[3830] ARRLDX CW P49Y(AE6Y) SOAB HP

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                    ARRL DX Contest, CW

Call: P49Y
Operator(s): AE6Y
Station: P49Y

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: Aruba
Operating Time (hrs): 44
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:  293    53
   80:  707    58
   40: 1095    59
   20: 1383    59
   15: 1464    59
   10: 1414    59
-------------------
Total: 6356   347  Total Score = 6,616,596

Club: Northern California Contest Club

Comments:

I hadn't done ARRL CW high power since 2005, and not at all since 2007, so it
was fun to be back with a few thousand sharp CW operators for the weekend. 
This is my best result ever, though of course well below the incredible winning
score of last year.  Generally condx were good.  160 was pretty noisy as usual,
though this is my best ever mult total, with the last two coming by dint of
some tiring, low productivity CQ'ing by a tired op in the wee hours of Sunday
morning.  Also three of my highest rate CW hours ever (230-234), occasioned by
the sometimes speading out of operators in NA (as opposed to when they are all
on the exact same freq due to a packet spot).  Speaking of packet spots, in
addition to the Qs reported above, there are 180 dupes in the log, not to
mention the times when I became so frustrated that I would refuse to work a
dupe caller.  Many of these are good stations with high scores.  In general I
was sending my call after every QSO (worst case, every three QSOs), so all one
had to do is listen briefly to figure out that I'm not whoever just got
erroneously spotted.  Of course this annoyance is balanced out by those times
when everything is clicking and you feel that you are in a high speed dance
with a succession of talented partners, each moving in rhythm to the magical
music of CW. 

As always, the Aruba social scene is a major attraction for visiting
contestors, this time including JP and Chris (P43A, P43C), Carl and Sue (P49V,
P40YL), Martin and Truus (P49MR, P49TR), Lisandro and Lissette (P43L and XYL),
and Andy (K2LE, P40LE).  We missed the non-visiting John (W2GD, P40W), and most
of all the silent key of our dear friend Joop (P43JB) who recently passed away. 
He will be missed by all who came in contact with him, including legions of
visiting hams over the years who would happen to arrive in Oranjestad on a
cruise ship, notice his tower, and stop by to be welcomed with a cold Heineken
and some lively conversation. The graciousness of him and Yvonne truly gave
life to the cliche: a friend is a stranger you haven't met yet.

Many thanks are due to the efforts of my co-station owner John, W6LD, and our
RTTY guru Ed, W0YK, for designing and cabling together our new
Bandmaster/Filtermax filter system and for continuing station improvements
(including a major increase in internet capability due to Ed's efforts), and to
Chris and JP for continuing house and property help. It's a pleasure, after our
massive antenna/tower rebuild in 2008, and Ed's recent care of the station in
his contests, to come here and only need to install my radio and computer setup
and roll out the bottom leg of the 160 into the cunucu to be ready to rock and
roll.  And of course, thanks to all the contest participants, including the
many casual ops (like my cousin, WE2R, who may have given me his first ARRL CW
contact ever!). Particular thanks to those who moved on request, whether or not
the move was successful (and apologies to KD4POJ for a QLF moment on 80 when I
could hear him fine on the beverages but he couldn't hear me -- in my tired
state I didn't notice that I had accidentally disconnected the transmitting
antenna, until he had given up and left the freq).

73, Andy, AE6Y, P49Y

Rig: 2 K3s, Alpha 91B, 86
Ant: 2 el 10, 5 el 15, 4 el 20, 2 el 40, 1 el 80, vert dipole 160, C31,
beverages
Software: CQPWIN ver. 12.5
See www.arubaqth.com for full writeup


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