[3830] WPX CW K4RO SOAB HP

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                    CQWW WPX Contest, CW

Call: K4RO
Operator(s): K4RO
Station: K4RO

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: TN
Operating Time (hrs): 36
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:    2
   80:  172
   40:  669
   20:  937
   15:  470
   10:   68
------------
Total: 2318  Prefixes = 728  Total Score = 3,431,064

Club: Tennessee Contest Group

Comments:

What a blast! While I can't seem to work the amount of DX contacts
necessary for a really competitive score from here, the WPX CW is 
still a whole lot of FUN to operate. The serial number requires the
operator to work extra hard for each QSO, and operating skill is the
very Kernel of Contesting . The sporadic E propagation, and almost 
endless supply of stations keeps things interesting on all bands.
Packet pileups seem to be non-existent, at least to this knob-spinning
Single Operator. Perhaps the best thing about the WPX is that a competent
operator can make well over a thousand QSOs with a little effort.

Highlights this year included:

- Breaking 3 million for the first time in any contest from the K4RO station.

- Working EUROPE on TEN METERS.

- Fantastic Es both days on 15 meters.

- An adrenaline-filled final hour, with simultaneous S&P and CQing 
 everywhere like mad.  Now, if I could just operate every hour like that!


What was different from last year:

- First hour 102 vs. 147 last year. First hour was my only hour over 100. 
  This was more of a "slow and steady makes the QSOs" type of contest.

- Better DX propagation in middle Tennessee. Reflected in my score.


Problems encountered:

- North East Beverage seemed totally in-effective the first night.
  Seemed to be bi-directional, at best. Saturday night I'd had enough,
  and tromped through the woods with a flashlight at midnight. Sure
  enough, one side of the ladder-line was broken at the feed point. 
  I made a quick repair, and the antenna worked like gangbusters from
  then on. I sure wish I'd caught that problem before the contest started. 
  It probably cost me a lot of QSOs, as the QRN on 80& 40 was very tough.

- I still don't know the proper CW speed to run. I slowed the keyer down
  this year tp 30-32 WPM for most of the contest, and it seemed to attract 
  more callers. Yet, most of the Big Guns called me at 35WPM+, and I don't
  know if that's just their S&P speed. I did crank up the keyer a bit when 
  a "pileup" (3-4 stations) answered a CQ, but went back to 32 WPM when no
  one was answering my CQs. I'd appreciate any advice in this area. I think
  the biggest problem is that I am still not proficient enough on CW.

- I tried to work as much DX as possible, but the high-rate Es contacts
  were too alluring. It was too enticing to crank up the QSO number and
  work the fast NA ops on the high bands. 

Congratulations to the guys who combine the big QSO numbers and DX
points for the winning scores. Sometimes I think I just need more
hardware to score better, but I know that's not the total truth. 
I can still score better, using the hardware I have installed.

The guys at the top of this contest are some of the best operators 
around today. There is no top to the contesting mountain. There are
simply different views from each successive height of achievement.

Thanks for the QSOs!

73

-Kirk  K4RO 
 

p.s. No skimmers, CW decoders, or second operators were used. :-)


Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/