[3830] WPX CW C4Z(5B4AIZ) SOSB20 LP

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                    CQWW WPX Contest, CW

Call: C4Z
Operator(s): 5B4AIZ
Station: 5B4AIZ

Class: SOSB20 LP
QTH: Mazotos
Operating Time (hrs): 35

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:     
   80:     
   40:     
   20: 1128
   15:     
   10:     
------------
Total: 1128  Prefixes = 610  Total Score = 1,908,080

Club: CHILTERN DX CLUB

Comments:

I've been looking at these contest reports this morning enjoying the 'Soapbox'
comments(so much more interesting than the submitted scores alone) when I
noticed a floating ad in the margin of my Yahoo mail page titled 'War Is
Coming' When I took a look at that it was about something called 'Travian'
which, coincidently, appears to be an online game which claims thousands of 
players from all corners of the world.

Anyway it was that title that caught my attention because this morning I feel
as though I have been through a war this weekend!

In past years I have put in a few hours here and there in WPX with no intent
other than a bit of fun. This occaision was time for a serious effort. Having
studied rules the 12 hours off period made it look a breeze being able to
schedule some sleep time to suit. I literally have a tiny plot with a small
tribander so the only way I can be competetive is to do a single bander on one
of the 3 higher bands. They have all been in poor shape of late but I chose
20mtrs as  there should be at least 12 hours daily operating time, in the event
we got 24 hours each day and that fooled us all. I set myself a hard target of
No 1 Asia, low power unassisted, aiming at 1200 q's and 600 mlts. I fell 72
short on the q's but surpassed the mlt target.

We are GMT + 3 hours so with a nights sleep behind me I started at 0300z. I was
surprised to find the band buzzing. Same thing again the following night but at
2230z I was too tired to continue, it had been a hard day and so was the next
one. I imagine that for the high power guys this was a magic contest, for the
little pistols,believe me, it was tough. I would say that this comment on here
earlier from N2MM sums it up .....

"I decided I wanted a challenge and I sure got one. I never felt so weak
during
the daylight..Every qso was an event. Fortunately late afternoons and evenings
made things much more tolerable. Thanks to everyone who heard my weak signal."


.... absolutely spot on! I never had to work so hard in all my radio days! I
had to scrap for every qso. Normally I can rely on being able to run, high up
in the band true enough, and get 100+ each hour for the first couple of hours
and then some more runs later. I can usually rely on running for at least 75%
of my q's, this time that just didn't happen, I just cq'd into a wall of
silence and never got a run going, guys just did not hear me. Contacts into EU
are the money points but propagation was very spotty and it needed power to
make an impact. So hands up I am a wimp. S&P'ing for most of those 1100 q's
just killed me. I am not used to waiting in line to work an SP or a YU, maybe
it's just a pride thing! Another thing too was that I never ever had to ask
for, and give, so many serial number repeats in my life, I plain wore out my
keyer!

With hindsight those daylight hours would have been the time to take the
'offtime' especially the couple of hours each side of local noon,next time I
shall take the break times on the hoof as likely 20m will close up mid evening
as usual and normal daytime contact with all of EU will be back!

About the contest - it was amazing to be hearing NR5M, WC3E, AK1W etc, like
beacons for the duration of the contest. The KL & KH boys were audible for
hours on end too. Those calls were a puzzle, I was thinking that the old school
of what we call the 'East Coast Guards', who line up 500hz apart in the bottom
25khz of the band, had handed over to a new breed of eager beavers who had put
super stations together. In fact about the only call I recognised was Fred
K3ZO!

Despite these grumbles I enjoyed myself, Dx was good even if local stuff was
hard and I don't remember ever working so many left side stateside/VE before,
that was a great path over the Pole which is not normally there for us, my 100w
does not often penetrate so deep.

Thanks to all for the contacts.

73 - Brian 5B4AIZ.

Rig - TS570 - 100 Watts. 
Ant - 3 ele yagi up 50'
Logging with - SD.


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