[3830] SS CW W2GD Single Op LP

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                    ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, CW

Call: W2GD
Operator(s): W2GD
Station: W2GD

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: Solebury, EPA
Operating Time (hrs): 11

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:     
   80:  338
   40:   53
   20:   82
   15:   32
   10:     
------------
Total:  505  Sections = 80  Total Score = 80,800

Club: Frankford Radio Club

Comments:

Rig:  IC756ProII
Antenna:  80M halfwave @ 65', open wire feedline, tuner


Didn't want to break my 44 year long string of SS CW operations.  Threw up an
antenna Saturday afternoon and set the station up in spare bedroom on a card
table.  Initial goal was just have fun and give out points, and say HI to so
many old friends.  But once VY1JA was in the log fairly early Sunday morning,
the quest for a sweep began in ernest. Can't seem to control my competitive
urges.

Note:   SS starts at 4 p.m. local time Saturday afternoon.

12 noon Saturday - locate the Field Day materials storage box and find the 80M
antenna.  Do some more searching and find about 200 feet of rope and 100 feet
of #18 nylon string.  All the key ingredients needed for an antenna party.

12:30 p.m. Saturday - scope out the tallest antennas in the back yard.  Pick
two that provide a NE/SW broadside antenna orientation.

1:00 p.m. Saturday - climb the first tree (Eastern Hemlock), there are
fortunately lots of well spaced branches.  Get to within 10 feet of top, throw
out weighted string.  It makes it to the ground

1:45 p.m. Saturday - manage to finally work the rope through the lower branches
clear to the top.  Attach one end of 80M antenna and pull it into place.

2:15 p.m. Saturday - get a ladder out to reach the lower branches of tree #2
(another Eastern Hemlock) and make the second ascent.  Climbing trees is sure a
lot different than Rohn tower!  Find my way to 15 feet from the top and again
throw out a weighted string attached to the rope.  

2:35 p.m. Saturday - working the rope around lower branches is more challenging
this time.  But finally manage to get the rope free and clear to the top. 
Attach rope to the end of the antenna and hoist into position.  Admire how good
the antenna looks with virtually no sag at the feedpoint.

2:55 p.m Saturday - unroll another 100 feet of open wire line, attach,  and
route to shack window.  Find attachment points to use strings and raise
feedline above head level.  

3:10 p.m. Saturday - set up rig and antenna tuner on card table.  Hunt around
for two to three pin AC plug connectors for the power cables (150 year old
dwelling has terrible AC wiring).  Discover paddle has a missing stereo plug
(broken and removed on trip to WRTC in July).  Scrouge a plug from the junkbox
and solder up connections.

3:45 p.m. Saturday - get everything plugged in and fired up.  Tune the antenna
up on 15M, actually hear some loud signals.  Find N2IC/5 in NM....he's 59+, get
a 579 signal report.....decide antenna is working.

4:05 p.m. Saturday - SS starts.  Make a few S&P contacts on 15M before having
to leave for dinner engagement.  

6:15 p.m. Saturday - return from dinner.  15M has died, switch to 20M. 
Discover every time I hit key the rig turns off from extreme RFI problem.  Go
out to barn, find roll of wire, cut three quarterwave long counterpoise wires
for 80, 40 and 20.  Hook up wires and deploy outside 2nd story shack window. 
RF problem solved!  But by this time 20M has virtually died.  K5ZD gets the
great ears award of the weekend for hearing my punny 20M signal.

6:46 p.m. Saturday - switch to 40M.  Find condx. have turned long and after
some S&P determine I'm not real loud (too many repeat requests).  Stick it out
for a half hour.  This isn't alot of fun.

7:15 p.m. Saturday - QSY to 80M.  Immediately feel much louder and decide to
run on 3560.  Nice flow of stations call in.  The PVRC push for a club SS win
is very evident, so many MDC and VA stations.  The mult list for W1, W2, W3,
W4, W8 and W9 quickly fill up.  Even some W6s and W7s call in later in the run.
 80M is clearly my money band with this setup.  Operate for about 4,5 hours, go
to bed with about 250 Q in 56 sections.  Satisfied the work done earlier to get
a station up and running was worth the effort.

8:30 a.m. Sunday morning - after a cup of coffee give 80M another whirl....lots
of loud stations still on the band calling CQ SS.  CQ a nice string in for 15
minutes before going to 40M.  But the going is slow on 40M and I don't seem to
be very loud.  Stick it out for an hour.

9:30 a.m. Sunday morning - decide its time to fill out the W6, W7 and W0 mult
columns.  Don't feel especially loud but get responses to CQs.  Do many S&P
assults up and down the band.  Over the next 2 hours add another 15 mults, now
up to 71.  Take a break.

11:30 a.m. Sunday morning - come back and start tuning up the band from 14000. 
At 14007 I hear a small pileup and there is VY1JA - he's a solid 579.  Three
calls later Jay is in the log!  Always amazed what you can do with 100W and a
wire.  With NWT now safely tucked away in the log, decided a sweep is within
reach.  At this stage I still need NE, LAX, SB, SF, PAC, AK, SB, VE4, and VE6
for the sweep, but activity and band condx are good so the quest for a sweep
starts in earnest. Keep S&Ping on 20M for the next 40 minutes but only find one
more multipler.  Take another hour break to do some weatherproofing storm window
frames.

2 p.m. Sunday afternoon - come back from my break and continue S&P on 20. 
Don't find any new mults, so QSY to 15M.  Hear K6ANP in SF, I call, he CQs in
my face.  Run across VE4XT, he's S-1 on 21083 or so running W6, no way from
EPA.  But continue searching.....find VE6EX, then K6PUD in SF, and KH6NF over
the next half hour.  Now down to four needed sections (AK, LAX <where did K6LA
go> NE and VE4).

4:20 p.m. Sunday afternoon - return from another break, this time listen on
20M.  Quickly find KL1G slowly working a pileup and 4 calls later AK is in the
log.  It would be nearly an hour of tuning and tuning before I find LAX on 15M
(not K6LA who I figured would be easy to find). Take another short break.

5:55 p.m. Sunday evening - start tuning 20M and find VE4VV with a huge pileup. 
Derrick is giving out number 391 and its obvious MB is needed by many.  After 
almost 30 calls I finally bag VE4 at 6:27 p.m.  Being a 'little pistol' can be
a humbling experience.  Now I just need the elusive NEBR to complete the
sweep.
My hopes are rewarded just a few minutes later when I hear NI0DX giveing out a
sub 300 number.  Several calls later and the Sweep is complete.

7:35 p.m. Sunday evening - after an hour break for dinner, return to do some
running on 80M.  Turn the dial to 3558 which at the time was the edge of band
activity and started CQing.  The rate meter hovers around 55 to 65 then next
1.5 hours, I'm still relatively fresh meat apparently with a sub 400 number at
the time.  The band continues to fill up, the space above my spot on the
756ProII scope exhibits activity all the way up to 3600.  So many VA and MD
call in....the PVRC quest to recapture SS glory is self-evident.  Decide to
continue operating until I have around 500 qsos.

8:55 p.m. Sunday evening - log N8TC for number 505 and call it a weekend.  

Its amazing how many of my friends I didn't manage to work this weekend yet
they have scores well over 100K.  SS activity this year seemed exceptionally
good and the number of 'Q' stations logged keeps increasing year over year.  

See everyone again at the end of this month from P40W in CQWW CW.

73,
John W2GD


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