[3830] SS SSB KP2TM(K9TM) Single Op HP

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                    ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, SSB

Call: KP2TM
Operator(s): K9TM
Station: KP2TM

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: 
Operating Time (hrs): 24

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:    0
   80:  289
   40:  337
   20:  729
   15:  576
   10:    1
------------
Total: 1932  Sections = 80  Total Score = 309,120

Club: Mad River Radio Club

Comments:

The first contest from the new QTH.  At the beginning of Sept 2005 there was
nothing radio at this QTH.  After a week of work on the island (in Sep) the
towers were set and the antennas mounted.  This trip I had to build the inside
portion and finish up some work on the antennas/rotors.  Things seemed to work
well.  It's always hard from an unknown station to know how things are going to
work out.  You're not sure what the station is capable of and you don't have the
experience for the area.

I had hoped that the first 6 hours would have rates around 150.  However, it
didn't work out that way.  The first hour was a 144 (despite being on freq
before the contest to "warm-up" the freq).  This started things on kind of a
bummer since my first hour at W0GU was a 180 a few years ago.  Twenty seemed to
dry up in a hurry so mid way thru the second hour it was a trip to 15m.  That
dried up by the end of the second hour and so it was back to 20m.  By the end of
the third hour, 20m was toast for me.  I couldn't hold a freq and tried to s&p a
few guys before hopping bands again but was getting beat out to the west coast
guys I heard CQ'ing by other mainland guys.  So during hour four it was off to
40m to see if I could make it go there... nope (hour 4 was a disaster and
despite Q's on 3 bands only yielded 46 QSO's...ouch!).  So I looked at 80m and
heard signals from the appropriate audience areas and found a freq on 80m.  It
was mostly 80m and some 40m the rest of the night.  When retiring for the night
I only had two good pieces of info: I already had the sweep; I was ahead of WP3R
(although others were ahead of me).  The morning started off much better than
the evening ended.  The rate was back to respectable levels (90s-low 100s) on
20m then 15m.  I kept looking to 10m but I never heard it open or could make it
go.

Thanks to K8CC for making the trip with me in Sep and spending so much time on
the towers.  Also, thanks to Dave for all the time we spent bouncing ideas
around about building this station.

Thanks to everyone for all the QSO's.  I'm already planning and looking forward
to SS SSB 2006.
73 Tim


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