[3830] NAQP SSB WZ3AR SO

[Nat Heatwole]

                                 North America QSO Party - SSB

Call : WZ3AR
Operator(s) : WZ3AR
Station : WZ3AR

Class : SOAB LP
QTH : MD
Operating Time : 10 hours

Contest Dates: Jan 20, 2000 - Jan 21, 2000
Power : 100w
Radios : SO1R

SUMMARY:
Band          QSOs          Mults          % of Score
-------------------------------------------------
160m:         70                25             13.0%
80m:           162              42             26.1%
40m:           65                25             12.6%
20m:           139              39             23.0%
15m:           90                30             16.1%
10m:           53                17             9.2%
-------------------------------------------------
Total:          579     *       178    =     103,062

FINAL SCORE: 103,062
CLUB/TEAM: PVRC is club, no team in this particular contest

COMMENTS:
---------------
This was a very fun contest! Set out trying to beat my score of about 65,000
that I set in the August, 1999 SSB NAQP and managed to beat it three
different ways (more QSOs, more mults, and more overall score). I do have a
better station now and band condition may have been a little better this
time, so that might account for some of it, HI HI.

I got a late start due to other obligations, so I had to take the first 2hrs
as my off time. Big no-no. Missed a ton of 10m/15m stuff including "easy"
QSO's and mults. Looking back, I probability should have spent more time on
10m at the start of the contest. MD becomes a LOT rarer when K3MM is out of
state doing a VHF contest the same weekend. In the last NAQP no one asked me
for a move, yet in this one it happened more often then I could count. I
only worked one other MD station. Really neat to have some very famous
contesters ask for a QSY.

I really like the set-up of NAQP. Good activity and the name exchange, no
packet, and LP aspects make it very friendly. The Chads, Al's, and George's
were comical as well. How come none of you were using the name "Dimple"? It
seams that some people still need to learn when and how to identify without
phonetics. It has its place, but when you have a 2x3 call and there's
S9+20db noise sending your call at 120wpm non-phonetically just doesn't seem
like good operating practice. Only DX worked was N3HXQ/KL7 on 10m, KH6ND on
10m/15m, and 3 XE QSOs. Someone could really rack up a score from a rare
Caribbean Island during this one. Thanks a lot to WJ1Z for pulling me out on
15m and for QSO's on 5 bands, WE2A for pulling me out on 15m and 20m, and to
K6LL for getting me on 80m.

Before the contest I didn't know that the 80m vertical would load on 160m,
but 2/3 of the way through the test I got tired of 20/40/80m and found that
it would load via. a tuner. Had never transmitted on 160m before but was
glad I did as it came to represent 13% of my overall score. Had S9+10db
noise on 40m and S9 snow static on 20m, but other then that everything
worked well and nothing broke. Bands in order from worst to least were 10,
40, 160, 15, 20, 80. See you next year!

EQUIPTMENT:
-----------------
10m/15m/20m : Mosley PRO-47B-40 Seven Element Tribander @ 65ft
                40m : Mosley PRO-47B-40 (Rotatable Dipole) @ 65ft  -OR-
                         90ft Vertical with 4, 90 foot Elevated Radials
               80m : 90ft Vertical with 4, 90ft Elevated Radials  -OR-  1/2w
Dipole
                          pointed NE/SW @ 55ft
              160m : 90ft Vertical with 4, 90ft Elevated Radials
              Radio : FT-920 @ 100w

73, Nat, WZ3AR
heatwole at clark.net
Damascus, MD


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