[3830] SS SSB K0OB SO Unlimited HP

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                    ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, SSB

Call: K0OB
Operator(s): K0OB
Station: K0OB

Class: SO Unlimited HP
QTH: MN
Operating Time (hrs): 24

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:     
   80:  153
   40:  180
   20: 1057
   15:   21
   10:     
------------
Total: 1411  Sections = 80  Total Score = 225,760

Club: Minnesota Wireless Association

Comments:

Equipment:
SO2R    Mark V running 300 watts on AL-811
            1000D barefoot
Antennas: Force 12 C3 with one 40 meter element @ 50 (Tuned for CW)
                B&W folded dipole at 45
S/W: N1MM

Last year was my first solo effort at SS Phone in 12 years because of all the
time I spent at the mighty KT0R. My goal this year was to walk away from the
contest knowing I had given it everything I had.

Ten minutes before the start I staked a claim on 20 meters. I quickly ran into
Hans, K0HB, and then Jay, K0QB. Jay stuck around to be my first Q and as soon
as the clock hit 2100z someone fired up a kilowatt just below me and just about
wiped out my Q with Jay. I knew I would have to QSY because the splatter was 20
over. I was really irritated but then my mind flashed back to my first SS Phone
with the big man himself, Dave KT0R. 

It was my first SS phone at KT0R and I eagerly listened to Dave run stations
using a second pair of headphones. Dave made it sound so easy. I couldn't wait
to sit in the big chair and command the run frequency. Finally, Dave turned it
over to me saying he should go upstairs and check on the family. I quickly
jumped into the big chair eager to prove my contesting ability. All those years
of listening to the big guns run and now I was at a station that was capable of
such feats. I was certain I could run with the best of them and now I had a
chance to prove it. I quickly put on the headset but was startled to hear a
wall of S9 splatter. Was it that bad when Dave was running? I didn't remember
that with all the stations calling. Surely some big station must have just
moved in beside me. My confidence level started to plummet. 

Dave returned to the shack about a half hour later to find me S&P. One look at
me and Dave asked, what happened to our run frequency? I looked at him
sheepishly saying I lost it to big QRM. Well, that's an easy one to solve Dave
said. You just need a new run frequency. In a move I will never forget Dave
took hold of the tuning dial of the 1000D and gave it a big spin. He then
quickly moved it back and forth before settling on a frequency. Then he gave
the command, call CQ! Again, it sound like a wall of crap to me so I quickly
said this isn't a good run frequency. To which Dave calmly replied, it's not if
you don't call CQ. So I started to call CQ with Dave listening. Dave kept
saying, hit it! Call CQ again! Keep calling CQ! You must be confident! You have
a mono bander and a kilowatt behind you. You will open the frequency! You must
run with confidence and the Q's will come. That is when I officially began
attending the school of contesting run by one of the most enthusiastic guys I
have ever known. 

In that split second of remembrance I actually smiled to myself. Well, that's
an easy one to solve I said to myself as I spun the dial and started to call CQ
again. Using the skills Dave taught me my first hour was 114 Q's. My second hour
was down to 87 but back up to 101 Q's on my third hour on 20 meters. The party
ended around 6:30 when 20 really slowed down and I was forced to move to 40. I
used to look forward to going to 40 at KT0R. His two element 40 beam and a
kilowatt would part the QRM. At my place the QRM didn't even notice I was
trying to move in. My 40M element is tuned for CW and the SWR gets pretty high
above 7150. I just couldn't get any sustained run going. 80 is no better. I
tried running but no one called. I often had guys CQ in my face as my feeble
signal didn't even get above their noise level. 

A little after 8 P.M. I noticed there were some spots for 20. Curious, I tuned
20 with the second rig and worked N0KK. Kirk reported he was having a good run
so I switched to 20 and started CQing. I had a steady rate until about 9:30
when the band just seemed to turn itself off. Back to 40 and 80 I went knowing
I had to suffer through the night before things would pick up on 20 the next
day. I was relieved to quit at 1 A.M..

I was back on at 6 A.M. needing MB, NL, KP4, and ND for the sweep. I turned the
rig on and switched to 80. The frequency I came to had VE4EAR calling CQ! I
called three times and he didn't respond when I noticed I was using the 40M
antenna. I switched and kept calling but, he disappeared! Oh well. I S&P 40 and
80 until I switched to 20 at 7 A.M.. That was the beginning of an exciting day.

I parked myself around 14.300 the until 7:45 that evening. People just kept
calling. I easily picked up the remaining sections for the sweep. At about 1 in
the afternoon I was really hungry and the house was empty so I had to quit to
make myself some lunch. I reluctantly walked away from a great frequency only
to find it still there 30 minutes later when I returned! The same thing
happened that evening when I quit to have dinner with the family and found the
frequency still there 30 minutes later. I used the second radio to rack up 95
Q's on the other bands but, there was never a reason to walk away from 20
meters. I am truly satisfied I gave this one everything I had. 

I learned a lot of things about contesting from Dave. Of course, there were
others who attended the U of KT0R in Dave's basement shack. I often think about
how I miss Dave's friendship and those many enjoyable hours spent with him
working the contest of the moment. SS phone was his favorite contest. His
excitement for it was unmatched as it drew near. I am no KT0R but, in some way
Dave left a little of himself in each of us who learned from him and that is
heard from us in each SS. That, I think, is pretty neat.


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