[3830] CQWW SSB N3RS M/2 HP

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                    CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB

Call: N3RS
Operator(s): N3RS, N3RD, N3ED, N3NA, N2SR, WA3LRO, W3CF, W8FJ
Station: N3RS

Class: M/2 HP
QTH: PA
Operating Time (hrs): 48

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:   65    13       44
   80:  620    26      102
   40:  971    30      118
   20: 1627    37      142
   15:  912    31      119
   10:   52     7       16
------------------------------
Total: 4247   144      541  Total Score = 8,083,000

Club: Frankford Radio Club

Comments:

Congratulations to John WE3C and his fine team for an outstanding result in the
M/2 category.  Very well done, guys.

We weren't totally certain that this one would come off at N3RS this year. 
Sig, N3RS, had been feeling poorly, and ultimately was diagnosed with a gall
bladder that needed removal, which was ultimately done laparoscopically on
October 6th.  While this would seemingly be sufficient time to recuperate
before the contest, post-operative complications delayed set up of the station,
which had not been touched since the WAE CW contest in August.  We did manage to
get it all together on Thursday night, which is definitely too late.

Like most contests, there were various highs and lows, lows first:

- Our run amplifier on 20m didn't heed the call, refusing to even turn on. 
This one had not been used since February.  Lesson learned:  Exercise all the
gear well in advance.  Luckily we had a spare.
- Our 10/160m amplifier died at midnight on Saturday, forcing us to cannibalize
the station to get back on 160m.  We had to move the amp from the 2nd station on
20m to the 10/160 position, and finished the contest without any further
amplifier problems.
- Our host came down with the flu on Friday, and only operated about 1 hour at
teh very beginning of the contest, before calling it quits, and heading for
bed, where he stayed for most of the weekend.  (He's feeling fine now, by the
way.)
- Conditions in general were poor, we thought, especially on the high bands, of
course.  This made 20m even more of a snake pit that it would normally be.  What
a mess.

High Points:
- The two new K3s worked well.  The majority of our operators had never seen a
K3 in person.
- The pesky line noise was nowhere to be heard this weekend.
- 40m SSB is a whole new and better band.  Perhaps the troops will gradually
migrate away from split operation on 75m, as well.  We found best rate on 75
was split, as in the past.  But we never made any split frequency CQs on 40m.
- It was a thrill to be sitting in the 15m chair on Sunday morning when the
band literally exploded at 13Z with the most fantastic opening I've ever heard
on that band from PA.  It's all about the feed.  In this case, it was like
every over resulted in a single loud caller.  What fun, and the highlight of
the contest for me.

Thanks to Sig and Maryann for the hospitality.

Only 4 weeks to the Best Contest in the World - CQ WW CW!!!

73 - Dave N3RD for the N3RS Team


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