[3830] ARRLDX CW KV4FZ SOSB/160 LP

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                    ARRL DX Contest, CW

Call: KV4FZ
Operator(s): KV4FZ
Station: KV4FZ

Class: SOSB/160 LP
QTH: U.S. Virgin Islands
Operating Time (hrs): 21.5

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:  664    58
   80:           
   40:           
   20:           
   15:           
   10:           
-------------------
Total:  664    58  Total Score = 115,536

Club: 

Comments:

Excellent conditions to most of North America with the West Coast coming in
before their local sunset.  The noise was low on the West, Northwest and North
North West Beverages....but where were the participants?  Sometimes would call
CQ for an hour before a reply and even S&P didn't find much except the few
Caribbean Basin regulars super stations. The first night was fun until I fell a
sleep but VE4EAR thundering signal woke me up after a 2 minute snooze with the
keyer running.  The second night was very very slow at getting anything into
the log...the first 2 hours of the contest I got over 40 multipliers at a fair
Q rate...but the second night was not getting contacts I had hoped for.  If I
only could have worked SD and LAB to reach the magic 60 multipliers and WAS I
would have been a happy camper even though my goal of 1000 Q's was not possible
even though conditions were great.  YT and VY1 are never going to happen for me
here on 160 although KL7's are easy to work but they don't count on this one. 
But to miss SD and LAB is inexcusable. 

Murphy struck as the contest began with the back-light failing on the 746PRO
making the display very difficult to read but the slide rule dial on K1MM
logger was usable till I found a flashlight to lay on the table propping it up
with a coffee cup.  Then my wife said "why didn't you ask me?" and she brought
me some stick on white multi led strips that fit perfectly with the Velco
strips right above the display.....they were free sent with some closet hangers
she bought on a TV ad! (Another contest in a few days without enough time to do
the surgery so these LED strips are a perfect emergency solution. They also
have a  internal mirror that concentrates the illumination into the screen for
easy reading) 

One nice thing for me here was the ability to cut down the strong Euros calling
by improving the null Beverage toward Europe with the MFJ-1026 Phaser.  It took
a little experimentation but sure helped.  I worked a few Eu's during slow
times on a different paper log but only the ones strong enough to break through
the cancellation phaser.  That was a mistake because they would question my
report over and over until I would send them something their logging program
would accept.

I sent the entire log to LOTW a few minutes after the end of the contest for
those who need their QSO confirmed.


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