[3830] IARU WZ3AR(@N3HBX) SO SSB HP

[webform@b4h.net]

                    IARU HF World Championship

Call: WZ3AR
Operator(s): WZ3AR
Station: N3HBX

Class: SO SSB HP
QTH: Maryland
Operating Time (hrs): ~19

Summary:
 Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs  Mults
---------------------------
  160:          11      5
   80:         117     25
   40:          58     34
   20:         615     58
   15:         101     35
   10:           0      0
---------------------------
Total:   0     902    157  Total Score = 443,054

Club: 

Team: 

Comments:

This contest was a lot of fun. I've operated IARU seriously 3 times prior to
this one and I've never enjoyed it as much as this time. My QSOs, mult total,
and total score are all personal bests for me in this contest as well. Of
course, the great antennas at N3HBX probably account for some of that.

As usual, 20m was the main band. The others were a mix: 15m had some short
openings to Europe and I worked harder to get U.S. stations on 40-160m than I
usually do which helped the QSO totals there. I went to 10m often, even called
CQ there, but the static level was WAY down from 15 and 20m and I never heard a
single station. It seems like the stations to the south got the 10m openings
this year. I remember not too long ago, when the WRTC was being held in
Slovenia, working many of the participants on 10m. Nothing like that this
year.

A lot of stations busted my call as either WG3AR or W3AR when I was searching
and pouncing. I've gotten W3AR before, but WG3AR is a new one. Don't know why it
suddenly started happening so often. They must have missed the last dit on the
Z... I also had to stop myself from sending "1D MDC" (my FD exchange from a few
weeks ago) and think for a second about what the proper exchange was. Usually
it's the other way and I start off the exchange in FD by sending "59."

There weren't many stations that I couldn't work - HZ on 20m and 5H3 on 15m
being notable exceptions. HZ would have been an all-time new one for me but I
just couldn't break the pile (nor could many others). I never worked any Asians
other than UA0 and those off to the northeast (9K, 4Z, and 5B). I heard the JA
HQ station before the contest but never during. In Africa I managed to get CN (4
bands), TZ, 3V, EA8 (3 bands), and S9 (2 bands). I also got VK6 which is one of
the last zones that I need for WAZ (don't ask). I also somehow missed NU1AW/3 on
40m as well as a lot of DX stations on that band that weren't listening up.

I didn't have any equipment problems other than the amp occasionally complaining
that the SWR was too high and faulting and there weren't any thunderstorms in
the vicinity which was nice. The low bands were also a LOT less noisy this year
(they sounded like they do during the winter months). Towards the end of the
contest the bands were practically dead so I took the last 5 hours off to ward
off dementia and rest up from/for the past work week/coming work week.

A big thanks to John, N3HBX, and his wife Carol for letting me operate the
station and stay in their house. John usually does this contest from here but
this year he was at his new station in Poolesville, MD doing a M/S with Mark,
KD4D, and I was able to operate his Clarksburg, MD station. I have operated
there twice before and will be back later this month for the IOTA contest (I've
only done four letter contests that start with "I" from his place...). John’s
station plays really well and it was a blast piloting it for the weekend.

Radio: FT-1000MP MK V
Amp: Emtron DX-3 at 1500w
Antennas: http://www.pvrc.org/WCSD/WCSDsearch.htm and look up N3HBX

73!
Nat WZ3AR


Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/