[3830] NAQP CW VP5NA(N5OT) Single Op LP

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                    North American QSO Party, CW

Call: VP5NA
Operator(s): N5OT
Station: VP5JM

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: Turks & Caicos
Operating Time (hrs): 10:00
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:   23    15
   80:  112    40
   40:  229    51
   20:  219    50
   15:  197    39
   10:   32     9
-------------------
Total:  812   204  Total Score = 164,832

Club: Oklahoma DX Association

Team: Azenmokers 1

Comments:

I want to apologize to Bruce, ZF2NT for downplaying his 2004 victory in this
contest when the NCJ asked if anything was broken about the NAQP a while back. 
Now that I've walked a mile in his shoes, I know that you have to do more than
go to the Caribbean to do well in the NAQP.  I apologize, Bruce.  Now I know
better what an accomplishment that was for you.  Sorry for being a jerk about it
before.

Advantage or no, I am surprised by how badly I bombed from here!  All my friends
said I was crazy.  Did I listen?  No.  Did I prove my point with Bruce?  No - if
anything I proved his point to myself - which made it a useful exercise and a
lesson in humility which I admit *I* need more than most.

But let's face it, it's a ton of fun to go to the Caribbean to operate a
contest!  I definitely had a ton of fun, I get 6 days of vacation now, and will
get on again Saturday for the SSB contest.  As many of my contesting pals would
agree, "that's what it's really about" (but sometimes I think they're in
DENIAL!).  I'm definitely enjoying the trip.

The Contest
-----------
The big "Caribbean Advantage" is evident in my 10M numbers.  Nobody could touch
my QSO total on 10 meters.  Believe me, I worked hard for those 32 QSOs.  Oh
well.  I agree with Jon that the Rulemeister should reinstate the "Try 10 on the
hour" language from the old days.  It would be great if everyone was in the same
place at the same time, on 10 at least.

I CQd on 10 as much as possible during the first 2 hours.  I guess I thought
guys would listen up there.  Silly me.  15 and 20 would have been more
productive.  The first time the rate dropped below 100 (er, I guess that's FORTY
QSOs PER HOUR slower than KL9A did at NK7U), I took my first break. I SHOULD
have stayed on, because after the break 20M was on it's way out, and here I sat
with only 200 QSOs.
 
Once the high bands were on the boards with mediocre numbers, I hoped the low
bands would make up for it.  Didn't work that way, at least in VP5 on Saturday. 
>From down here, everyone in the USA was about S3 - and that was 40M - on 80 and
160 it was a rare signal that moved the meter beyond the atmospherics (S9). 
Almost every QSO in the last 4 hours was like working QRP guys in Sweepstakes
(ugh).  I'm still scratching my head on this one. (Bermuda Triangle?  Cone of
Silence?)  I'm slow to blame the antenna (Cush A4 with 40M extension) and I
think condx had a hand in it.  40 got better later, only after I'd moved on to
80 and 160.  80 never got good.  On 160 CQing was unproductive so I S&Pd those
few contacts.  It wasn't like 160 back in Oklahoma.
 
Aftermath
---------
I'm pretty sure being a multiplier (VP5) was an advantage, because I have my
best multiplier total ever (even with 10M), no thanks to operating prowess.  I
think more ops stood in line for VP5 because they needed the mult, so I
automatically picked up mults myself.  MOST of my moves to 10M were
unproductive.  Hats off to W4PA, W9RE and KL2A for smooth multi-band moves.

My old friend Dave, W6DR is here with me, and we're planning on making SSB noise
on Saturday.  In deference to our QTH, we will be TURK in VP5.  See you on six
bands.  Well, five, anyway.
 
Mark, N5OT

Gross QSO's=812        Dupes=4        Net QSO's=808

Unique callsigns worked = 497

The best 60 minute rate was 111/hour from 1824 to 1923
The best 30 minute rate was 128/hour from 2110 to 2139
The best 10 minute rate was 162/hour from 1954 to 2003

There were 197 bandchanges and 83 (10%) probable 2nd radio QSOs.


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