[3830] SS SSB K3FIV SO Unlimited LP

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                    ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, SSB

Call: K3FIV
Operator(s): K3FIV
Station: K3FIV

Class: SO Unlimited LP
QTH: Point Arena, CA
Operating Time (hrs): 20

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:    0
   80:  215
   40:  129
   20:   41
   15:  106
   10:    4
------------
Total:  495  Sections = 75  Total Score = 74,250

Club: Northern California Contest Club

Comments:

Rig: Flex-3000, 100 watts
Antenna: 135' Carolina Windom @ 35', all bands

This time I ran U-class, using the spotting network, and also tried to do more
CQing.  Usually I do 95% S&P, and rely on the Panadapter to "spot" stations. 
Learned a few things, especially about working in ridiculously crowded condx on
20/15. 

With 100 watts and a dipole, particularly in SSB, it's almost impossible to
break through to even semi-rare stations once they've been spotted.  Or to keep
a run frequency.

CQing as an LP in a crowd is almost worthless (no Qs) until you've been
spotted.  At one point, I was CQing, and watching the spots as one station
methodically worked up the band, spotting as he went.  After he passed my
frequency, and spotted me, all of a sudden I got a nice run.

On 80 of all places, while tuning around I stumbled onto NP4A CQing with no
pileup early Sunday AM, and I worked him as his Q #2!  So I spotted him, and
soon there was a wall I know I couldn't have broken.  I couldn't get through at
all to the PR stations on 20 and 15.

It seems that most people don't tune the band anymore, but just go from spot to
spot in their bandmap.  As an LP station, I have a much better chance if I find
a station before the wall forms.  So -- if you're LP, spin the knob and tune
the band too!

With time spent running, I made more Qs, but missed 5 sections.  Heard VO1 many
times, but could never break through.  There was always someone else stronger. 
But I also missed WPA, WNY, and SC - probably I was trying to run when they
were on and condx were good to the East Coast.

Best surprise was 10 meters.   Occasionally I looked at 10 to see what was
happening (easy with the panadapter).  Only once did I see a handful of strong
stations, so I went to 10 to see what 100w and a dipole could do.  Worked a
couple of East Coast stations.  Then I was surprised to find that one of those
strong signals was ZL8X, the Dxpedition currently on Kermadec Island in the
South Pacific.  So, even though it wasn't worth any points, I took a few
seconds off and worked ZL8X, and it only took a single call.  It's not often
you get to work a new DXCC entity during SS.

I think a few new "awards" should be added to SS - "Widest, Most Splattery
Signal" and "Worst Processed Audio".  There were a lot of them out there.

Thanks for all the Qs, and especially to those who braved the zoo on 20 and 15
to pull my signal out.

73,
/Jack de K3FIV Point Arena, CA


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