[3830] ARRLDX SSB K0RF M/S HP

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                    ARRL DX Contest, SSB

Call: K0RF
Operator(s): K0RF, W0UA
Station: K0RF

Class: M/S HP
QTH: CO
Operating Time (hrs): 48

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:   27    24
   80:   91    53
   40:  847    91
   20:  723   110
   15:  733   102
   10:  294    66
-------------------
Total: 2715   446  Total Score = 3,627,318

Club: 

Comments:

We decided we'd do a M/S-thing to split the pain of a phone contest between us.
As it turned out, there was more than enough "phone pain" for both of us!  
Somehow we managed to bumble and curse our way through the entire 48.  As the
old Alka Seltzer ad used to say, "I can't believe we ate the WHOLE THING."
I did most, but not all, of the rate-stuff, Chuck did most, but not all of the
mult-stuff. So, we each got to see both sides of the equation.

Could we say that conditions were a little, ahem, weird? Yup! Everything
started normally enough, with decent stints to Asia on 15 and 20, no direct
path to Asia on 10, though.  But Chuck was emoting so loudly on 40 for ANYTHING
and EVERYTHING worked that I asked him to check that he was on the 40 Meter
antenna (the 3 element 40's director is about 7 feet short thanks to 100+ MPH
winds 3 weeks ago). But that's a good metaphor for the weekend; even the
normally "easy" QSO's were hard-fought and hard-won. Openings to JA/Asia were
quite good--openings to EU were almost non-existent.  We were fortunate to have
brief openings on 10 to Asia both afternoons--just 30-45 minutes, but that's
more than we expected.  40 was (thankfully) very lively to Asia both nights.  

One interesting facet of conditions was 15 Meters on Sunday.  We got trimmed in
just about every pileup to EU and AF by the West Coast.  Since we couldn't run
EU on 15, that was a LOT of pileups.  And it wasn't just us getting smacked, it
was lots of folks East of us, too.  A little poetic justice there for the West
Coast!  My sense of it was that, especially on Sunday, we were trying to fight
a high-angle battle from Chuck's inherently low-angle QTH.  Even the lowest 15
Meter beam at K0RF is looking right over about a 250-foot dropoff to the
Northeast.  Tribander at 50 feet, anyone?

Other random notes: * Lots of Stateside callers.  Can't they just listen for a
couple of minutes and comprehend what's happening?  * I thought the pileup
discipline and fair play, especially on Sunday, hit new lows, just plain
classless. * As usual, JA saved our bacon. Thank you--I love working you
guys--you're the best!  Lots of YB's and BY's and HL's also.  Special thanks to
9M6XRO for the 4 band-mults--sorry we missed you on 80.  6-Band QSO's with
RU0FM, very nice.  * Thanks to W6YI for his courtesy on 40 Meters; I was
gradually sliding down to escape some JA QRM--and slid almost on top of him. 
Hope my QSY back up and away solved it--the JA ragchewers gave up a few minutes
later, so I think it all worked out.   
   
Hard to believe that Chuck and I have been doing this stuff together for 35
years now.  We both started young in the game and the thrill has never worn
off.  Every QSO (and especially every multiplier!) is a joy.  As the old
Grateful Dead song goes, "We might be going to hell in basket...but we sure are
enjoying the ride!"

For Chuck and myself, 73,

Geo, W0UA


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