[3830] SS CW VE9AA SO Unlimited HP

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                    ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, CW

Call: VE9AA
Operator(s): VE9AA
Station: VE9AA

Class: SO Unlimited HP
QTH: MAR
Operating Time (hrs): 

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:   0
   80:  21
   40:  17
   20:  10
   15:  11
   10:  21
------------
Total:  80  Sections = 80  Total Score = 12,800

Club: Maritime Contest Club

Comments:

Going into this I knew I could not devote an entire weekend as I had car repairs
(deer meets car) to do myself and winter tires to swap over on another car. 
Getting calling into work immediately before the contest didn't help either !

Soooo, I got the bright idea, I would use the cluster/packet for once and work
80 sections and make 80 QSO's...how easy I thought this would be ! (Wrong!)
I had visions of going to bed before midnight with all 80 Q's tucked neatly
into bed and then I would sleep like a log, having Sunday totally to myself.
(um, no)

Oh brother...this is actually a LOT tougher than it sounds.  First of all, I
found that the spots rolling by actually to be an annoyance and distracting,
rather than helpful. (I guess that's why I never use it)..secondly, after all
the dust settled,I probably only got 2 or 3 useful spots out of how many
thousands that rolled on by my eyes (never again).

Thirdly, it goes against everything "contester" in me not to either :
A) Call CQ
or
B) work everyone I hear calling CQ as I tune by.

I wanted to make EXACTLY 80 Q's only, so I had to be sure when I called a
station they were in a needed section.  This can sometimes be downright painful
as I listen to them CQ CQ CQ CQ sometimes for a long while, til they work
someone, so I could get their section.

I finally tired out around 2am or so and I grabbed a few hours sleep in the
middle of the night, wondering how in heck I would work NLI after daylight.  I
got up before sunrise,  turned the rig on (barefoot), and there, lo and behold
was NLI calling CQ where I had left the rig some hours earlier. YEEHA !
It wasn't until after I realized I had worked him on my RX antenna (a very very
low dipole...not that my transmit antenna is much better)

GRabbed KY soon after and MO for the sweep an hour after that.  By mid morning
I was done.  Went back outside to work on cars, etc.

My hat is off to anyone who's done this before. I won't be trying this again
anytime soon unless a bunch of MCC'ers want to have a challenge of some kind.

73 de Mike VE9AA 
750w, IC-746, CW-160 OCF dipole @ 20' (TX) & ZS6BKW antenna @ 10' (RX)
N1MM logging...works super !


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