[3830] Makrothen RTTY VA7ST SO/Single Xcvr HP

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                    Makrothen RTTY Contest

Call: VA7ST
Operator(s): VA7ST
Station: VA7ST

Class: SO/Single Xcvr HP
QTH: BC
Operating Time (hrs): 9.5

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
   80:    4
   40:   92
   20:  128
   15:   25
   10:     
------------
Total:  249  Total Score = 968,666

Club: Orca DX and Contest Club

Comments:

What a waste of a perfectly good contest -- bands were in terrible shape for one
of my favorite events of the year. A index was above 40 for a while, and Aurora
hit 10 at least twice. 

        Band    QSOs    Pts
         3.5       4    5954
           7      92  412786
          14     128  454910
          21      25   95016
       Total     249  968666

The rotten conditions must have deflated a lot of operators, because activity
seemed to be far, far lower than previous years. It wasn't just conditions
hiding signals -- 15M was strong to NA but the band wasn't exactly full of
stations.

JA and Pacific stations were too scarce (Oceania CW was on, too). Would be
great to get them out in greater numbers for this one (partially offsetting
some of the advantage the non-polar path to Europe gives to those east and
south of we auroral-zone denizens).

No Europe from here on any band until the final hour on 20M. And sure enough,
after watching 20M all weekend, when it did open I was up on 15M making no Qs
-- until I checked 20M with 20 minutes to go. Made as much as I could of the
late discovery, but I fear I missed a lot of points by bleating pointlessly on
15M when 20M was finally opening over the pole.

Must reiterate the sad state of 80M. This is a lost opportunity for all of us.
Just 4 QSOs despite 80M being a band that is open for two-thirds of the contest
and offers double distance points. What a wasted chance to really break open the
points vault.

Very disappointed to receive my lowest average points per Q since this contest
began in 2004. But bands can't be this bad again next year, right?

Thanks for the contacts, and to DK3VN and the Makrothen Contest Group for
organizing the event.

I spent some time on Sunday afternoon in the Pennsylvania QSO Party. Checking
10M around 2000z I found it open with booming signals from all over -- if only
Makrothen had been a day later, scores would have been extraordinary. 

-- Bud VA7ST

http://va7st.ca/home.html
http://orcadxcc.org


                             ------------- Points/QSO ---------
Year   Qs      Points   Hr     80M    40M    20M    15M     All  Pwr
----  ---   ---------   --   -----  -----  -----  -----   -----  ---
2012  249     968,666   10   1.489  4,487  3,554  4,921   3,890   HP
2011  357   2,088,392   13   3,606  4,922  4,835  5,810   5,221   HP
2010  198   1,007,226    8   2,646  4,763  5,359  2,642   5,087   LP
2009  335   1,798,316   13   4,690  4,748  5,741      0   5,368   HP
2008  250   1,156,332   10   5,251  4,732  4,071      0   4,625   HP
2007  374   2,051,462   13   4,534  5,026  5,745      0   5,485   HP
2006  220     876,480   11   3,015  3,860  4,174  3,820   3,984   LP
2005  184     809,920   10   3,139  4,168  4,703      0   4,402   LP
2004  272   1,522,626   19   3,361  4,540  6,033  5,506   5,598   LP


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