[3830] ARRLDX SSB P40A(KK9A) SOAB QRP

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                    ARRL DX Contest, SSB

Call: P40A
Operator(s): KK9A
Station: P40A

Class: SOAB QRP
QTH: Aruba
Operating Time (hrs): 40

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:    4     4
   80:  138    39
   40:  363    51
   20:  765    56
   15:  580    55
   10: 2100    56
-------------------
Total: 3950   261  Total Score = 3,092,850

Club: 

Comments:

Last year I removed all of the beams and one of the towers from my former home
in Aruba.  I had not been back to the house since then and I wanted to operate
one final contest before removing the remaining tower and vacating the
premises.  I spent two days installing various antennas on the remaining tower
just for this event.  I started the ARRL DX Contest running stations on 15m and
then 20 at a very nice pace, but unfortunately the rates really dropped as the
evening progressed.  160m was exceptionally horrible and I only worked two
stations there during the first night.  Amazingly K3LR and W3LPL seemed to have
no problem hearing me on top band when no one else could and they were the only
stations that I worked on all six bands.  80m was also noisy, but there were a
couple of hours that I was able to run stations.  On Saturday morning, 10m
opened very early and I made a quick band change from 20m, completely bypassing
15m.  I stayed on this band most of the day and it was so hot that it yielded
two consecutive hourly rates of 200 contacts.  15m was also very good during
the day but I just didn’t spend a lot of time on this band.  20m was great in
the evening and I was able to run stations on this band well after sunset.  On
the second night I had more difficulty running stations on 40m and 80m, perhaps
because I had worked the bigger stations already.  I was only able to make two
more 160m contacts on the second night.  On Sunday, 10m was even better than on
Saturday and I again spent most of my day there filling up my log with an
endless supply of callers.  Many were new hams who did a great job exchanging
the information.  Near the end of the second day I finally switched to 15m and
20m and the contest ended very strong with me logging 109 contacts during the
final hour.  This score is likely a new world record.  Thanks to everyone for
the QSOs.  Just after the contest, I enjoyed a great dinner with P49V (AI6V),
P40YL (AI6YL), P40P (W5AJ), P49Y (AE6Y), P43A and P43C.   It was a great
weekend!    On Monday, I removed the contest antennas and on Wednesday my QSL
manager Tim, P40D / WD9DZV joined me to help remove the tower and to move my
belongings out of the house.   The tower came down in only a few hours and we
installed dipoles so that he and I could continue to operate, mostly on 30m and
12m.  I would really like thank WD9DZV for not only answering thousands of QSL
cards, but for flying to Aruba several times to help me build, maintain and
then remove this station.  I would also like to thank P43A, AE6Y and AI6V for
helping me relocate various items.  I had the most enjoyable time visiting with
the contesting legend, AI6V and his XYL AI6YL at their Aruba home last week. 
WD9DZV and I had everything packed in a short time, leaving us time to enjoy an
adventurous day of riding ATVs on the rocky northern coast of the island before
heading home.   Sadly, this was my final operation from the former Iguana Villa
however I intend to operate from other locations in Aruba in the future.  It is
a great vacation and contest location with fun things to do and many nice
people.   Owning a home and ham station was a lot of work, but it was also
extremely pleasurable and rewarding.

73,
John KK9A / P40A
john at p40a.com

QSL via WD9DZV


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