[3830] ARRL 10 W4ZW M/S HP

[w4zw at arrl.net]

                    ARRL 10-Meter Contest

Call: W4ZW
Operator(s): W4ZW & MIDDLE SCHOOLERS
Station: W4ZW

Class: M/S HP
QTH: FL
Operating Time (hrs): 10:44

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
   CW:  432    93
  SSB:  193    80
-------------------
Total:  625   173  Total Score = 365,722

Club: Florida Contest Group

Comments:

SOAPBOX:  My annual contest with the middle school kids is always a fun time. 
Started Friday evening with a small group and went well until the pizza arrived!
 Started Saturday AM with a few kids that I had to pick up, so missed the early
opening while running around.  Parents brought the rest.  Had eight kids at one
time, all with mike fright, but I did record a few on the DVS-2 CQing and giving
the exchange.  

We'd make a Q and then look it up on my world map (tks Yaesu) and discuss where
he was, and how we got our voices into this little box and all the way over to
Africa,  and why we used funny words for the letters, etc etc.  About one Q
every 10 minutes.

Thanks to all who paused to talk about your QTH, weather, time of day etc.  The
kids loved it!  The contest scenario isn't he best forum for them since after
about 20-30 Q's they lose interest because it goes too fast.  Went down to 15M
and rag chewed a bit which they liked better.

Lunch time stopped our 6Q/hr running rate.   At 13:00 local, my XYL
informed me that BTW, you're driving a bunch of these kids to Cirque du Soleil
in St. Petersburg at 1:30PM.  Blindsided again!  

So much for 10M contesting.  Did get on a bit Sunday.  Great to work so many
FCGers and many FL stations whose call I didn't recognize.

Biggest surprise was working a bunch of South Africans and South Americans
before I figured out I had the beams reversed.  Thought I was on the Europe
yagi, but was beaming SSE!  Changed things around before the kids came and
missed that one.

I think I'll get two new hams out of this bunch.


Jon, W4ZW
Casey Key Island, FL


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