[3830] ARRL 10 WD4AHZ SO CW LP

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                    ARRL 10-Meter Contest

Call: WD4AHZ
Operator(s): WD4AHZ
Station: WD4AHZ

Class: SO CW LP
QTH: FL
Operating Time (hrs): 

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
   CW:  803    86
  SSB:           
-------------------
Total:  803    86  Total Score = 276,576

Club: Florida Contest Group

Comments:

Like everyone else has mentioned, strange conditions and noise problems.

Started contest with a nagging noise problem, that wouldn't quit.  Could still
copy signals through it, but it was annoying.  About noon Saturday, just for
grins, decided to shut off my desktop computer (was reading e-mail during slow
times) ... lo and behold, my hash level went from S9 to zilch!  Ahhh ... problem
solved!  Now I just had to deal with the intermittent line noise problem ... but
it wasn't constant (just seemed to fire up when I wanted to start running!) ...
and other "birdies" (computers in the neighborhood I presume) across the band.

As for conditions ... it was like 2 different contests!  Friday started the
usual way ... worked a lot of the "locals" on groundwave ... and Sporadic E to
the midwest.

Saturday morning, band opened up early, and everyone was worked on the "normal"
beam headings.  Rates were steady, but not spectacular.  Europe was mostly
missing in action ... worked a few EA's, EA8, CT, and one F snuck in!  Worked
one ZS and the SA guys.  VK1AA/M and ZL1V long path were a nice surprise.  Heard
V31JP running JA's ... and I could just hear a hint, of what he was working. 
Saturday evening, had a nice Sporadic E opening, and had my highest rate of the
contest.

In contrast, Sunday started off VERY slow!!  Band opened up much later, and
couldn't get anything going.  After almost 2 hours and 1 Q, things finally
started picking up ... with a few EU stations showing up.  First off, TK5KP with
a good signal and CU3AA, who at one point, was 20 over 9!!  A few more EA's and
an HA ... and then it happened ... my first and only EU run of the contest - 6
YU's and an LZ!!  (From looking at the map, I'm assuming some multi-hop to EU
... the 3rd hop into EA and the 4th into YU ... skipping right over the rest of
EU!  I thought I heard a very weak RM6A, which would have been the 5th hop.) 
Worked EU and US stations (East Coast and midwest) with antenna pointed at 75
degrees.  Band shifted over to the west later, and rates dropped like a rock. 
Lot's of "big" signals from the guys I already worked ... but couldn't find or
raise much "fresh meat".  Decided to take a break and watch a bit of the late
Football game ... sneaking into the shack occasionally to check the band.  When
I heard a whopping 3 signals on (2 in FL) ... figured I'd had enough and called
it a day early.

Happy Holidays!

Ron, WD4AHZ


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