[3830] IARU N1UR SO Mixed LP

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                    IARU HF World Championship

Call: N1UR
Operator(s): N1UR
Station: N1UR

Class: SO Mixed LP
QTH: VT
Operating Time (hrs): 23
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs  Zones  HQ Mults
-------------------------------------
  160:    23     1      7        3
   80:   189    15     18       22
   40:   403     8     19       32
   20:   377   297     25       35
   15:    48    38     14       14
   10:    13    11      6        2
-------------------------------------
Total:  1053   370     89      108  Total Score = 709,594

Club: Yankee Clipper Contest Club

Comments:

The last time that I did IARU was 2005.  I always enjoy this contest for the
combination of high rates for a low power station as well as the different
summer propagation and “one shot at it” 24 hour cycle.  Even though CW is
my favorite mode, I also enjoy SSB contesting and like the MIXED category in
this one because it adds an additional strategic component that is unique for
most contests.

The station here at N1UR was up to the task.  Everything was a go and I was
rested for the solid 24 hours stint.  Propagation during the week was not great
and indicated that the only chance for JA from here was 20M from 1130 – 13Z
and that EU wasn’t overly strong (but was plenty workable) at the 12Z
opening.  Also 10M E Skip to the South East and Texas was a regular
occurrence.

I was listening about a half hour before the opening gun.  Never heard a JA. 
EU was there but the general signals were not loud.  I opened running on 20M CW
with split antennas (top to US/JA and bottom to EU).  It’s a tough decision to
“split” 150W into two 75W signals but it is successful.  I had a 100 opening
hour with 80% being US stations, no JA.  I picked off some HQ mults on 15M at
the same time.

I still don’t have “the formula” down for the IARU contest.  Is it
domestic?  Is it DX?  The running of 1 and 3 point US Qs feels good but really
isn’t score productive like running EU (when its doable).  And unlike WPX, no
mults call in when you are running the US.  So I constantly waffled between
“rate” and better score.

After a couple of hours, I switched to 20M SSB run where I had a 90% US/VE run
of almost 180Qs in 90 mins.  Felt great, but I eventually let it go in favor of
S & Ping at a good clip the 20M EU signals on both SSB and CW.

I know that there is supposed to be over 100 HQ stations.  I basically worked
the same 30 or so on 80 – 15.  

I had a great rate going on 40 CW from 23 – 02Z with over 50% of it being EU.
 I decided to make one, and only one, pass at EU on 80 CW/SSB to grab all of the
mults and did so around 0245Z to catch the most “dark” sigs.  With the
concentration required on the 100+ 40 CW running, it was going to be tough to
SO2R the 80 mults at the same time.  I was quite surprised at the first call
grabs of just about every CQing EU station across the band from 0245 – 0330Z
using the 150W and 2 el wire array.  Things were so good there that I even
tried a couple on 160 (without much success).

Rate was, again, quite easy on 80M CW.  I should have tried a little 80M SSB
running as well but didn’t.  But again it was exclusively W/VE at about 2
point average.

Took a 45 min nap at 0730Z since everything was slower and virtually all
running was 1 point W/VE.  I hoped for the “last blast” from 11Z + but it
didn’t happen.  Again, no JA.  I did manage a few Asiatic Russians in the
last hour.  Running on 20M was not producing EU and decided that constant mult
chasing was a better strategy for the last hour.

I actually feel good about the mult total (interesting note – very few mults
were not available on CW…the reverse was not the case…mults would have been
lower exclusively SSB).  And the Qs total is a record high for me in IARU Low
Power.  But the points per Q resulted in a lower score than expected.

I was very happy to hear the solid number of new US hams trying “this
contesting thing”.  Sure, a number of them had to be coaxed through but many
stayed in the game after that.  One of them duped me later.  I was his first
contest Q about 30 mins prior.  His second attempt was clean and crisp.  I
didn’t tell him “You a dupe OM…worked you at blah blah blah zulu”. 
Why, what’s the point?  No, instead, he felt good and confident.  Keep him
that way…he’ll figure it out.

See you in CQ WW SSB!

Ed  N1UR

Antennas:

160 – T Vert and Inverted Vee
80 – 2 el phased array and ½ wave sloper south
40 – 2el at 80 ft
20 – 4/4 at 70 ft and 35 ft (NE) and 2el South at 55 ft
15 – 3 el at 80ft, 5 el at 50ft South, 8 el at 30 ft NE
10 – 5 el at 70 ft and 3 el South at 50 ft

Beverages 900 ft NE and 600 ft W (on 80M, I literally can’t hear 25% of the
callers from W/VE on the NE Beverage meanwhile EU is Q5).


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