[3830] CQWW SSB WE3C SOAB(A) HP

[webform at b4h.net]

                    CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB

Call: WE3C
Operator(s): WE3C
Station: WE3C

Class: SOAB(A) HP
QTH: EPA
Operating Time (hrs): 42.12
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:   58    13       44
   80:  341    23       93
   40:  206    25       90
   20:  805    38      136
   15:  549    30      118
   10:  117    19       67
------------------------------
Total: 2076   148      548  Total Score = 4,000,608

Club: Frankford Radio Club

Comments:

We usually run M2 in the major phone contests, but due to operator commitments
to DX locations or other conflicts, our normal crew was not available for this
one.  After discussing it several time with Bob, KQ3V, we decided it would be
better if we both operated from separate QTH’s than do Multi-Single.

I was aware of the Live score reporting beta from the N1MM reflector and have
been a long time supporter of this idea, so was anxious to participate. 
However, I could not find where in the latest version of the program it was
turned on?  The manuals or Help did not indicate how to report my score. 
Finally, I did a search of the N1MM reflector on Thursday night before the
contest and discovered the secret.  Config/Configure Ports, Telnet Address,
Other/Other Tab/Start Contest Reporting Application, whew, no big deal, just a
check mark!  Testing on Thursday and Friday before proved that everything was
working and reporting accurately to www.getscores.net.  I put several
“test” QSO’s in my log and all seemed to work and the score was reporting
accurately to the web site.  I then deleted all of the test QSO’s but it did
not clear the scoreboard, one Q was left on the board.  Panic!  Nothing cleared
it, so I did the only thing I could think of and that was shutdown N1MM. 
Watching the board, my call disappeared.  Started up N1MM again and bingo, zero
Q’s reported, I was ready to go!

While this was all going on, Wednesday, I was trying to set up my DXD for SO2R.
 I’m not a big SO2R operator, but have used it in the past to some benefit,
especially when things slow down.  Well, guess what, I plug everything in
(changing over from 2S1 configuration with two MP Fields) and no lights on the
DXD!  I pulled the cover, check the power supply, voltage to D1, but nothing on
the other side!  Man, now what?  A quick E-mail to Dave, N3RD, to see what he
thinks, probably a bad D1 diode.  OK, try to get to Radio Shack, find what I
need, figure out how to fix it, wait, I really hate all this change over stuff.
 I E-mailed Dave, do you have another DXD?  Yes, go down Thursday night, I can
pick it up.  I figure this is a sure thing vs. scrambling to fix the DXD and
hope that was the problem.  Anyway, it will buy me time to figure out the
scoring thing.  Got a second DXD from Dave and had a nice pre-contest chat. 
Headed home, new DXD fired right up, found the checkbox for the score
reporting, life is good! (My plan is to set up the repaired DXD for a CW
configuration on two other rigs.)

Earlier in the week I found out that Andrew from XX Towers would be coming down
to reinstall the prop pitch motor for the 80M beam.  I had the motor rebuilt by
Kurt, K7NV, and was anxious to have the beam back in service for the contest. 
Lots of hours on the tower paid off, Andrew got it back in business, but it is
not turning very fast.  I think we have a voltage drop issue that needs to be
fixed and all will be OK.  I kept the beam on EU and used the 4SQR for all
other directions for the contest.

What this all leads up to is a pretty exhausted operator going into the
contest.  Bob & I talked and both said, hey, we will do what we can, but not
going to be a big effort event for either of us.  Well, let me ask you, have
you ever been to an auto race?  Have you ever been to a horse race?  Have you
ever watched the Olympic races?  Have you ever been in a race?  Well, I have
now…

Welcome to the new world of Live score reporting!  The contest started off on
20M with Asia and South America giving me a decent rate for the start.  I
watched the www.w1ve.com/livescores/ web site on a second monitor I had set up
off to the right of my run radio.  The print for the score reporting is small,
so I had to look close.  I set the refresh to every one minute, so I could
hopefully see what was going on quickly.  K3WW, Chas was first and AA3B, Bud
was second and I was third in SO(A).  My score seemed to be reporting OK, there
was about a minute delay or more at times between what I showed in N1MM and the
scoreboard, but not much of a lag.  As time went on for the first hour I was
making Q’s, but both those guys were racking up the Mults and were they ever!
 I thought, it’s early, I always seem to go DX chasing in this one and don’t
concentrate on running, just keep running and I did.  My score was low, my Q’s
high, I kept going.  Bud came by at some point and I told him “Hey you’re
beating me!”.

