[3830] SS CW W1NN Single Op LP

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                    ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, CW

Call: W1NN
Operator(s): W1NN
Station: W1NN

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: OH
Operating Time (hrs): 24

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:     
   80:  626
   40:  222
   20:  164
   15:   54
   10:     
------------
Total: 1066  Sections = 79  Total Score = 168,428

Club: Mad River Radio Club

Comments:

After losing a couple of hours to computer problems last year, I decided to
completely overhaul the station's computer setup, so this year found me with a
brand-new XP Pro computer (cheap from Dell Auctions) and a new Windows-based
software - Win-Test.  I chose WT because it most resembles NA which I have been
using for nearly 20 years.  I had used WT twice before but this was the first
contest using it from home.  It's a little risky to go into a contest with new
logging software, but fortunately there were no real problems (except those of
my own making, see below) but using a different software only reminds me how
much I miss the brilliant simplicity of NA.  How I wish a Windows version of it
could be created.  I especially miss NA's ability to let the user check dupes
while sending CQ.  If WT allows this, I haven't figured out how.  But I
digress.

My goal this year was to match N8AA's 2009 score and happily I was able to do
so, thanks mainly to a very good run on 80 meters during the last 2.5 hours of
the contest.  I got fed up combing the bands Sunday afternoon trying to find
new stations to work and decided to use up my off times early and hope that I
would be able to find enough stations in the final hours of the contest to send
me past John's 1034 Q total from 2009.  I thought I would be mostly looking for
fresh meat guys getting on for big pileups during the the final hour or two but
calling CQ was surprisingly productive so I just sat on the same frequency the
whole time.  

Overall I am very happy with the result and I think this is my best score since
operating in KP2 many years back.  But it was not all smooth sailing this year. 
In addition to a new computer and logging software, I was also using a brand new
K3 this year and for the first time ever I hooked it up to the computer (rig
control is something I have managed to live without for a long time).  I also
hooked up my simple homemade SO2R box (just for audio) and managed to get WT to
allow me to switch from the rig-controlled K3 to my non-rig-controlled OMNI VI,
so for the first time I thought I would have a decent SO2R setup.  But I was
concerned that the receiver was not working properly.  Even moderately strong
sigs seemed to overload the RX and there was intermittent hash everywhere.  I
was not sure if it was the rig or just not knowing how to use it, but halfway
through the contest I had had enough of overloaded sigs and decided that I
couldn't take it any longer, so on a break I decided to ditch it and go back to
my trusty old OMNI. Unfortunately I did not tell Win-Test that I was unhooking
the K3 and when I got back on the air, the computer went crazy.  I had to take
another break and uncheck a bunch of boxes in WT, and after a fresh reboot WT
decided to work again.  

One other improvement this year was a tribander kindly lent to me by K8AZ.  I
was able to get it up 36' on a fiberglass mast supported at the top by a rope
and pully system in the adjacent trees and aimed to the west.  It seems to be a
little on 20 than my dipole at 50' but not enough to allow me to do much
runnning.  I had high hopes that it would make a big difference over my 40
meter dipole on 15 but the band didn't seem to be that good and even with the
tribander I had to struggle to be heard by quite a few of the weaker stations
on the band. 
 
Once again I missed the sweep (NT)but nothing new there.  I did hear VY1EI once
on 15 but he was very weak and right under a very loud W0UA so there was no way
I could work him then.  Looking at other scores, it seems that he is doing a
great job of handing out his mult.  I guess I just wasn't on 15 at the right
time for him.  Maybe someday!

Thanks for all the contacts and thanks to ARRL for sposoring one of the best
events of the year.

73,  Hal W1NN


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