[3830] N6BV SO HP SS CW at K6TA

Dean Straw n6bv at arrl.org
Mon Nov 3 14:35:42 EST 2003


                        ARRL SWEEPSTAKES -- 2003
      Call:      K6TA
      Category:  Single Operator (N6BV)
      Power:     High Power
      Band:      All Band
      Mode:      CW
      Section:   SV

      BAND     QSO    QSO PTS   SECTIONS
      160        0        0        -
       80       25       50        -
       40      334      668        -
       20      284      568        -
       15      378      756        -
       10      216      432        -
     -----------------------------------
     Totals   1237     2474       79
               Score:  195,446

This was an interesting contest. Pre-contest propagation predictions
were for mediocre (at best) 10-meter conditions, but the spurt in
solar activity with the gigantic sunspots for the last week or so
goosed up the solar flux to keep ten meters hopping like it did at
the peak of solar cycle 23.

Unfortuntely, we also were treated to what a big sunspot can do to
propagation, with the X-class flare about 1700 UTC Sunday morning. I
was in the process of changing the second radio to 20 meters to check
that band out when I thought that radio must be dead or something.
There were no signals at all on 20! Then I returned to listen on 15
meters and I could only hear some local stations. I then figured that
we must have had a big flare. Luckily, I had a half hour left to
burn and took that time off, after which signals came back.

This year I determined that I was not going to ignore 40 meters as
much as I did last year, so I dug in and milked that band for all
it was worth. I felt strong on 40 meters -- actually, I felt strong
on all bands. The first three hours were the best I've done on CW
SS, with 295 QSOs, so things started out right.

I decided about an hour before the contest not to confuse myself
(further) by trying to do the packet thing. So I decided to do
the iron man bit in "B" power mode without packet. I hit the
second radio hard during parts of Saturday and definitely during
all of Sunday. I wondered, however, whether I should have had packet
to look for VY1JA, the only multiplier I missed, but from what I've
heard on the NCCC Reflector he was only on sporadically, especially
on Sunday. This is the first time I've missed a clean sweep in about
20 years. Sigh...

Thanks to Ken and Kay Anderson for the use of their excellent station
and for their incredible hospitality!

BREAKDOWN QSO/mults  K6TA  ARRL SWEEPSTAKES  Single Operator
HOUR      160      80       40       20       15       10    HR TOT  CUM TOT
  21    .....    .....    .....    .....    67/30    34/7    101/37  101/37
  22      .        .        .        .      32/3     67/12    99/15  200/52
  23      .        .        .       1/0     94/11      .      95/11  295/63
   0      .        .        .      29/4     50/5       .      79/9   374/72
   1      .        .       2/0     85/0      1/0       .      88/0   462/72
   2      .        .      46/1     23/0       .        .      69/1   531/73
   3      .        .      61/1      1/0       .        .      62/1   593/74
   4      .       1/0     54/1      1/0       .        .      56/1   649/75
   5    .....     3/0     61/0     .....    .....    .....    64/0   713/75
   6      .       9/0     39/1       .        .        .      48/1   761/76
   7      .      12/0     31/1       .        .        .      43/1   804/77
   8      .        .      20/1       .        .        .      20/1   824/78
   9      .        .        .        .        .        .        .    824/78
  10      .        .        .        .        .        .        .    824/78
  11      .        .        .        .        .        .        .    824/78
  12      .        .        .        .        .        .        .    824/78
  13    .....    .....    .....    .....    .....    .....    .....  824/78
  14      .        .        .      47/1       .        .      47/1   871/79
  15      .        .        .      26/0     11/0       .      37/0   908/79
  16      .        .        .        .      28/0     21/0     49/0   957/79
  17      .        .        .        .      14/0      3/0     17/0   974/79
  18      .        .        .        .      10/0     23/0     33/0  1007/79
  19      .        .        .        .      21/0     10/0     31/0  1038/79
  20      .        .       2/0       .       7/0     20/0     29/0  1067/79
  21    .....    .....     1/0     .....     6/0     24/0     31/0  1098/79
  22      .        .        .        .      17/0     14/0     31/0  1129/79
  23      .        .        .       5/0     17/0       .      22/0  1151/79
   0      .        .       2/0     24/0      3/0       .      29/0  1180/79
   1      .        .        .      26/0       .        .      26/0  1206/79
   2      .        .      15/0     16/0       .        .      31/0  1237/79
DAY1      .      25/0    316/6    213/5    335/49   178/19      .   1067/79
DAY2      .        .      18/0     71/0     43/0     38/0       .    170/0
TOT     .....    25/0    334/6    284/5    378/49   216/19    ..... 1237/79




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