[3830] NAQP CW K7IA Single Op LP

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                    North American QSO Party, CW - August

Call: K7IA
Operator(s): K7IA
Station: K7IA

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: SW N. Mexico
Operating Time (hrs): 9:56

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:    2     2
   80:   49    26
   40:  221    52
   20:  368    50
   15:           
   10:           
-------------------
Total:  640   130  Total Score = 83,200

Club: 

Team: 

Comments:

Only 4 mults.

Rig: K2
Ant: 4 el SteppIR @ 52 feet
     SteppIR vertical (40-10m)
     Vees for 80 & 160
     (all antennas 150 feet BELOW surrounding terrain!  Canyon living avoids
New Mexico winds and some lightning, but no doubt that is a rationalization.)

SSN and SFI better this year, but I fell just short of last year's
performance--three mults and 18 Qs behind.  Overall QSO rates were nearly
identical, all suggesting that the K2 this year kept pace with last year's K3
effort.

10 & 15 were dead for me, every time I checked them.  One chap on 20 moved me
to 15, so even with a "sked" nothing happened.  Looking at 3830 reports from
NAQP gurus a few moments ago, it appears I missed a 15m opening at the starting
gate, so will check 15 earlier in the future, especially when SSNs are good. 
SSNs are going to improve, aren't they?

Because July and August are our heaviest monsoon season months, I deliberately
did not take my first break for over six hours--suppertime here.  Monsoons are
not simply rainstorms in New Mexico--we get the bulk of our annual precip. in
July and August, and storms tend to be gully washers accompanied by some
spectacular lightning displays (one started a small fire on a hilltop upcanyon
and above our QTH well after dark a few weeks ago, so our hunkered-down QTH may
enjoy some protection from the hilltops and ridge lines).  Not a drop of rain
fell during the event, and there were no nearby thunderheads during the entire
event, so spending my two hour break time during the final 5.5 hours a
challenge.

I made more Qs on 40 last year, an indicator that 20 remained active later this
year.  80 was very noisy and didn't quiet down at all.  While the T-storms
weren't in New Mexico, they weren't very far away, because they didn't seem to
bother the Midwest and East Coast ops--none of them asked me for repeats.  Many
of the signals were quite strong, though, but I still had to ask for a lot of
repeats.  I built the audio DSP board option for the K2, and it does a
wonderful job, but the K3's DSP is at least one generation ahead and has much
more operator adjustment available.  I suspect my Q and mult production on 80m
would have been better with the K3 but not more than, say, 10-15 percent.

160m was horrible.  Frequent checks for signals were disappointing.  I heard
K5GO's usual strong signal and called and called, getting an occasional "QRZ." 
We just couldn't make it.  Later, Don, W4OC, moved me from 80 to 160, and we
made it happen.  Had I not known he was at the appointed freq, I might not have
heard his call in the noise.

It was good fun, and although the addition of the higher bands and better condx
on the low bands would have added mucho more mults, I was pleased by how well
the equipment worked.  K2 is now ready to return to portable ops service, and
the K3's R&R will come to an end in the WAE.  Thanks to all for the Qs, and
special thanks to the patient ones who hung in there for my requests for
repeats.

73, dan k7ia


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