[3830] ARRLDX CW W3DQ M/S HP

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                    ARRL DX Contest, CW

Call: W3DQ
Operator(s): W3DQ, W2CDO, K2PS
Station: W3DQ

Class: M/S HP
QTH: Washington, DC
Operating Time (hrs): 46

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:   61    41
   80:  151    51
   40:   43    74
   20:  862    82
   15:  399    81
   10:   19    13
-------------------
Total: 1835   342  Total Score = 1,882,710

Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club

Comments:

What a fun time! After a period of minimal activity, it was great to get back
on, especially with regular multi-op partner Peter, W2CDO and new-to-the-area
Pete, K2PS. I now understand the joy K0DQ, N3RR and K3TN have experienced since
rejoining the fray. 

Our aim was to see how the station played, to see how far we could go, and most
of all, to enjoy ourselves. Having good operators who want to be in the chair
but aren't too A-type-ish makes everyone's experience that much better.  To
help matters, I was able to fix the rotator box, 40m half-square, and station
hook-ups long before the contest started. 

We did far, far better than expected, especially considering that it had been 
a while since W2CDO used my Orion, and K2PS hadn't only used one a couple of
weeks before (for the CQ 160) and that I never did put up the 160/80 RX
antennas (we had a bit of snow the previous weeks :-) Other than the typical
and almost expected Orion quirks (going deaf, RFI locking up the TX),
everything worked. 

Highlights: the 100/hr runs on 15 and 20 on Saturday afternoon; the LP opening
to Asia on Sunday afternoon; The overall great performance on 40m. 

Lowlights: Long stretches of nothing on the overnights -- Sunday was much worse
than Saturday night. Neither was particularly enjoyable.
   
I've never hosted this organized a M-S outing. I learned a lot about the
station (what works and doesn't work); my house (what gets hit with RFI);
operating strategy; and that it really is *not* cool to interfere with the TV
when the rest of the family watching the Olympics!

In the end, I can't thank Peter, W2CDO, and Pete, K2PS, enough for their great
enthusiasm and work. I hope we can turn the lessons learned into real
improvements. 

See you in the next one from the nation's capital!

Eric, W3DQ
Washington, DC


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