[3830] ARRLDX CW N6WG SOAB QRP

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                    ARRL DX Contest, CW

Call: N6WG
Operator(s): N6WG
Station: N6WG

Class: SOAB QRP
QTH: Newark CA
Operating Time (hrs): 31

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:    2     2
   80:    8     7
   40:   54    17
   20:   30    10
   15:  110    36
   10:  109    36
-------------------
Total:  313   108  Total Score = 101,412

Club: Northern California Contest Club

Comments:

This must have been my best ever DX contest, and it really came as a surprise. 
Friday I checked the sunspot number and saw 40 (I think it was), and figured
this would be a low-scoring struggle for a QRPer.  Surprise, surprise.  I think
this is the highest score I've ever made in a DX contest.  This appears to be
twice my previous best score.  It was like everyone came out to play and just
ignored the sunspots.  Even my local noise level seemed to back off a bit for
the weekend.  It would have been misery working through that.

My effort was entirely S&P.  Just didn't feel it was worth-while to CQ in this
particular dogfight.  Instead, I just went cruising in this target-rich
environment, picking off targets of opportunity as I found them.  I actually
had four different hours with over 20 Qs each.  Not bad for 5w and wire
antennas (except for a low 10m beam).

Once I thought I had worked a new country, 6U for Sudan, but recounting his
dits I saw he was 6V for Senegal.  Oh well, one of these days I'll find
something new out there.  I just seem to work the usual suspects over and over
from one contest to the next.

Some calls surprised me.  I wound up working 130 JA stations across the various
bands, 18 KH6, 17 KL7 and even 15 UA9.  Never done this well before.

I'd like to think this reflects the continual improvement of the operator and
the station, but the credit really goes to all those who chose to come out and
play this game.  I'm amazed at the effectiveness of many operator/station
combos as they frequently came back to my first call, no matter how weak they
sounded to me.  I can only guess at how my 5w must have sounded to them.  My
hat is off to these ops.

The station here is an Elecraft K3/10 at 5w, a 40m dipole for 40/20/15 meters
(aimed E-W), two 40 ft dipoles with tuned feeders (aimed (SW-NE and N-S) for 15
and 20m, and a 10m 5-element yagi at 25 ft.  I also have two receiving loops,
but they were rarely needed.  The 40m dipole is a bit short, as it is optimised
for a 15m extended-double-Zepp.  Works just fine on 20 and 40, though.

Anyway, I had a great time, and my thanks to all who stuck with me 'till they
had my call correct.  Hope to see you all in the next contest.

73, Bob N6WG
The Little Station with Attitude


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