[3830] SS SSB W4AAA(KK9A) Single Op LP

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                    ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, SSB

Call: W4AAA
Operator(s): KK9A
Station: KK9A

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: North Carolina
Operating Time (hrs): 24

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:     
   80:  725
   40:  345
   20:  303
   15:   17
   10:     
------------
Total: 1390  Sections = 80  Total Score = 222,400

Club: 

Comments:

Just prior to the contest, I attached various temporary antennas to the 110 foot
tower that I installed in September.  I took my transceiver out of the box,
where it was stored for the last two and a half years, and placed it on a table
in my bonus room.  Luckily, it still worked.  I ran the hardline, rotator cable
and antenna relay wire through the window and on the ground to the tower, about
250 feet away.  It had been three years since I operated this contest and well
over two years since I was on the air from the United States, so I was very
excited about participating in this event.  As the contest grew nearer, I
tested the station and discovered that the rotator didn’t turn.  I then
noticed that many of my cables lying on the ground were chewed by some critter
and that the rotator wire was completely severed.  I had used new wires, which
I intended to use later in a more permanent installation, so I was definitely
unhappy about this damage.  Fortunately it was easy to temporarily splice them
together.   I finished my antenna work on Saturday morning, just before the
contest.  I had many rare western US and Canadian sections call me early in the
contest on 20m.  Before leaving 20m I turned the antenna toward the south and
quickly found and worked Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.   Afterwards I
switched to 40m and 80m and worked most of the closer sections.   I also tuned
for multipliers when I could and after 8 1/2 hours I had worked 79 of the 80
sections.  I was only missing Quebec and I thought that would easily come later
so I just concentrated on making a lot of contacts for the remainder of the
evening.  80m was in fantastic shape and the new expanded phone segment made
operating on this band pleasurable.   My west Beverage antenna was working very
well and I was now wishing that I had also set up one aiming north.  On Sunday,
15m was open with many strong signals from the west coast, however I was never
able to run on this band.  I ran stations in the late morning on 20m with my
beam pointing toward Quebec, but no one from that province called me.   Around
1700z I switch to 40m and while looking for a clear frequency, I found
VE2/K2HVN.  He must have just turned on his radio and I was able to quickly
work Quebec for the sweep.  Of course, shortly later two more VE2 stations
called me.   I wish I had taken more off time during Sunday afternoon as 80m
was again very hot at the end of the contest and I ran out of op time.  Shortly
after the contest I removed the temporary set up before the critters were able
to do more cable chewing damage.  Thanks for the QSOs.

73,
John KK9A
john at kk9a.com


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