[3830] ARRLDX CW NN3W(@N3HBX) SOAB HP

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                    ARRL DX Contest, CW

Call: NN3W
Operator(s): NN3W
Station: N3HBX

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: MD
Operating Time (hrs): 44
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:   98    58
   80:  407    71
   40: 1261   100
   20: 1376   102
   15:  297    69
   10:    6     5
-------------------
Total: 3445   405  Total Score = 4,182,030

Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club

Comments:

As always, my thanks to N3HBX for inviting me to the Poolesville farm.  Nothing
broken, no casualties, and the K3s are great on CW.  Between them and the
Orions, there is clearly a renaissance in American built (or assembled)
radios.

My goal was to beat the 2008 SOHP score.  I did that, but I don't think I am
alone.  I am sure that K1KI, K3CR (LZ4AX), K5ZD and VY2ZM will have some
tremendous scores...  Will be lucky to make top 5 in this one.

Terrific conditions on the low bands; good conditions on 20; garbage on 15 and
10 save for one decent, short lived opening to EU both mornings on 15.  

The 80-meter wire yagi is dead from before the contest, so I had the lazy H
running, but I couldnt get things going right.  Had some folks CQ in my face,
and had a lot of ??3W replies.  Ugh.  40 just kept going and going and going. 
20 was quite good with loud JAs each evening.  And I mean LOUD.  15 had an EU
opening each morning that didnt last.  

Highlights:
Working EL2DX on 5 bands - but 10 meters was not one of them.
Working the YN on all 6!
Working VKs at 2100z on 40 LP and then Gs/PAs, DLs at 1000z.
Having a station in Guam call me on 15 meters - long path on Saturday.  Where
did that come from???????
Seeing the 10Q rate meter at close to 300 at one point.
Feeling comfortable with SO2R to reliably have strings of QSOs on alternating
bands to a rate of over 100 an hour.

Lowlights:
My performance on 160 and 80 still stinks.  I need to divorce myself
temporarily from 40.
Packet: I can tell exactly when I get spotted.  And I can tell when somebody
busts my call on packet.  I can also tell when something that I'm trying to
work has just been spotted and my competition went from 5 to 25.  The
dependence on packet is leading I think to dependency on it instead of S&P
skills.
Dupes: as noted above, I had well over 100 of them.  Many of them 6 or 7 in a
row which is owed to busted spots.  
160 meter pileups are out of control.  Nobody ever shuts up.
Thinking that 20 meters was dead but then realizing that I had the receiver set
to the auxiliary setting reserved for low band beverages.  OOPS.


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