[3830] NAQP SSB VE9AA Single Op LP

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                    North American QSO Party, SSB - August

Call: VE9AA
Operator(s): VE9AA
Station: VE9AA

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: nb
Operating Time (hrs): 1:05

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:           
   80:           
   40:  13     10
   20:  43     18
   15:  14      9
   10:           
-------------------
Total:  70     37  Total Score = 2,590

Club: Maritime Contest Club

Team: 

Comments:

Being prime weather in NB, I don't usually enter this contest.
Yesterday was no different.  I spent about 12 hours away in Sussex, NB at the
provinces largest flea market, with about 6½ of those on my feet, baking in
the midday Sun.

In any case, again for this QSO party, like the CW portion, I was fried, but I
felt it my (unwritten) duty to represent VE9 to the masses.  What a relief
after only a few QSO's to find that a lot of stations already had VE9 on this
band or that, so I knew some of the gang must have been active. Probably VE9HF,
OA and maybe VE9ML were QRV ?

Being dark here when I started, I started out on 15 and moved a few guys to 20m
that needed the VE9 mult and every try worked.  One guy moved me to 40m and even
though it was quite early evening, we made the Q.

10m was a 5el yagi aimed SSW.  Many tries on 10m through moves (and S&P)
resulted in zero Q's.  Strange, as I was hearing the KP4 beacon, yet even a
move by KP2RUM came up with an empty pina colada glass.  Tried with a couple
Texans and Floridians and similarly came up short.  I was hearing a couple good
ol' boys yammering on around 28.350 who I am guessing were out of AR/LA/GA/TN
area, so I surmise we had a tiny Es opening which are sometimes known for their
spotlight *(toeprint I like to call it if on 6m) propagation.

15m.  Antenna was a 40m GP which has a high angle of radiation.  Didn't make
many Q's there and as always, was hearing many Californians who could not hear
me.  Strange, as I was able to finagle a few PNW W7's in the log that were even
weaker with no strain/no pain.  The exception that I recall was W6YX who was no
problem.  I can only surmise 2 things.  Either there is a lot of QRM/N in CALi
or there are guys running the NAQP's using amps.  Enough finger pointing  (hi)

20m.  Used a HS-1800/PRO mobile antenna @ 5' with a mile or so of radials
underneath it.  Worked well.  Heard VE9HF @ s1 and couldn't break his pileup
until it dawned on me after a few calls that the vertical was killing me and
created a 20dB decrease in signal due to cross polarization.  Switched to a
very low horizontal dipole and stuck NB in the log first try.

40m.  Was quite quiet and signals were around s9 for the most part, but CQing
yielded exactly zero QSO's, so S&P'd a dozen guys and called it quits.

80m.  5/16th WL GP and although there was no doubt a couple New Englanders
fighting with the pig farmers for spectrum that I might have been able to work,
I asked a few guys if they need me on "any other bands" and nobody
did, so after an hour and five minutes on the bands, I pulled the plug.

I never heard any VE1's or VY2's but surely there were some around.

After 3 years of complaining about my sore butt, back and shoulders I finally
sprung for a new shack chair, so hopefully it will work out. For the hour I
managed to keep my BI-the-C, it was comfy. 

 The old steno-chair goes to the dump later this week.

Thanks one and all !

Mike VE9AA IC-7410, N1MM, Voice was provided LIVE and not Memorex.


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