After a while, I started questioning what I was doing.  Both the other guys
were beating me and by a lot.  I thought, no, stick with the Q’s, left 20M in
the second hour with 119 Q’s and headed to 80M.  For whatever reason, I was
able to find a clear calling frequency and listened down, and they came and
kept coming, very good runs.  Listened on the EU beverage, a lot of weak ones,
but good solid runs, Q’s were growing.  The first full hour on 80 yielded 84
Q’s, not too bad considering it is the first night and all the DX works each
other.  But, then the rate started slowing down and was seeing a lot of 160M
spots, so I started using SO2R.  Don’t know what the changes made to N1MM
SO2R functions are, but everything worked great.  I decided to just use the
manual DXD switching and not worry about the automatic stuff.  It was so easy,
just click on a 160M spot, it went immediately to my left S&P radio, changed
that radio while CQing and listening on 80M on the right Run radio.  I know
this is different than most setups, but I like the S&P rig on the left so I can
tune it with my left hand and my right on the keyboard.  When I was ready, throw
the green DXD audio switch and listen to the S&P frequency (while the 80M CQ is
going) and see if I can hear the call out station.  When the CQ stops, quick
switch back to listen on the run rig and work anyone there.  I could do the
dual listen, S&P left ear, Run in right ear, but that is too hard for me.  Then
the fun started, listened for the 160 spot to QRZ and throw the red DXD TX
switch to the left and give a call.  If I didn’t get an answer quickly, a
call or two, back to the 80M Run and CQ again.  This put 25 160M Q’s in the
log while working another 124 on 80M over three hours.

Somewhere during this time, my score passed Bud, the Q’s and the mults picked
up on 80 & 160 pushed me ahead.  Chas, was still up there, but getting closer. 
His Q’s were lower, but he had a huge lead on Mults.  It was time to do
something about that.  I noticed that 20M had a bunch of spots on it and was
thinking it might be the typical north OH’s at that time (06 -07Z), so I
check it out.  I don’t know why, but the band was open with a lot of the
regular EU big stations coming through very strong, so I started calling.  One
call and I worked one, then another, each one a new mult, as EU was not open
before.  26 Q’s almost all mults went in the log.

Then I started feeling pressure, I had not been on 40M, no Q’s, no mults, man
I don’t like that band.  So, thought, well I am past EU sunrise, maybe I can
get a run going with the EU stations still looking for 40M activity.  I tuned
around listening for a clear calling frequency figuring I would have to listen
down and came upon W3BGN calling CQ.  I listened, waiting to hear his listening
frequency, so I wouldn’t use the same one and discovered he was working
stations straight up!  Hmm, I wondered if I could get anything going like him,
moved up the band, found a “clear” spot and wow, they started answering me,
116 Q’s later, I was happy.  The bad part of all this was, I wanted to sleep,
not a lot, but some, before sunrise so I would be rested and could run a decent
rate.  I crashed for two hours, 9 & 10Z.

Woke up, thought I got to get back on that radio!  The first thing I did was
look to see where Bud and Chas were.  Well, Chas still was leading, but not as
much as I thought he would be by me sleeping.  Again, he was beating me with
his mults.  Time to get on 20M, I should have checked 40M for Asia stations,
but didn’t.  Called on 20M, move to 15M, back and forth, no good runs until
16 & 17Z on 15M (114 & 126 Q’s each hour).

At 13Z I started seeing a lot of 10M spots, so I did the SO2R thing and put 35
Q’s in the log, most EU mults.  I tried to keep running on 20M or 15M, but it
was hard with the 10M activity, so I strayed from my run strategy to get a lot
of the 10M opening mults.  This seemed to help though, as Chas was ahead, I was
ahead, it was really a horse race during this time, and boy was it fun.  (I
wasn’t sure K3WW’s score was reporting real time because the time shown on
the scoreboard was always an hour behind, this kept me pushing as I figured I
was an hour behind him.  It turns out that he was reporting real time the
entire contest).  

Not to bore you, but this scoreboard thing made the contest not boring for me! 
It made me focus and kept me moving.  I usually get really bored the second day
and have been known to fall asleep calling CQ.  The scoreboard changes all
that.  I can’t remember a contest flying by as quickly as this one for me!

Second day, the same thing, only less Q’s, 15M and 10M were not as good as
everyone has observed.  However, the SO2R and scoreboard kept me really busy. 
I was thinking K3WW was an hour ahead of me, there was no way I was ahead of
him.  So, I pushed, and made mistakes, but the scoreboard kept me going.  Slept
about 2 hours the second night, same thing, was worried Chas would get way
ahead.  I missed some 15M mults and didn’t go to 40M soon enough at the end,
but felt real good about reaching the 4MM raw score.

The score reporting showed my band information, Q’s and mults.  Chas and
Bud’s wasn’t reporting that information.  I didn’t have the opportunity
to see if that would help operating strategy, but it might.  Maybe in CQWW CW
that will be available.  

To me, the real time score reporting adds a missing element to radio
contesting.  It takes us from the isolation of our operating environment and
puts us together in an arena for all of us to see and spectators anywhere in
the world to observe.  In my view it completes the picture by answering the
question of how is the other guy doing and how well am I doing?  I had the web
page running in the house for my wife to watch and also a friend was checking
it out to see how I was doing.  I plan to share the web site with others so
they can watch contest events in the future.

Tnx to all for the hard work of developing the cutting edge real time scores
applications!  Hopefully, more people will participate in the fun of live
reporting their score and join in the race.

73 es tnx for all the Q’s!

John, WE3C
we3c at hotmail.com


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