[3830] ARRL 10 N3AWS SO SSB QRP

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                    ARRL 10-Meter Contest

Call: N3AWS
Operator(s): N3AWS
Station: N3AWS

Class: SO SSB QRP
QTH: NFL
Operating Time (hrs): 4

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
   CW:   0      0
  SSB:  30     16
-------------------
Total:  30     16  Total Score = 960

Club: 

Comments:

This contest has always been one of my favorites.  Propagation on ten is always
interesting... will the band open, will activity be high, will I catch some of
my friends on ground wave?  The frequency is high enough that antenna lengths
are conviently short and the band is wide enough to adequately spread out all
the activity.  Even as a QRP entry I could usually find an open frequency high
up in the band to call CQ when I got tired of search and pounce.

Leading up to this event, I had limited preparation time.  When the starting gun
went off, I still didn't have a 10 meter antenna.  So I cobbled together an
indoor dipole and using the 706's SWR graphing capability found the SWR to be
1.3:1 at 28.400 where I expected most of my contacts to center.  It was
broadbanded enough to permit operation without my antenna tuner.

My main objective was to compare my Icom 706 MKIIG at 5 watts to my new Yaesu
FT-817.  I had the Icom set to my preferences already but still had some
tweaking to do on the Yaesu.  Since most of my contest operations are
portable/mobile/rover, I was comparing with those conditions in mind.

I found I prefer the Icom which is small enough to transport easily, yet has
larger controls for easier handling and a larger screen that is gentler on these
aging eyes.  Both receivers performed well and I would be hard pressed to choose
between the two rigs on that basis although the background hiss on the Yaesu was
higher pitched and more fatiquing (maybe from a smaller built-in speaker?)

Worked 30 QSOs, 9 states, and 7 DX entities.  Ended up with very limited
operating time due to family commitments.

This will most likely be my last 10 Meter Contest from North Florida for awhile
as Uncle Sam will most likely move me next summer.  I certainly hope it will be
somewhere in Florida or maybe back to Mississippi, but I don't know yet.  Do you
think you'd be able to copy my QRP signal from Iraq???

73, Jim Walroth N3AWS


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