[3830] IARU N2NT(W2GD) SO Mixed HP

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                    IARU HF World Championship

Call: N2NT
Operator(s): W2GD
Station: N2NT

Class: SO Mixed HP
QTH: NJ
Operating Time (hrs): 23:04

Summary:
 Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs  Zones  HQ Mults
-------------------------------------
  160:    60    00      6       10
   80:   212    21     16       15
   40:   327   163     22       25
   20:   313   254     23       35
   15:   549   145     28       40
   10:    58    38     13       14
-------------------------------------
Total:  1519   621    108      139  Total Score = 1,724,060

Club: Frankford Radio Club

Comments:

Always enjoy the IARU - everyone works everyone format....and its just the right
length for summertime fun. 

Such a shame the sun dropped a bomb on us on Sunday but the first 12 hours were
terrific.  

Haven't had the chance to enjoy operating N2NT's well equipped station for
three years - the last time was the 2009 IARU - did a fun QRP effort on my 60th
birthday. Since then Andy has added a six element 80M vertical beam and a few
other goodies.  Felt loud on every band.

Went over to the station to get checked out Friday evening.  The antenna
switching isn't exactly intuitive so we spent an hour going through all of the
permutations band by band. Having a 'cheat sheet' came in handy on Saturday.

Used two op aids:  A listing of known 2012 HQ stations, and the rate sheet from
Alex's 2010 winning USA effort at K3CR. Knowing what to expect in terms of
hourly rate and mults per band along with current band conditions helped guide
band and mode selection strategy on the fly.  

As mentioned earlier, the first 12 hours were really fun.  15M was the daytime
money band, with strong EU runs, USA/VE short skip, some Middle East Asia and
VU, and later a some loud JAs.  Good thing 15M produced since 20M was an
absorption mess much of the day...and then only briefly good to EU just before
sunset here.  Kept a close eye on 10M and was rewarded with several short
bursts of multiplier maddness at various times throughout daylight. As usual
the HQ stations were EU beacons on ten.

Keeping an eye on the Win-Test grayline map, I made sure to slide down to 40,
80 and finally 160 when the sun got low in my western sky - to maximize the
chance to run EU before their earlier summertime sunrise.  Pleased to find the
QRN levels tolerable, and pleasantly surprised to hear so many workable EU HQ
stations on TopBand. 

But the predicted solar event hit with earnest after 00Z and only got worse
through the end.  Other than some unexpected runs of VK/ZL on twenty, then
fourty, and near sunrise on 80M, it was difficult to find much volume of
workable DX the last few hours.  Mostly filled in by running VE/Ws.  Took a 40
minute nap about 03z.... just four hours sleep the night before caught up with
me.  Looking back, during the course of the contest I operated at least 25%
more SSB than I'd expected too at the start.  Being SO1R, the rate suffered
everytime I'd tune CW and then PH segments for HQ and zone mults...but felt the
score potential tradeoff was justified.  I've given up arguing the case for SO1R
vs. SO2R entry classes.....but the reality remains SO2R equipped stations enjoy
a measurable and significant scoring advantage. Enuf said.  The statistic
program says I had 48% EU, 48% USA, and 4% elsewhere in the log.

Its always great to work so many of my contesting friends and acquaintences ...
and I'm looking forward to seeing many of you at WRTC 2014.  Worked several of
the WRTC 'test' stations on several bands.

Thanks again to Andy and Bonnie for being such great hosts.  When the
temperature in the shack approached 92F (running amps, xcvrs, computers, etc.
on a very hot day was too much for the A/C), Andy put some fans in the windows
to make things much more livable. 

Planning trips down to P40W for CQWW PH and CW.  So look forward to working
many of you again in the fall from my home away from home.

73,

John W2GD/P40W


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