[3830] WPX CW N5WR(@K4BP) SOAB HP

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                    CQWW WPX Contest, CW

Call: N5WR
Operator(s): N5WR
Station: K4BP

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: TN
Operating Time (hrs): 36
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:     
   80:   30
   40:  400
   20: 1345
   15: 1382
   10:  163
------------
Total: 3320  Prefixes = 1047  Total Score = 9,424,047

Club: Tennessee Contest Group

Comments:

This is the third year that I have operated this contest single-op from K4BP's
station. Each year Jeff has made improvements to the station and I have
improved my score. Last year we added SO2R capability for the first time. This
year the 15 meter stack was fully operational, added in between the 20 meter
yagi stack on a 90 foot tower. But the biggest difference this year was band
conditions. Last year I had only a single hour with 100 or more QSOs - the
first hour of the contest. This year I had over 1000 more QSOs, and the first
10 hours were all 100+ Qs.

I started the contest on 20 meters and spent the first 3 hours there with the
2nd radio on 15. About 03Z switched my run frequency to 40. I still have not
figured out the best strategy for 40 meters in this contest. Afterwards I feel
like I should have spent more time on 40 trying for 6-point contacts, but
looking back at the log many of my QSOs on 40 are 1-pointers. 40 was noisy and
not as easy to run, so I went back to 20. The band was open to EU all night,
and by early morning around 08Z it was opening to Asia-Pacific, and I had a
nice run of JA stations as well as VK, BV, HL, 9M6, BY and others mixed in.
Slept about 3 hours the first night, but in hindsight I should have stayed up
and kept going and taken time off in the late afternoon.

Saturday morning I overslept a bit, and 15 was already wide open to EU when I
got up. I called CQ and immediately had a pileup. Had my best hour of the
contest with 145. The next 10 hours were all spent running on 15. By
comparison, last year I spent a grand total of 40 minutes running on 15 during
the entire contest - what a difference sunspots make. Went back to 20 around
22Z, and Saturday evening around 01Z went to 40 and had a little more success
than the first night, with a decent run of EU and NA stations lasting about 2
hours. Went to bed around 1am and slept 5 hours.

Sunday morning it seemed like every band was open. 20 and 15 were both in good
shape. I even had a decent run on 10 meters lasting about an hour. Rates were
slower than Saturday but still  productive, with most of the day in the 70-80
an hour range. I picked up a lot more QSOs on the 2nd radio this year, probably
because there were always 2 bands open. Finished the last 2 hours running on 20,
with many Asian QSOs made on 15 on the 2nd radio.

Great contest this year and still hard to believe making more QSOs on 15 than
20. Thanks again to my host Jeff K4BP for letting me use the station. This will
likely be my last contest from TN, I am moving to MO this summer to be closer to
family. CQ Joplin.

73, Erik N5WR


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