[3830] ARRLDX CW N2IC SOAB HP

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                    ARRL DX Contest, CW

Call: N2IC
Operator(s): N2IC
Station: N2IC

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: New Mexico
Operating Time (hrs): 43
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:   55    28
   80:  307    72
   40:  851    96
   20: 1087   103
   15:  145    42
   10:   26    13
-------------------
Total: 2481   354  Total Score = 2,634,822

Club: 

Comments:

For reasons I can't remember, this was the first time I have done SOAB in ARRL
DX, since moving to New Mexico 5 years ago. Despite the lack of sunspots (this
line is getting old !), it was a pleasant surprise. 

80 and 40 were just outstanding on Friday night. I think 160 was also quite
good, but I didn't spend much time there - too busy on 80 and 40. Had my
first-ever Europe run from the western USA on 80 - I know, that's no big deal
from the east coast. It was great fun being able to hand out NM to some of the
2nd and 3rd tier European stations, some of them several hours past their
sunrise. 40 was also excellent well after Europe sunrise, being runnable past
11Z.

20 opened Saturday morning...with a whimper. Only the big guns were moving the
S-meter. Nevertheless, I had a good run of high-power EU stations. I think this
is where being in NM is an advantage - there just weren't many other NM stations
trying to run, so I was a new multiplier. The strangest thing happened AFTER the
sun set in Europe - 20 greatly improved. It was runnable past 22Z. This isn't
suppose to happen with no sunspots. 

15 never did much on Saturday. The worst I have ever heard it in a major
contest. 10 meters may as well have been 2 meters.

Saturday evening was a disappointment. Big thunderstorms in Texas made the low
bands almost unusable. Good time for a nap. After waking up around 07Z, 40 was
normal, meaning it was closed to Europe. However, that did give me a chance to
focus on JA, on both 40 and 80, which I had neglected on Friday night.

20 opened normally on Sunday morning, meaning that it was good from 14Z-16Z,
but not so good once the sun set in Europe. 15 was, again, barely open to
anywhere. Both days, 15 teased me by opening to JA exactly at JA sunrise, but
quickly died after those 10 minute openings. After losing hope for any QSO's on
10 meters, it magically opened around 2130Z, for about an hour.

Congrats to N6MJ at W6YI. 2.3M is just outstanding from the west coast under these
conditions.

Thanks for all the QSO's. 

73,
Steve, N2IC


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