[3830] CQ160 CW K3ZM Single Op HP

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                    CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW

Call: K3ZM
Operator(s): K3ZM
Station: K3ZM

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: VA
Operating Time (hrs): 30

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 1627  State/Prov = 57  Countries = 81  Total Score = 1,095,582

Club: 

Comments:

Perhaps Mrs. Grant never got the concert tickets that I mailed to her for this
weekend.  But it wouldn’t have mattered anyway, as K8PO has also posted a
fine score from Maine.  Congratulations to both.

Winning a major amateur radio contest is rather like having a delicious scoop
of ice cream.  Once you’ve had the experience, you want more.  With this in
mind, I implemented a number of improvements during the last year, both on the
transmitting and the receiving end.  One highlight was a second receiver that
allowed me to tune the band (or at least most of it) while CQing.  This
provided a number of new countries and several additional 10-point contacts,
not to mention a basketful of stateside stations that I might not have worked
otherwise.

Before the competition began, the weather report was ominous.  Bitter cold
temperatures (which open up connections in power line equipment), up to a foot
of snow, and high winds were predicted, beginning Friday night and Saturday
morning.

For the first several hours of the contest, I dodged EU’s as usual, but it
seemed worse than ever this year.  Undeterred, I stayed in the low section of
the band.  My final QSO total doesn’t show it, but my rate for these hours
was higher than last year, with more NA responses and fewer from EU during this
time.  With weather on the way and an unsettled atmosphere, it was not
especially quiet here on Friday evening, and signals were not that loud from
EU.  It looked like it was going to be a long night.  As usual, matters
improved as EU sunrise approached, and I did manage to put 267 EU’s in the
log the first night.  I was able to work KL7 and a few KH6’s on Friday night,
and one JA on Saturday morning.  My QSO total was well under last year, however.
 When I went to bed, my numbers were 977    63   54 with 514K points.  I was
happy with the country total and pleased with the results from the second radio
but believed my score was low.

While I was asleep, the power went off.  Back on, then back off.  It got cold
in the house.  It was snowing like crazy and very windy.  The prospects looked
poor for making a full effort in the contest.  Even if the power cooperated,
the bad storm suggested noisy conditions for Saturday night.  I hoped my wire
antennas would hold up and was grateful to have a fine backup transmitting
antenna.

A text on Saturday from brother K1ZM foreshadowed the final results of the
contest, at least for me:  the Cape Cod crew had 350 EU QSO’s in the log
after the first night, 83 more than I had.  This meant that the Maine dudes
were probably ahead as well.

Miraculously, the power came back on and stayed on for the rest of the weekend.
 Thanks to Dominion Power, I never had an interruption while operating. 
Unbelievable.  I was back on the air at about 2030Z and hoping for a big
comeback.  As I got going again, I looked out the window.  The Bay was off in
the distance, obscurred by massive amounts of snow being blown horizontally by
a 40 mph wind.  I thought to myself, “I don’t have to go to PEI for the
contest.  PEI has come here!”

I received some nice DX calls.  SU9HP was one highlight, as was A7.  UP2L was a
welcome call as well.  I managed several UA9’s and two or three UA0’s.  Many
thanks to you guys for calling in.  You weren’t very loud this year and it was
not quiet on this end.  I was on the lookout for EY8MM but never heard him.  I
looked all over for YV5JBI and found him calling another station once but never
made a QSO with him.  Thanks to Jorge CX6VM for calling in once again.  The
multiplier total inched upward.  I wanted so, so much to reach 80, and did so.

I searched high and low for SD.  I had a list of callsigns of stations that I
had worked in all the rare states in prior 160 contests in front of me.  The
W7’s came easily (cheers, mates!) but not ND and SD.  I knew what I was
looking for, but was foiled.  Never heard a VO1 either.  Finally got ND.

As EU sunrise approached, I began to have a furious run of EU’s.  For a
while, it was like being at VY2ZM, only they were about 20 DB down!  I turned
up my keyer speed and started flying.  It’s amazing how fast your score can
climb on Saturday night when you have a total of 135 multipliers during a fast
EU run.  I broke the million point mark during this time.  I couldn’t believe
that I had scored a million points under what seemed like modest (at best)
conditions.  Having learned my lesson before, I assumed that my opponents had
done as well or better and set my mind on creating enough of a buffer that I
would stay in the “million point club” after the log checking.

The real interesting action this year may be in the multi-op category, which
offers a repeat of the famous “160 Meter Shootout” among the operators from
Cape Cod, W2GD and the redoubtable crew at the Death Star.

For me, the ARRL 160 Contest in January introduced what I shall call “the K3
phenomenon.”  With an absence of key clicks and great selectivity, operators
are wedging themselves between stations with relative impunity.  The result is
stations that are absolutely wall to wall.  Being of simple wit, I always feel
good when a very smart colleague observes just what I am seeing, and apparently
W4ZV has also noticed this effect.

I am grateful for all the DX stations who called in.  Thanks also to K5ZD,
K1AR, WW2Y and K1ZM for being great sports and providing contacts to the
serious entrants.  K2DM helped me greatly to get the second radio on for
listening, as well.  XYL Margaret took good care of me during the competition.

I was more prepared for this contest than any before and probably executed my
effort better - I just got beaten.  Time to get back to work on that transmit
antenna this Spring.  I’m ready for my next scoop of ice cream!

73,

Peter  K3ZM


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