[3830] SS CW KK7S SO Unlimited LP

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                    ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, CW

Call: KK7S
Operator(s): KK7S
Station: KK7S

Class: SO Unlimited LP
QTH: WWA
Operating Time (hrs): 23
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:    1
   80:   63
   40:  256
   20:  351
   15:  318
   10:   14
------------
Total: 1003  Sections = 83  Total Score = 166,498

Club: Western Washington DX Club

Comments:

This one started with a bang.  Both 15 and 20 were in full form at the outset. 
I had 104 QSOs in the first hour which is a personal SS best for me, and also
tells you how fast the ops were sending because these QSOs are not brief.  The
bands are thick with awesome CW ops in this contest.  GREAT STUFF!

A couple more things in the good news column: I got a sweep (fingers crossed
that it holds up) and I'm at least temporarily over 1000 Q's (though I'm pretty
sure that will NOT hold up because I'm certain my error rate will take more than
3 Q's away).

Now it's time for some belly-aching :-)

I wanted to beat my score from last year and I was going to try to break the
1200 QSO mark.  Unfortunately, the sun was determined to NOT cooperate.  15
started fading in the 2nd hour and never came back in force for the rest of the
event.  I was watching with dread as the solar flux index was steadily falling
over the past couple of weeks.  I had my fingers crossed that would get back up
above 105 for the weekend, but it hung in the mid-90's, and 15 was just -okay-
as a result.

Every year I forget just how painful the end of SS can be.  I contrast that
amazing first hour with the last hour in which I worked really hard to get
about 25 Q's.  I closed up shop an hour early because there were literally no
more stations to work -- and I mean literally.  "Available Q's" in N1MM was
bone dry, and it stayed that way for quite a while (along with about 30 minutes
of unanswered CQ's) before I finally decided to call it done.

80 meters was -- as always -- the biggest challenge for me.  I'm on at least
number six in my series of 80 meter antenna attempts.  I have no place or space
for radials, I can't put a horizontal antenna or inv-V up over 60 ft in the air,
but I need an 80 meter antenna that will allow me to run east coast stations
using low power from out here in Seattle.  Any suggestions?  Seriously.  I'd
pay extravagantly for a solution.  I just haven't found one yet.

The antennas here are all wire -- out of necessity, not choice (I'd honestly
love to have an epic aluminum forest).  I have a "Folding Antenna" (read about
it at kk7s.net) and a K4KIO hex, both at about 35 ft; an inv-V moxon for 40m
with the apex at about 50 ft, and a now thoroughly discredited inv-L with 2
elevated radials for 80m.

Thanks for playing!  See you next time.
-Chad KK7S


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