[3830] K2PS ARRL SSB SOAB LP Un

[Pete Stafford]

                 ARRL INTERNATIONAL DX CONTEST -- 2001


      Call:      K2PS
      Category:  Single Operator
      Power:     Low Power, Unassisted 
      Band:      All Band
      Mode:      SSB 
      Section:   NJ

      BAND     QSO    QSO PTS PTS/Q COUNTRIES


      160        1        3   3.0        1
       80       41      123   3.0       31
       40       81      243   3.0       46
       20      293      879   3.0       83
       15      409     1227   3.0       87
       10      637     1911   3.0       96
     --------------------------------------

     Totals   1462     4386   3.0      344  =   1,508,784



Since my amps are all in various stages of disrepair, I decided to try my
hand at Low Power.  And  since 99% of the entrants in the assisted category
run HP, and with all the recent turmoil about  packet,  the competitive urge
screamed at me to forego the TNC and actually go it alone!  And ya  know, I
didn't miss it.  Yeah, perhaps I could have worked more of the conventional,
non- or  small pileup mults, but the lost art (at least for me) of actually
LISTENING and finding the  goodies is fun.  But what's not fun is the
unfortunate, growing habit of DX stations not signing  calls for looong
periods.  And I find that I was usually alone in having to ask them for
their  callsigns - everyone else seemed to know, so that just encourages
them.

But anyway, I expected to have a pretty difficult time running EU, and that
was mostly true on 15  and 20.  But 10 was pretty good, especially high up
in the band.  Was able to work about 75/hour  for a few peak hours Saturday
AM, and Sunday about 50/hr.  Not too bad, really.  But I was  really
surprised about how well I was able to get out on 40 (vee) and 80 (sloper).
Q's weren't  easy, and some stations didn't hear me at all, but persistence
paid off, and I picked up a lot more  mults than I would have expected.
Made a  meager and futile effort on 160, but they weren't  hearing lots of
W/VE callers, most of whom I figured were HP, so I just didn't bother. 

And most surprising of all, my total surpassed last year's Single Op Low
Power winner!  I figure  conditions must have been better, and that score
won't hold up this year, but hey, I'm thrilled.

73, Pete, K2PS 


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