[3830] CQWW CW WX3B SOSB/15 HP

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                    CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW

Call: WX3B
Operator(s): WX3B
Station: WX3B

Class: SOSB/15 HP
QTH: MD
Operating Time (hrs): 0.3

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:   0     0        0
   80:   0     0        0
   40:   0     0        0
   20:   0     0        0
   15:   6     3        3
   10:   0     0        0
------------------------------
Total:   6     3        3  Total Score = 18

Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club

Comments:

The significance of this score is about unusual propagation, and how the CW
skimmer with some good friends created a memorable few minutes on the radio!

At about 12:30am on Sunday morning of CQWW CW, I got a text message from Tom,
NI1N who was operating at W3LPL.  Tom is a good friend, and when things get
slow at Frank's house, we have been known to engage in long packet rag chews,
or text message chats.  

Tom explained to me that there was an unusual band opening on 15 meters (keep
in mind it is 30 minutes past midnight, local time) and that W3LPL and K3MM
were on 15 meters working Asians longpath.

I sent back a very polite two word response to Tom - "Bull Crap".  

I then got a confirmation message stating empahtically that it was true,
followed by another text from Brian, N3OC stating there was a WILD asian
opening (longpath) on 15 meters.

I sent back a few more messages stating that I wasn't born yesterday, that was
impossible, and I'm not going to go downstairs so the two bored 80m operators
can have a good laugh at my expense.

Brian then rattled off a half dozen of the call signs Frank and Ty were working
and I gave in, went downstairs, turned on 15 meters, and cranked the antenna to
the southeast.  

With an SSB filter in line, I quickly found W3LPL's run frequency and there
were signals ALL over the place.  Yes, they were JAs, HL's, even B7M and
another B7 around....and one PT5 who was feasting on the unusual opening!!

I listened to W3LPL run JA after JA - some very readable, some floating in and
out of the noise.  I pounced on my friend Naomi, JA7NVF who had a very good
signal.  I pounced on a few more JAs including JA3YBK who was BOOMING in.  I
tried to work B7M and a DX2 station without any success.

Part of the reason I'm writing this on 3830 is so that when I look back years
from now, I won't think of it as a dream.  Even when I was hearing all this on
the radio, I couldn't believe my ears.

Frank, W3LPL and Ty, K3MM just happened to be sitting by their skimmer output
and they saw a skimmer spotting Asia on 15 meters past midnight.  They looked
at each other in disbelief, then RACED over and put the headphones on.  

I believe that W3LPL put 60 Asian QSOs in the log in about an hour.

It was a band opening I'll NEVER forget, thanks to Tom NI1N and Brian N3OC for
letting me know about it.

Ham radio - it's STILL magic!

73,

Jim  WX3B


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