[3830] LP Sprint N3BB LP

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                    Low Power CW Sprint

Call: N3BB
Operator(s): N3BB
Station: N3BB

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: Austin, TX
Operating Time (hrs): 4
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Op Time
---------------------
   80:   46        
   40:   68        
   20:   59        
---------------------
Total:  173    Mults = 32  Total Score = 5,536

Club: Central Texas DX and Contest Club

Comments:

Wow, what a great start, and then what a terrible ending!  My Team was the
Austin Powers Weirdos, and it did sound weird, especislly the last two hours.

My hourly rates were 70, 48, 36, and a blistering 19 the last hour.  I literally
could not find any new stations to work toward the end.  My last three QSOs were
at 0345, 0351, and 0358.  The one at 0345 was with K6VVA, and I sweated that one
because Rick was the only station constantly ahead of me the whole way through. 
He gave me a #164, and I felt I finally had him.  Then, reading his Poisson de
Avril sort of write-up this morning, my hat is off to him!  Here I am, grinding
away trying to reach that left coast guy, wondering how he got so far ahead of
N6RO, etc, and he's taking power walks and sipping left coast vino, and having a
ball.

20 was excellent at the start, and the rates on 20/40 were terrific using SO2R. 
Then, it thinned out.  40 was good, but got very noisy and I alternated between
listening on the yagis and on the beverages.  I made my first 80 meter SO2R QSO
at 0149, so I knew then it would be a slog.  80 was hard to hear, and it was
beverage-city the entire time.

My local competitor and good friend W5JAW agreed to take part in this, even
though Jim loves March Madness as much as I do.  He probably was watching the
LSU game (too bad, guys), being a former Baton Rouger, and he beat me to a
station (N5AN) in a jump ball at 0216 on 80.  Jim uses a small 80 meter antenna,
so I was scratching my head wondering if I was having troubles.  However on the
whole, my new system of three 80 meter slopers worked well, and that was one of
the relatively few jump balls I lost.  I ended up working every station I heard
sooner or later.  

Some notable thingss:

With the SP contest going on, I worked five or six SP stations and a UA3 station
on 40.  Most answered my NA CQs.  I called a couple of loud SPs who were CQing
in the SP contest when things got really slow there.  All were good about giving
their names.

Thanks to VE9DX and VP2E for pleasant mults; VP2E on 20 and VP9DX on 40.  

I called a MO station who was in the MO QSO party on 40 and finally extracted a
nr. 1 and name, but it took three overs.

40 meters went waaay long, and I thought only N6RO and the SPs were on the band.
 Of course I was concerned about N6RO with all his SO2R CQs, windering how Ken
was doing.  Then all of a sudden, at 0315, N3DXX answered one of my "hopeless"
SO2R CQs on 40, followed by a VE3 with a nr. 1, and they were both 599 plus. 
Strange.  But there were relatively few 40 meter SO2R answers to my freebie F7
CQs there.

Like K6LL said, 80 was tough, and it was where people were, I suppose.  My 80
meter QSOs were hard earned, and I never got many answers to my CQs there,
finding most people while CQing F7 style on 40 and trolling 80 listening.  I
don't understand why it was so hard to get answers on 80-probably because most
people had thrown in the towels, or had gone power walking and sipping wine!

For the last two hours, I felt that I was doing a terrible job, but my numbers
were higher than the other stations (minus the Poisson guy in W6) and so I felt
I was doing the right thing constantly SO2Ring.  My Sprint-Meister, K7RAT was in
there and it was nice to send "Tnx Meister" to him, getting a nice "hi hi"
response on 80 meters toward the end.

I had 172 Band Changes according to TR, so really worked the SO2R hard.

"Never give up."

Mults with only contact were: NH, CO, KS, VP2E, VE1 (actually VE9DX), and MO.

Thanks to the PVRC for sponsoring this thing.  It's too bad that more people
didn't take part.  Also, a continuing thanks to the NCCC for their NS practice
sessions.  They have been a big help.

73,  Jim N3BB


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