[3830] SS SSB K4XD SO Unlimited HP

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                    ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, SSB

Call: K4XD
Operator(s): K4XD
Station: K4XD

Class: SO Unlimited HP
QTH: NC
Operating Time (hrs): 21.5
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:    0
   80:  553
   40:  330
   20:  210
   15:   32
   10:    0
------------
Total: 1125  Sections = 80  Total Score = 180,000

Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club

Comments:

I don't mind digging weak signals out of Mother Nature's QRN, but the thought of
listening to hours of sideband splatter is my least favorite aspect of an SSB
contest.  This year I found the anticipation was not as bad as the reality. 
Maybe it was the bands, maybe it was my ears, maybe it was my fourth year of
participation, but once I got in the saddle, it was fun!  

My goals were to get at least 100K points for PVRC, and if I was having fun,
try to break my former best SS total of 1001 Q's in 2008 SS SSB.  A sweep would
also be nice, but since I already had a sweep in SS CW I knew that my
consecutive streak was safe and another SS mug was destined for the top of the
microwave.  Small side story only amusing to SS afficionados -- I do keep my SS
mugs there, and at my XYL's recent birthday party, I stopped breathing when I
saw two guests grab SS mugs and fill them with "party beverages" and head off
into the midst of the crowd.  I fought the almost uncontrollable urge to throw
a full body tackle and rescue my heirloom treasures from certain death -- I
could just picture them being flung with abandon into the fireplace to
commemorate my wife's special day -- but stopped short when I realized there
was no way on Earth to explain to a non-ham why an "I Worked A Clean Sweep!"
mug could possibly have any more sentimental value than a "I Drank Beer Until I
Fell Over!" mug, and would only put an exclamation mark on the already foregone
conclusion that my wife must be a saint to put up with "that strange man!"

Back to SS.  Bottom line -- I had fun!  I got well over the 100K point goal,
1125 Q's, my best SS score yet, and my first year to sweep both CW and SSB.  I
haven't done a detailed comparison, but I think my percentage of time spent
running vs. S&P was also the highest ever. There is a part of me that wants to
believe my score would be even higher if I would just keep running even when
things slow down, but I suspect I am nearing the limits of my station and when
the rate drops into the 30's, I figure it's time to move on.

I had things set up for SO2R with the Icom 756 Pro II as the main rig, and a
Yaesu FT-857D as my barefoot second radio.  I find SO2R phone to be challenging
-- I hear a lot better in my left ear than my right, and getting the same audio
in both ears really improves my ability to copy Q's.  But I anticipated some
slow hours in SS and I figured having a second radio to S&P with would keep my
BIC longer.

Saturday morning came and I found myself going through the usual mental
checklist - WriteLog configured properly, antenna switches working, snacks at
hand (does anyone have a good SSB snack idea?  I'm thinking the secret weapon
could be the SSB Contest IV drip!).  With WX3B's urging, I limited my
"adustments" to mike gain and compression and an on-air audio check (thanks!),
and probably due to that sage advice, went through the contest without any
hardware or software surprises.  

Things got off to a bit of a slow start -- I kept looking for that mythical
clear spot on 20M and kept finding myself getting pounded with SSB splatter.  I
had a few runs of under 20 Q's and then went hunting for a better frequency, but
never found one where more than half the stations were audible without a lot of
fills.  I had a few second radio Q's on 40M, but ended the first hour with only
40 Q's and 21 mults.  Not the greatest start, but actually kind of typical for
me in the early hours.  

I dropped down to 40M in the second hour and mostly ran, but still was limited
to about 40/hour.  It wasn't until I hit 80M around 0030 that things started
popping.  I wonder if I shouldn't have gone there earlier.  I parked on 3740
and sat there until midnight, putting about 400 Q's in the log.  Probably my
best run ever, with the QSO-o-meter hitting 167/hour for several stretches. 
Boy is that fun!  I discovered my "inner auctioneer!"  

Bounced around for another 90 minutes on 40 and 80 with some S&P and a little
running, but the rate was hitting 30/hour and I decided to bag it at 1:30 so I
could get up early.  My XYL helped with a restless night and I was back on the
air before 1130, doing a little S&P on 40 and 80 and then deciding to "dance
with the one that brought me" so far and ran on 80, pulling down another 50 Q's
before switching to 40.  Had a couple decent (for me!) hours there, with 64 and
68 Q's, and then sampled 20M before going to church at 1530.  

When I got back from church, I was at the same position relative to my sweep
attempt as I was in SS CW two weeks before -- 4 sections left to go.  This time
it was NT, PR, NV, and ORG.  I was pretty confident on NV and ORG, hopeful on
NT, but wondering if PR was going to be the same problem it was last year.  At
1800, I saw a VY1 spotted on 15M and decided to move quickly and was rewarded
with a one call Q.  Ten minutes later I saw a spot for ORG and even though I
figured one would call me later, I decided discretion was the better part of
valor and put him in the log with a quick S&P.  (I guess if you use the cluster
you're not really "S'ing" unless "S" can also stand for "Spot!")

I saw WP3R spotted on 15M and tried calling him but he was very
uncharacteristically weak and mostly working central and western stations. 
Uh-oh, is this going to be a repeat of last year?  I spent way too much time
"DX'ing" him and after about 15 minutes realized I was wasting time so gave it
up for then.

It would be another hour before NV called me during a very nice run on 20 --
actually my best hour of the whole contest was the 1900 hour Sunday afternoon
on 20M -- 95 Q's.  I guess due to my anemic performance on 20M Saturday night,
I was still "fresh meat" for a lot of 6's and 7's.  Funny part was, as others
have noted, the band was open to a lot of the country on 20M Sunday afternoon,
with back to back calls from 1's, 2's, 5's, 6's, and 7's.  

A few minutes after the call from the NV, I saw PR spotted again and this time
he was S9+20.  I think he rotated the beam...!  Got him with a couple of calls
for my second 2009 sweep, and just had to text my wife who I'm sure was
humoring me when she said "that's really exciting, dear!"  At least she knows
where to find me...

I took a couple of other breaks and my total time was "only" 21 and 1/2 hours,
and yet this was my "career best" score.  Maybe next year I'll work 20 hours
and see if I can score even better!  The last three hours were all OK, with 42,
31 and 42 Q's, over half on 80, which was my "band that keeps on giving."  I'm
not sure if it was really the best band for me, or just the band where I could
hear the best due to the low noise and therefore spent the most time with the
most enthusiasm, but I'm glad I was there.  Last year I noticed that half my
Q's were on 20, but some of the locals with better scores spent more time on 80
and 40.  So this year, I was conscious of spending more time there and it seems
to have paid off.

Thanks to all for the Q's and fun!  Now, to start working on next year's
goals...

73,
Rowland K4XD


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