[3830] SS SSB AA4LR Single Op LP

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                    ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, SSB

Call: AA4LR
Operator(s): AA4LR
Station: AA4LR

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: GA
Operating Time (hrs): 22
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:    0
   80:  237
   40:  169
   20:  261
   15:   85
   10:    2
------------
Total:  754  Sections = 78  Total Score = 117,624

Club: South East Contest Club

Comments:

Equipment:
1st Rig:
Elecraft K2/100 w/ SSB, NB, 160m, DSP
Heil BM-10
Homebrew K1KP-style voice keyer (1 message)

2nd Rig:
Kenwood TS-430S
Homebrew 2-radio switchbox

Antennas:
Cushcraft A3S at 15m (20m, 15m, 10m)
1/4 wave 40m sloper (NE) at 12m
1/2 wave 40m sloper (NW) at 12m
125 foot 80m doublet at 10m
Shunt feed 15m tower with 13 60 foot radials (80m)
R7000 (2nd radio)

Comments:

First, I'd like to say that this effort would not be possible without
coordination by my family. It's taken a long time to get this right, the credit
goes to my wife for putting up with my strange hobbies.

While it's not my first time using 2 radios, it is the first time I've actually
had a proper setup for SO2R operation. Built a switchbox just hours before the
contest started. I can count the 2nd radio QSOs on one hand. I'm going to need
more practice to properly coordinate this.

Also hung a 40m 1/2 wave sloper toward the northwest, roughly 330 degrees.
Previous experience showed that the 1/4 wave sloper just didn't cut it into the
midwest. The 1/2 wave sloper worked quite well, and improved my 40m numbers.
Next step will be a 40m attachment for the A3S, which is about as much as I can
put on the tower from this location.

K2/100 worked (almost) flawlessly. I was amazed at how hot the heat sink would
get during the higher rates. RIg just kept on plugging away. My first contest
using the DSP module. It worked great. I left the auto-notch on all the time,
which took care of the tuner-uppers and many of the strong heterodynes on 40m.
The DSP filters also reduced the splatter and grumble. Left the DSP on the S2
filter all contest.

K2 does have a VOX insensitivity problem. Every once in a while, it would appear
to go nearly deaf. Rig could be keyed by shouting, but the voice keyer would
drop out. I think I have a fix for this. During the contest, it required the
power to the cycled on the rig, which often meant my run frequency was
forgotten.

Got off to a good start. First 6 hours, I maintained nearly 50 Q/hour rate.
After 0300z, however, things went into the tank quickly. Tougher conditions
halved my rate.

I'm pretty happy with the overall effort, though, since conditions were really
bad. Usually 10 and 15m are bustling with western stations well into the early
evening. 10m never really opened, and both 15m and 20m died shortly after
sunset. This meant everyone was squeezed down into 40m and 80m after 0100z. You
know it is bad when you hear PR and VI stations on 40m at 0100z. And when you
hear CA stations on 80m before about 0400z. Bad. The unsettled conditions made
for tough going for those guys at high lattitudes, like AK.

Spent 1/3 of the contest time on 80m! This is not my best band, as my doublet is
too low, and the shunt fed tower doesn't work much better. Even so, go a good
run there from about 0150z to 0240z, which was my best rate of the contest. My
youngest daughter asked to be tucked in bed just as the run started. I finally
did so an hour later.

Spent almost 1/3 of the time on 20m. Except for the start of the contest, never
got a good run there. 20m is the strongest band for a domestic phone contest
from this part of the country, but it depends on relatively short skip, which we
never really got. In a good year, I'd spend half my time on 20m.

Only 78 mults. Never any sign of NT at all. Only heard AK (KL7J) at 2350z on
Sunday. Called him for 10 minutes, but he was being called by half the contest
participants. 

My last Phone SS (2001) netted me #78 place, low power. (Isn't the Web results
cool?) This score isn't much higher, but likely to be in the top 50 for low
power, given the conditions. #2 personal best score, and the best from the
current QTH. Shy of the 1993 127k, but beat the 117k 1995 score from the KM9P
superstation. (Conditions in 1995 were even worse)

Heard some very big signals, especially on 20m. Some stations lit up every
segment on the very scotch K2 S-meter. Glad it has such a great AGC.

Have two pet peeves:

1) You need to send the stations call! Every time. More than once, while calling
CQ, I was actually on top of someone else I couldn't hear. This sort of thing is
common on 20m and higher, but was clearly happening on 40m given the conditions.
Some guy would answer the other station, not me, but the timing sounded right.
If you send the stations call, then it is clear who you are contacting. 

2) Got run off by a "net" once. Was at a nice spont on 40m for more than 15
minutes, then it got close to the hour. An anonymous station comes on and
announces to me that I'll have to QSY. Well, you know, I'm using this frequency,
so I ignore him. Naturally, I had to QSY once the rate disappeared. Just because
a net is commonly on a certain frequency doesn't mean they own it. 

A couple of cool moments in the contest: At about 2200z, heard someone say on
14294 "this frequency stinks, you can have it." Not hearing anything after that,
I started calling CQ, and had a good run for about 20 minutes.

A CA station on 15m was run off by a net. His comment was something like, "Come
on, guys, you leave me no choice but to QRT. I realise that nets provide
important services, but just because you happen to use a frequency over a period
of time doesn't mean you own it. It's not fait to spoil my half hour of fun this
way." Amen, brother.

Late Sunday, found W3GH (where has Dr. Bafoofnik gone, now that we need him?)
running on 80m. Called him a couple of times, but he disappeared. After about 30
seconds, I started calling CQ on the frequency. Worked one station in two
minutes. After that, W3GH comes back on, and I work him. Since the frequency
wasn't doing much for me, I gave it back to him. Turns out, he had a computer
crash followed by a phone call. Go figure.

Heard a number of SECC stations on. K4BAI worked me about half way through the
contest and commented I had nearly as good a score with low power as he did with
high. N4LR did quite well in the U category, dispite running barefoot with
nothing but wire antennas. Gosh, Gordon, having all that land probably helps!
W4ATL put in a great score from GA on low power, although he didn't beat his
record setting score from last year. Great work, Sherman!

Next time, I have a couple of things to change in my strategy.

First, I missed the early morning opening on 40m. I got on the air around dawn,
but fooled around on 80, (where I'd already spent too much time) and got to 40m
late. By then, 40m was crowded with activity. If I had gotten there earlier, I
might have had a good run.

Second, the rates late at night got pretty low. Usually, I try to be on for the
first 12 hours of the contest straight. This year, I only did 11, and in
retrospect, should have done 10 and gotten on earlier.  Rates Sunday weren't so
bad until after 2300z, probably because the bands closed down again.


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