[3830] NCCC Sprint K7SS QRP

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                    NCCC Sprint Ladder - Sep 23

Call: K7SS
Operator(s): K7SS
Station: K7SS

Class: Single Op QRP
QTH: wa
Operating Time (hrs): .5

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:   1      1
   80:   2      1
   40:  10      7
   20:  21     16
   15:  10      7
   10:           
-------------------
Total:  44     32  Total Score = 1,408

Club: Western Washington DX Club

Comments:

There's some strangeness afoot tonite in West Seattle...

The chances of this oddness occurring during a 30 minute contest,
to one person, is perhaps rare...  but for it to happen to two stations
at the same time and within about 1/2 a mile of each other is fodder
for legend and lore. 

Had decided to do the NS tonite QRP...just to see what kind of suffering 
one can run up against in an NS.  Kudos to NN7SS/K6UFO and KE0G who do this
EVERY week ! 

Well amazingly things went swimmingly well, that is, until I hit the low bands.
Usually going from 20 to 40 out here in the west there is a perceptible
difference in being able to work stations easily.  Well with 5 watts that 40
meter change is like shifting your car into second and everything slows down to
about half of normal speed.  As Im sure our expert veteran QRP boys Dan and Mork
will attest to...its pretty much a miracle when you can call and get thru when
there is another station calling.  if the frequency is clear, and you are the
only station calling...its usually not a problem...especially with such 
highly tuned ears the NS regulars have. So many a jump ball was lost.. in fact
i never got an answer to a CQ...had to S&P the whole time. 

Well 20 to 40 was over and it was time to go to 80 in the last 5
minutes...could barely hear anyone...cept neighbor W7OM (Ill get to that
shortly) and cross town boy K7WA...both worked easily.. But couldnt raise Dick
XU in OR, and attributed it to my puny 5w signal and low sloper. 

a quick last second jump to 160...not expecting much...'cept a local Q and
quickly found W7OM for my one and only Q. but boy was he weak !

well in our normal post NS phone call w/ RodWa, I found out that not only had I
NOT SWITCHED MY ANTENNA FROM 40 to 80/160.....but that he had done exactly the
same thing!   what are the odds.. !?  both of us have been doin this NS thing
for awhile...and it was the First Time this had happened to either of us..

Nothing like a couple ol contest horses working each other in the NS on 80 and
160 with our 40m antennas !  LOL..

Theres only one thing i can think of that may have caused this strange and rare
event to take place....
I had worked K6VVA/QLF in the NS while driving home... perhaps the "QLF" was
transmitted north via that QSO...passed on to West Seattle.. 

An overall very fun event... was up to nr 30 by 0215 and had visions of sugar
plum fairies...but w/ 5 watts on the lows..reality can be a bitter pill to
swallow.

Thanks to NCCC and especially Mr Keeler (who was not heard tonite!) for
fostering and maintaining this fun time every week.  It has become my favorite

contest!  yep even more so than NA, SS, WW etc...(well maybe not the 10m
contest.)  

73 DanWa K7SS from the land of strange coincidence...


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