[3830] ARRLDX SSB N6IG(@W6GO) SOSB/40 HP

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                    ARRL DX Contest, SSB

Call: N6IG
Operator(s): N6IG
Station: W6GO

Class: SOSB/40 HP
QTH: SV
Operating Time (hrs): 28

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:           
   80:           
   40:  701    99
   20:           
   15:           
   10:           
-------------------
Total:  701    99  Total Score = 208,197

Club: 

Comments:

Well, I met one goal at least.

One "rule of contesting" used to be that, from the west coast, at least you had
a fighting chance of doing well on 40 meter SSB in DX contests due to all the JA
activity and all the European QRM.  So, in looking at the old W6 record set by
K6NA in 1995 (804 x 68 for 164,016), it seemed like a very easy target.  Also,
looking at the USA record set by K4XS a couple years back, it seemed like a good
thing to shoot for also.  All I would need is about 1000 QSOs and 85 countries. 
I thought the Q's would be easy and the countries difficult;  the opposite
turned out to be true.

I got a really good start, sunset here isn't until almost 03Z these days, so I
figured the first couple hours would be the usual frustration of listening to
European stations I couldn't work.  But conditions were really good, and I had
about 20 contacts in the 00Z hour, all multipliers in Europe.  And the mults
just kept on coming.  I never was able to CQ into Eu on Friday night, but I was
having good luck finding mults.  

Then around came 07Z, an hour and a half before JA sunset, and lots of strong
JAs called in.  But there never was any volume.  They called, but the best rate
was only an 80 hour, and the average was 15-20.  "Usually" you could count on
30-40 per hour from 08Z until 14Z...but not this year.  Also, Saturday AM was
really good long path.  9K2HN was 20 over S9...but no one else was on, except
for 3-4 European big guns whom I had already worked.  I ended Saturday morning
with about 430 QSOs and 84 countries.

Saturday night I started a bit later, but conditions were even better.  Lots of
S9+10 to S9+20 stations from Europe, very good.  And I was able to find a good
transmit frequency a couple times and get people to answer my CQs.  But that
never lasted long before I got edged off of my TX frequency.  But it was
thrilling to have an IS0 and a 3A answer my CQs.  (No big deal from the east
coast, but it is thrilling out here.)

There was the general lack of activity from the Pacific area.  Nice to work an
FK8, H44 and ZK1.  But both on CW and now on SSB, I missed "easy" stuff like KH2
and KH0.

Activity was really down at 14Z Sunday, again a great long path opening but only
3 stations on (S53M, LX1KC and YR7M).  Bored, I tuned down to CW and heard
VU2NXM S9+ and worked him.  He agreed to QSO to 7198/7053, and I called and
called him, but no luck.  Maybe 7198 was a bad QRG for him.  It would have been
nice to get 100 countries.

It really makes me feel like home nowadays to work European stations who say
"thank you for Coll-eee-four-nee-ahh" and think of our new Governator...

Congrats to K4XS for breaking his own record and for an outstanding effort. 
Again, I take a far back seat to Florida stations in my 40 meter activity.

And thanks especially to W6GO and K6HHD for the hospitality.


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