[3830] SS SSB VE4GV Single Op LP
rkaufman at shaw.ca
rkaufman at shaw.ca
Tue Nov 19 21:21:36 EST 2002
ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, SSB
Call: VE4GV
Operator(s): VE4GV
Station: VE4GV
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: Manitoba
Operating Time (hrs): 24
Radios: SO2R
Summary:
Band QSOs
------------
160:
80: 6
40: 423
20: 723
15: 129
10: 416
------------
Total: 1697 Sections = 80 Total Score = 271,520
Club:
Comments:
Equipment Description:
FT1000D, IC 735, DX Doubler SO2R Box
KT34XA@ 66 ft , 40-2CD at 72 ft, Inv. Vee for 80 m
DVK, CT, Preparation H
Soapbox:
With dreams of the elusive 2K QSO LP effort also comes the cold reality of
decreasing sunspot cycle and its effects on VE4 propagation. This year I
thought I was ready. My first (semi) serious effort at SO2R LP. I meticulously
studied my 2000 effort (1900 + q's)for a hint. What did I learn? I needed a
solid first 8-9 hours of 100+ qs/hr if I hoped to come close. Hit the hay with
1100 q's and then try again sunday. Last year was a shambles because of me
attending the local pro football playoffs. (They played again this weekend in
the semi final (away) and lost, so I'm glad I was in SS instead of watching on
TV.)
First hour was typical 10 M - 152 hour. Unreal- best EVER rate. BUT This year I
would NOT be burned by trying to go to 15 m right away. (It killed my 2nd hour
last year. Interesting that Bill WB0O did so well on 15, being so close to me.)
I chose to boot 15 and go directly to 20 where stations are plentiful and less
spread out. Looks like 10 m just never took off the way I hoped and I never
found a good spot on 20 at hours 2 and 3. A few 2nd radio qs. This is what
happened:
BREAKDOWN QSO/mults VE4GV ARRL SWEEPSTAKES Single Operator
HOUR 160 80 40 20 15 10 HR TOT CUM TOT
21 ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... 152/35 152/35 152/35
22 . . . 93/19 . 14/2 107/21 259/56
23 . . . 68/3 33/2 . 101/5 360/61
0 . . . 142/6 3/0 . 145/6 505/67
1 . . . 105/2 5/1 . 110/3 615/70
2 . . 14/1 34/0 2/1 . 50/2 665/72
3 . . 110/2 . . . 110/2 775/74
4 . 3/1 70/0 . . . 73/1 848/75
5 ..... 2/0 69/0 ..... ..... ..... 71/0 919/75
6 . 1/1 25/1 . . . 26/2 945/77
7 . . . . . . . 945/77
8 . . . . . . . 945/77
9 . . . . . . . 945/77
10 . . . . . . . 945/77
11 . . . . . . . 945/77
12 . . 25/0 . . . 25/0 970/77
13 ..... ..... 62/0 10/0 ..... ..... 72/0 1042/77
14 . . . 62/0 7/1 . 69/1 1111/78
15 . . 2/0 7/0 13/0 30/0 52/0 1163/78
16 . . . 2/0 1/0 79/0 82/0 1245/78
17 . . . 3/0 1/0 76/1 80/1 1325/79
18 . . . 62/0 10/0 1/0 73/0 1398/79
19 . . . 36/0 2/0 19/0 57/0 1455/79
20 . . . 25/0 6/0 15/0 46/0 1501/79
21 ..... ..... ..... ..... 32/0 7/1 39/1 1540/80
22 . . 1/0 1/0 7/0 23/0 32/0 1572/80
23 . . 2/0 27/0 4/0 . 33/0 1605/80
0 . . 7/0 24/0 2/0 . 33/0 1638/80
1 . . 2/0 21/0 1/0 . 24/0 1662/80
2 . . 34/0 1/0 . . 35/0 1697/80
DAY1 . 6/2 377/4 649/30 83/5 386/38 . 1501/79
DAY2 . . 46/0 74/0 46/0 30/1 . 196/1
TOT ..... 6/2 423/4 723/30 129/5 416/39 ..... 1697/80
I went to 20 early hoping for the amazing 9 hr 10m/20m 135,117,150,137 118
101,103 115 102 run I had in 2000. As you can see, hrs 3 (101), 6(50), 8(73)
and 9 (71) effectively killed off any hopes of coming close. By the end of the
evening I was just hoping to hit 1700 qs total at the end of SS. In 2000 I
finished with a 40 M flourish ( final 2 hrs 69, 63). This year it was like
doing root canal (which as a specialist I do for a living, so I should know)on
40 and 20M ...in other words...hard work. 24q hr! (ugh) At 46, I feel like I
aged a couple of years after this year's SS. Can't imagine what it's like doing
the LP SS thing at 60 years of age!
If that wasn't enough, I caught VA7RR at the 1600 q mark and he was about a half
a dozen ahead of me. Well, that immediately banished thoughts of quitting early.
He probably will win LP with that score (unless he ran out of time and finished
early). My closing numbers just didn't cut it. If so, congrats, he deserved
it.
One more thing:
Did any one else notice participation waaay down? I've been doing SS from this
QTH for almost 15 years and I can't remember when it felt like there was
literally NO ONE to work after 2100 UTC sunday. (and that was with 2 radios!!) I
mean, we have the Sunday afternoon blahs too, but this Sunday was brutal.
Maybe we're just spoiled up here with the VE4 prefix but that sh*t is NOT fun.
I was thinking of something new for SS. - Limiting the number of CQs you can
send!! Hook up the CQ counter to the DVK and give all of us just a limited
number of CQ's that we can send in the ENTIRE contest. (I think mine said
2700-and that doesn't count the ones I did live !) Once you use em up... NO
MORE! You MUST S&P. That would solve the Sunday afternoon "lunch/bathroom
break/NFL update/SS interruption problem. To keep a freq., it seems like we set
the DVK on rpt for 10 mins and then come back once we're done. That kind of
frequency squatting doesn't help rates or congestion on Sunday. I know...not
practical.
Look for me in the ARRL 10 M test.
Rob Kaufmann VE4GV
rkaufman at shaw.ca
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