[3830] CQ160 CW W7RH Single Op LP

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                    CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW

Call: W7RH
Operator(s): W7RH
Station: W7RH

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: Arizona
Operating Time (hrs): 

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 585  State/Prov = 55  Countries = 17  Total Score = 110,664

Club: Arizona Outlaws Contest Club

Comments:

I traveled to the remote station a day before the contest to get a little work
done. Thursday evening had good conditions to Africa including Congo, Saudi
Arabia and Oman of all places. Too bad the opening was short and my 100W
station just wasn't busting the pileups.

On Friday I waited until darkness settled before getting into the contest
although East Coast stations were excellent copy at 2:00PM in broad daylight.
Experience has told me wait until later as the 50 or so West Coast stations one
might work will end up in the log regardless anyway.

The big satellite proton event from the X class flare definitely killed the EU
path. I only worked one EU in zone 14. No Africa.. Bummer......Sat in the chair
for 12 hours grinding away. Not a particularly great opening to JA in the
morning but picked up an HL. The band was very strange and apparently was open
on some very long exotic paths as I called YC0LOW/1 who was S-9 at times for
over 30 minutes with no QSO.

Saturday was the total pits. NO EU, NO Africa and only a few SA stations. It
was so bad I took a 4 hour nap when the East Coast casual operators went to
bed.
It was a real battle to break 100K especially with 17 Country multipliers
missing from previous years score. The band noise to the east had rolling ocean
like noise mixed with Caribbean thunderstorm static. The bed spring operators
were very weak and in general there was in general attenuation so it seemed.

None the less. The mystic of Top Band has had great staying power with me. Over
the last 30 years I've essentially just operated 160. It gives me time to do
other things which usually equate to antenna work. :) No 160 contest is a bad
contest. They just have different conditions. See you all next season.

73

Bob


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