[3830] WPX SSB VP9I(N1SNB) SOAB LP

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                    CQWW WPX Contest, SSB

Call: VP9I
Operator(s): N1SNB
Station: VP9I

Class: SOAB LP
QTH: 
Operating Time (hrs): 23

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:    8
   80:   38
   40:  136
   20:  454
   15:  764
   10:   20
------------
Total: 1420  Prefixes = 670  Total Score = 2,412,000

Club: Yankee Clipper Contest Club

Comments:

I defeated myself in this one.  

Long week of travel for work had me into Bermuda late Thursday night, ended up
changing flights 4 times in 3 days to get to Bermuda - always pushing it
further back.  Spent Friday out exploring the island.

Radio and DVK issues plagued me in the beginning.  The radio would randomly
shut off and developed a buzz on transmit, my voice keyer fried and my Heil
boom mike bit the dust! All contributing factors in me losing my contesting
mojo on Friday night, when I could not get anything going anywhere. 100w and
wire antennas - even in Bermuda - on SSB is tough on the low bands. 

On Friday, ended up going to bed early and waking up late, only to find I still
couldn't get anything going on Saturday unless I turned the beam to NA.  I
couldn't hold a frequency and EU seemed interested in working each other on 15
and 20.  In retrospect, I should have done more S & P instead of walking away
from the radio (I only operated 23 hours)and should have worked harder to a
hold a frequency.  My planning indicated 2000 QSOs was a realistic goal - I
think if I would have operated the full time, I would have barely made
it...meaning 13 hours more with a rate of less than 45 per hour. With college
hoops on that was a stretch. 

Luckily Saturday ended with a JA bang, I think I worked around 100 JAs on 15m
and they were LOUD, many S9+. One of the best, most fun JA runs I've had in 15
years.

Overall, Sunday was much much better,  I had long run deeps into EU on 15 and
20.  Still, with 100w - it's very very hard to hold a frequency when your
between EU and NA and you are beaming in one direction.  

All in all tremendous fun - even with the Murphy visits.  I felt like I did
greatly improve my S & P tactic by not looking at the radio and just focusing
on tuning the radio with one hand and typing with the other.

Yes, it was sunny and warm in Bermuda all weekend.


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