[3830] ARRLDX SSB OH8X(OH6KZP) SOAB HP

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                    ARRL DX Contest, SSB

Call: OH8X
Operator(s): OH6KZP
Station: OH8X

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: Arkala
Operating Time (hrs): 37.5
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:    3     3
   80:   70    25
   40:  231    53
   20: 1630    60
   15:  630    60
   10:    0     0
-------------------
Total: 2564   201  Total Score = 1,544,886

Club: Contest Club Finland

Comments:

My learning curve was quite steep just before and in the beginning of the
contest. The FT-5000 rigs and the antenna system was completely new to me, as
was using Win-Test for SO2R operation. But once I somehow mastered them it all
worked like a charm. It is readily apparent that a lot of thought has gone into
making the nuts and bolts of OH8X as invisible to the operator as possible: the
operator's task simply becomes to man the "cockpit" and to sometimes press this
or that button or touch-screen, while saving all focus and energy for maximizing
the score through a good strategy.

One of the first sights after arriving at OH8X with Veijo OH6KN late Friday
night was a nice display of Northern lights in the night sky. Aurora is not
exactly the most encouraging thing when expecting to operate the ARRL SSB
contest from these latitudes! Indeed, the first night of the contest on the low
bands seemed catastrophic despite all effort, with a 20-meter run of 90 QSOs
around 03z being the only highlight. 15m didn't open up during the day,
although I managed to press out 4 QSOs through some very random openings in the
noise found on the second radio.

In contrast, the second day was much better, with the aurora apparently having
subsided a bit. The morning brought some pileups on 80m and 40m. 15m opened
around 1230z and closed down as if with a switch at 1500z. It opened up again
about 18z, and from there on to the end it was one big QSO fest on 15m and 20m.
During the day I was hoping to end up with about 1700 QSOs in total, so the
change in conditions was quite drastic; it was indeed fun to experience the
famed NA openings from up north. The best hour 19-20z on 15m gave 226 QSOs,
with the top 60 minutes being 234 QSOs between 2125z-2224z on 20m. Nothing on
10 meters this far north, but clearly band conditions are improving in
general.

My original goal was 2585 QSOs, 214 mults, and a score of about 1.66M: the
absence of 10 meters made achieving an OH record impossible. The biggest
difference in QSOs and mults compared to the band-specific targets came from
160m, where nothing much could be done even with the monster yagi. I was happy
to exceed the mult target on both 20m and 15m through a WAS. LB, YT, and NU
were the only missing provinces.

Thanks to OH8NC and OH6KN for the invitation to operate from OH8X and for the
good hosting, it was great fun. And thanks to all for the QSOs!

73
Kim OH6KZP


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