[3830] NAQP CW K5GO Single Op LP

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                    North American QSO Party, CW

Call: K5GO
Operator(s): K5GO
Station: K5GO

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: AR
Operating Time (hrs): 10
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:  156    41
   80:  219    46
   40:  187    43
   20:  116    43
   15:  136    42
   10:   94    33
-------------------
Total:  908   248  Total Score = 225,184

Club: Ozark Contest Club

Team: Ozark CC

Comments:

I haven't had the opportunity to work many contests as a single operator in the
past few years and really looked forward to this chance.

For the old timers...

This was my first attempt at SO2R (well, since about 1988) - this time with
store-bought, modern equipment and those Japanese, solid state transceivers! 
Before it was Drake C lines, WB4VVF AccuMemory Keyer (much later in about 1982
the K9CW keyer that would actually send a consecutive serial number), and the
equivalent of the Top Ten Devices DX Doubler, designed at my request by Dave
Pruett (now K8CC)in about 1978, complete with switching of the PTO lights on the
radios - talk about slick!  Those were the good old days when I had a trick that
few, if any, had at that time - The same days when it took about six - eight
hours to transcribe the sweepstakes logs and checksheets (let's see that would
be RTG under the 5 Column with a circle around it) using new log sheets and a
mechanical pencil after the contest was over to make them pretty and legible for
the log checkers. 

The new SO2R experience...

Without the SO2R thing going it would have become readily apparent that the off
time should have been taken off in the afternoon instead of at night and the
score would have undoubtedly been better as a result.  Issues with sidetones (I
assume that some are using a separate sidetone taken off the keyer paddle? -
haven't researced it), Really wanting to send everything manually and log with
the left hand, as usual, but not being able to do a very good job with all this
new confusion, caused me to abandon the SO2R thing after a few hours.  I knew I
was totally confused trying to "multi-task" when I asked K0OU to repeat his name
two or three times (and he is a "regular" when we operate MM in the DX
Contests... : )  Maybe it is possible to teach an old dog new tricks, and with
some more practice I will eventually become more proficient in this operation.

Other...

I think a omni directional dipole or a couple of tri-banders for 20, 15, 10 is
in order.  Single, large yagi antennas for 20, 15 and 10 are too directional for
a domestic contest from this location.   

Although frustrating to have to take off those 30 minute breaks during the
higher rate periods after dark and then try to increase the overall rate after
four or five hours of relatively low rates during the daylight hours, it was
really a lot of fun.   


Stan, K5GO


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