[3830] ARRL 160 N3UM Single Op HP

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                    ARRL 160-Meter Contest

Call: N3UM
Operator(s): N3UM
Station: N3UM

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: MD
Operating Time (hrs): 15.5

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 575  Sections = 51  Countries = 11  Total Score = 73,718

Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club

Comments:

In the ARRL 160 contest 2007 thru 2010 I claimed 634 to 780 
QSOs and 118.7 K to 151.3 K points.  This year. with the same 
antenna, the same gear, the same operator, and comparable 
hours and effort, I made only 575 QSOs and 73.7 K points.  
Disaster.  With the other big factors comparable, it had to be  
propagation.  For the first 3 hours, working mostly stations 
within 500 miles, I kept reasonably close to '07-'10 results,
but after that I fell rapidly behind.  I heard NO W6s or W7s 
and only a few W5s and W0s.  When I quit for bed around 07 Z,  
I had only 393 QSOs and 49 mults, vs 490 to 562 QSOs and 
77 to 82 mults in '07-10.  I could not make up that deficit  
the second night, though I did manage to work 9 EUs in 7 
countries, plus one W6 in EB and one W7 in WY.  These 
stations 2000-3000 mi. away popped in and out: there were 
no sustained openings.  I can only conclude that the D layer 
absorbed signals much more this year than in '07-'10, maybe 
made worse by K values of 2 and 3 much of the time vs the 
K of 0 and 1 which are so much better for 160 m. Friends  
operating Assisted found a few more mults than I did with 
the quick in-and-out propagation.  Other friends with owl 
blood who stayed up past my 07 Z bedtime reported that 
the absorption declined a bit and W7s and W6s came in then.


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