[3830] WPX CW KE3X(@N4RV) SOAB HP

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                    CQWW WPX Contest, CW

Call: KE3X
Operator(s): KE3X
Station: N4RV

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: Oakton, VA
Operating Time (hrs): 36.0

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:     
   80:   64
   40:  584
   20:  815
   15: 1430
   10:   77
------------
Total: 2970  Prefixes = 983  Total Score = 8,524,576

Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club

Comments:

My thanks to Jack Reichert for hosting this contest, and for all the hard work
behind the scenes all year to keep the station running!

Rates were consistently between 90-100/hour throughout, regardless of band.  
Took 3 hours off the first night, 5 hours off the 2nd, and the other 4 hours
scattered in mid-afternoon.  Very civilized - not nearly as tired as after 38.5
hours of ARRL DX Phone.

It will be interesting to hear about operating strategy decisions from this
one.   A few thoughts my my end:

1.  I found the ideal CW speed to be around 30wpm (how ironic, coming from
someone who loves HST :-)  Any faster, and I would be asked for repeats that
would slow down the overall rate.   Even at 30-wpm I could maintain rates at
180-200 for short periods as long as only 2-3 callers were present, by getting
90% of the calls right the first time.

2.   It seemed each time I called someone on the 2nd radio, a S-2 European
would call on Radio 1, and I would need to send '?' and switch both ears back
to Radio 1 to copy him, costing me rate.   When the run rate is 90-100 with
weak callers, it's a real dilemma on whether to use the second radio.   Or just
maybe I'm not that good an op, seeing as AA3B and K0DQ have no problems doing
it!

3.   Funny moment Sunday afternoon around 3PM when I switched my run band from
15 to 20-M and 'BOOM' ... I got jumped on by NY3A and VE1ZJ after the second
CQ, courtesy of the RBN :-)

4.   Had back-to-back 100-hours between 12-2AM both nights, also nice JA runs
starting as early at 5:30PM local time on 15M.   That was key to getting the
WPX count up - lots of JA prefixes out there.

5.   Really like the 'open log' policy and the great WPX website to check out
past years' scores.   Sure wish the CQWW website could also do that.

6.   Jack's station has a tribander on 20-M, but a stack on 15 ... so I got
lucky this weekend as conditions allowed me to run 15 and minimize the relative
weakness on 20.   I could never hold a frequency on 20 any lower than around
14.048.   I always wonder how many QSO's I give up by not being able to CQ down
at 14.001 - 14.020 like the northeastern 'big boys' do ... 80-100 maybe?

One final thought - I'm gonna need a cold beer in my hand before looking at my
UBN report, especially late in this contest.  If you plotted my accuracy during
the last 3-4 hours on a chart, it would look like Victoria Falls.

Thanks for all the QSO's!

Ken KE3X


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