQWW-CW, I decided to give it
another go during this one. Unlike CQWW, I was not highly motivated
during the week prior and I was considering scrapping my plans and trying
something low key. I asked K4RO/Kirk about his plans and after he said
"SOAB/HP" I decided to go LP and give it a shot. I set basic goals for a
personal best and 2000Qs and 2Meg. 

The weather man was predicting unstable weather for Friday afternoon. As
Murphy has a habit of doing, weather was really turning to "crap" about T
minus 1 hr. As I watched radar pictures of the mess, I was a little
worried. At about 5 minutes until lift-off, I used the basic cost/benefit
analysis my submarine CO and I would go through when deciding on whether
to conduct a potentially hazardous operation while chasing "bad guys".

"How do you feel today? Too brave to live or too stupid to die?"

We always invariably went with Option B and this was no exception. So
while under a tornado warning and a funnel spotted about 20 miles south
of us (but hey, it was quickly moving east and the radar picture showed
us in between 2 storm areas) I connected the antennas, fired up the rigs
and computer, and had my son watching TV to warn us of impending doom. We
had some rain and wind but major lightning stayed away.

The contest itself is pretty much a blur. We had been having some great
polar propagation at night on 20M and we enjoyed a good EU sunrise
opening between 08-09Z Friday nite. The 10/15M rates to EU Saturday were
good but my best hour was only 97 (compared to 110 during CQWW). I did
sleep a little both nites and skipped 2 hours of  EU run-time Sunday
morning to go to church with the family but played pretty hard while I
was on. Saturday  propagation seemed better than Sunday and no EU sunrise
peak on 20M occurred the 2nd nite.  I did work an all-time new one
(CE0Z). I finished just short of my QSO goal but multipliers helped me
reach a new personal best and my score goal. Had a few minor equipment
problems but nothing significant.

I felt pretty good after it was over. A new personal best and broke the
existing 4-land LP record from the "grey hole of middle TN". Came within
100K of a new USA record but my smugness quickly wore off after reading
K1TO's post. Great job Dan!! I'm sure there are a few others out there
lurking (K1RO???).

			73,  Mark  K0EJ




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