[3830] NA Sprint CW N3BB HP

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                    NA Sprint CW Contest - February

Call: N3BB
Operator(s): N3BB
Station: N3BB

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: 
Operating Time (hrs): 4
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Op Time
---------------------
   80:   97     1.5
   40:  132       4
   20:  119     2.5
---------------------
Total:  348    Mults = 44  Total Score = 15,312

Club: Central Texas DX and Contest Club

Team: 

Comments:

80 97 Qs 2 Mults
40 132 Qs 14 Mults
20 119 Qs 27 Mults

Hourly Rate: 105, 84, 80, 79

I was too rusty to feel any pressure, since I've been QRT for over three months
supporting my wife full time after her stroke. The only on-air time was thirty
minutes this past Thursday in the NS Ladder, and that was helpful since I had
forgotten the basic TR Sprint keystrokes. But it came back quickly, and
although the first hour was under previous Sprints, things worked well. Until
about 0110Z when "static-type" QRN built up on all the bands. It was so bad
that I stepped outside the shack to see if a freak storm had descended.
Nothing. Nil. It must have been some sort of electron cloud overhead. Dunno.
after a period of "what the hell?" that lasted ten or fifteen minutes with very
few contacts, I remembered to try the beverages on 40 to receive, and they
eliminated the static completely, but on 20, I had to use the yagis to listen,
and it was impossible to hear anything for a while on that band. That's the
reason the the big falloff from hour 1 to hour 2. But the problem lessened, and
finally was gone after an hour. 

40 meters really goes through multiple personalities during the Sprint. It is
short, it is long, it is good, it is bad, it is creamed by digital, etc. But it
never gives up and it produced short and long skip contacts the entire way. 20
stayed good for a long time. It never did close, but finally almost everyone
left for lower frequencies. 80 was very good, and got better as the contest
proceeded. 

It seemed activity was good, but not great. Many of the operators are regulars,
but there are surprises from time to time, and several "random" callers on 20
and 40, with very low numbers from time to time.

Speed wise, I operated slower this time: 35 WPM for the most part, with 32 or
slower the last hour and a half on 40. I think partly it was me, with such low
operating time recently, and partly it was the other ops, since the whole
contest seemed to have a little bit more relaxation this time. Maybe it was
just my frame of mind. 

I was well behind the leaders in numbers this time. Congratulations to N5KO,
W6YI, TV Bob, and the other usual suspects. I never did work N2IC, and only
heard Steve a very few times on the other side of QSOs. Never did hear his
number during the contest. One great thing about the Sprint is the high caliber
of operators. Thanks for the opportunity to participate.

Jim N3BB


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