[3830] LP Sprint W6YX(N7MH) LP

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                    Low Power CW Sprint

Call: W6YX
Operator(s): N7MH
Station: W6YX

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: CA
Operating Time (hrs): 4

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Op Time
---------------------
   80:   41    1:30
   40:   51    1:20
   20:   49    1:10
---------------------
Total:  141    Mults = 28  Total Score = 3,948

Club: Northern California Contest Club

Comments:

I remembered from last year's LP Sprint that SO2R would have really helped, so I
turned on the second radio 15 minutes before the contest started.  Then I
realized it would take me more than 15 minutes to figure out all the recabling,
where to get a second paddle, Writelog set-up, etc., so I turned the second
radio off and hunkered down for a SO1R effort.  After seeing that only 6 NCCC
members had signed up for teams when we often have several 10-member teams in
the NCJ Sprints, it was clear that rates would be low.

20 meters started off with no really strong signals coming in.  I was surprised
at how early I had to resort to working other west coast stations on very weak
backscatter paths.  A C31XR pointed north to help with the WA and OR stations
didn't help since the skip was so long that I couldn't hear any of them on it. 
Almost everyone had moved off 20 by 0040, so I dropped down to 40 and struggled
to work midwest stations who were mostly working each other.

I returned to 20 before 0100 and was greeted by several super-loud signals. 
K4QPL and K4LTA were now booming in at 30 or 40 over S9.  But the band was
quickly worked out, so I moved to 40 which was much better than before since
stations to the east had mostly worked each other and it was easier to be heard.
 I returned to 20 one final time and worked only VE9DX who answered my CQ for a
mult.

Around 0215 I noticed I hadn't made a Q in 15 minutes so I finally headed to 80,
the earliest I remember going to 80 in any Sprint.  With higher than normal SWR
on our 4-square I opted to use the inverted vee, listening on the 4-square. 
Both were very noisy and every Q needed a NR repeat on both ends.  Then I
remembered that some of our club members had recently put up Beverages pointing
east and northeast.  Noise was much less on the east Beverage, eliminating some
of the repeats.

I missed at least one mult I heard.  I ran into K1RX at least 3 times on 20
sending his callsign at the end of the exchange, so I called him after hearing
someone else starting to send a callsign.  It turned out that every time I
called him he was on the wrong end of the QSO, but sending the exchange in the
wrong order.  I never did work him.

At one point I tried answering N3BB's CQ for 3 or 4 times on 40 but he just kept
CQing even though several other stations were also calling.  He must not have
been listening to that radio at the time.

Next time (if there is one) this needs to be scheduled when there are fewer
conflicts such as Final Four, SP DX, and EA RTTY.  Many of the regulars got
sidetracked by one of these.

-Mike, N7MH


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