[3830] SS CW WC1M Single Op HP

[dick.green at valley.net]

                    ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, CW

Call: WC1M
Operator(s): WC1M
Station: WC1M

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: NH
Operating Time (hrs): 20
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:     
   80:   82
   40:  364
   20:  386
   15:  157
   10:  111
------------
Total: 1100  Sections = 79  Total Score = 173,800

Club: Yankee Clipper Contest Club

Comments:

Antennas:

160M  -  trapped vee @65'
 80M  -  delta loop @75', trapped vee @65'
 40M  -  40-2CD @75', 4-square
 20M  -  4-el @70'
 15M  -  5-el @50'
 10M  -  6-el @50'
 
 580' NE beverage

 All yagis on separate tubular towers

Equipment:

FT-1000D + Alpha 87A, FT-1000MP + Acom 2000A, Writelog, TopTen band decoders 
and switches.

I lost motivation after a slow start -- and seeing how far ahead K5ZD was when
we QSOed! My copy was actually the best it's been in a while, but for some
reason I was all thumbs on the keyboard for the first two hours. I love this
contest, but it wasn't exactly what I wanted to do right after the 8P8P trip.
Complicating matters was a series of short panic calls from my company in
Seattle making me take time off that counted as operating time. If you think
that's bad, our high-profile directors were so busy that the next board meeting
was scheduled for 2:30 AM EST! Totally nuts. The final straw was that my wife
invited company to watch the Sopranos from 9PM-10PM -- and expected me to
attend.

Once I realized that I'd have to miss at least an hour, and was only doing about
the same as last year, I settled for 1100 QSOs and quit at the 20 hour mark. I
got to 78 sections very fast, but waited a long time for VO1MP (I think I heard
him twice.) I missed VY1JA -- where the heck was Jay? I looked all over for him,
even CQing NW when I should have been pointing SW. After a while, I was more
interested in the sweep than the score.

One positive aspect is that I used the opportunity to push myself as hard as I
could on the two radios. I never stopped CQing and worked everybody I could on
the second radio. I also forced myself to copy in stereo mode by shifting my
attention instead of switching to mono. I left the door open so the house noise
would come in and even put a football game on the screen in my shack for added
distraction. It was nice to be able to experiment under battle conditions. Good
practice for CQ WW CW.

The first half was great and the second half was a drag, even though
participation and conditions were fine. I ran into that "I've worked everybody"
thing much earlier this year. I wonder if there's any way to give people
incentive to stay with it on Sunday. I get the feeling that church, football
games and family obligations weigh heavily on potential participants.

The score is probably good enough to defend my NH HP title for the sixth
straight year (did *anybody* from NH participate in that category this year???)
C'mon KT1V, K1DG, K1RX, etc. -- easy pickin's here!

73, Dick WC1M


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