[3830] NAQP CW N6IP(K2KW) Single Op LP

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                    North American QSO Party, CW

Call: N6IP
Operator(s): K2KW
Station: K6XX

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: CA
Operating Time (hrs): 10
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:   76    29
   80:  155    43
   40:  234    53
   20:  220    52
   15:  201    39
   10:    3     1
-------------------
Total:  889   217  Total Score = 192,913

Club: Northern California Contest Club

Team: NCCC Team #1

Comments:

Thanks to K6XX for letting me operate at the last minute!  

This is the first time I've operated (or visited) Bob's new station, and I
arrived about an hour and 20 minutes before the start of the contest.  We had to
quickly modify a few things to my liking, set up the software (N1MM), and most
importantly teach me how to use his antenna switching network.  

The switching network is a home brew array and it's BIG.  It really takes a lot
of operating to learn it.  What makes it complicated?  Well, Bob has 8 towers?,
with each tower fixed on a specific direction (no/few rotators), and most towers
have antennas for 10-40.  Add in a few towers with stacked or fixed tribanders,
a bunch of 80m antennas, a few 160 antennas, and beverages on low bands too, and
you have a huge selection of possibilities far greater than any other big
station I've operated from.

Luckily we got set up with a few minutes to spare, and things worked FB in the
contest except for the occassional "how do I switch that antenna in line
moments?".  

In this contest I historically go to the low bands sooner than I should, but
this time I think I stayed on the higher bands longer than I should.  I checked
40m somewhat before 2pm local, and 40m was already hopping with east cost
booming in.  But I delayed going there for a while, as I didn't adjust well to
the different conditions.

I felt weak on 80/160 - did the east of the Rockies guys have QRN?  Even the mid
west guys had a hard time hearing me.  K8CC was about 5 over S9 on 160 and
didn't hear me at all.  I was amazed at how few W1/W2/W3 stations were heard,
let alone worked, on 80/160.  

I spent too much time working KH6BB in a quick/regular QSO on 20m, and moved her
to 15m (real weak) for 2 mults.  I heard a KL7 on 15, but I didn't know how to
switch in the JA stack on that band.  I ended up missing KL7 on all bands, which
is a first for me.  SD called in on a few bands, but I missed most of the mults
that others mentioned.  I also missed Loco on a bunch of bands, as well as
ZF2NT.  Bruce landed underneath me on 160, but I couldn't get his attention even
though he was loud enough.  Thanks for VY1JA calling me on 20m!

Thanks to all the guys that moved for me, and to K7NV who I moved to 10m at the
end of the contest... I couldn't figure out how to switch in the 10m antenna,
but I heard him faintly on what ever coax/antenna I was on.  But he didn't hear
me.  Oops.

Overall, I had a great time.  Thanks Bob!

73. Kenny K2KW


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