[3830] WPX CW KT8K SOAB QRP

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                    CQWW WPX Contest, CW

Call: KT8K
Operator(s): KT8K
Station: KT8K

Class: SOAB QRP
QTH: EN82ch SE Michigan
Operating Time (hrs): 30:52

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:    0
   80:    8
   40:  168
   20:  314
   15:  139
   10:   40
------------
Total:  669  Prefixes = 368  Total Score = 517,408

Club: Mad River Radio Club

Comments:

Radio: Tentec Orion set to 5 Watts, dual rx in stereo-diversity mode
Antennas: 20/40/80m inverted vee at ~45 feet, 10/15/20 tribander driven element
hung vertically at about 60 feet, 500' horizontal loop between 15 and 60 feet
elevation, K9AY loop (a lot to squeeze into my small city lot, thank goodness
for trees!
Keying: N1MM on an *ancient* laptop and an MFJ Grandmaster Memory Keyer w
Bencher paddles  (my cw skills did deteriorate by Sunday afternoon - sorry)

Thanks to all who listened hard and patiently asked for repeats from my peanut
whistle station.  I do my best to be easily copied under poor conditions.

The first hour started great and was my best of the event: 51 Q's, but
conditions got worse as the evening wore on, and Sat. AM was not great.  The
usual opening to EU only let the big guns through both mornings, which was too
bad.  Spotty conditions on 10 and 15m let the contacts pop in here and there,
and I spent a lot of time hunting them.  The Sunday conditions were gradually
improving here, and the last 6-8 hours of the contest I was being heard by
everyone unless they were overwhelmed with interfering signals (crowding) which
was worst on 20m.  Somehow I did a better job than ever before at finding where
I could be heard, and finding where there were stations I could work.  

I am surprised at my personal best performance.  I realized in the last couple
of hours that I was still "fresh meat", and I was able to hold onto
frequencies low in the bands where I could get the rate meter into triple
digits briefly, resulting in a last hour of 42 - not my best but was fun.  

Some comments I recorded along the way, some probably common to QRP-ers:
- 20m SWR had 4:1 SWR at the bottom of the band and 3.4:1 at 14060 .. oh well
- 1200Z Sat: "Everyone is off the back of my 'beam'" (I don't have
one)
- "running empty" on 21031 at 1500Z ??? Where is everyone??
- 1700Z Sat:  no place is good ... keep after it and get those slim pickin's
- Sat late on 20 and 40m: severe multiplath sounds like two tones modulating!
- my K9AY loop, I never use it ... it's the others who need it, not me!
- I remember when I got the Orion and said "Now I can hear even MORE
people who can't hear me!"
- Passed my previous personal best with a QSO with a very faint LU3ESR, who got
me on the first call and needed No Repeats!   What a kick!
- I'd do better if the darned back pain didn't limit me to ever shorter stints
at the radio ... by Sunday afternoon it's 10-15 min. on and 5-10 min. off

All I can say is, I'm feeling STokeD!  If I ever get that big tower ... look
out, everybody!  (catch the song at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNWZjzrzgwA)
Thanks for the youtube hits - I may be performing this song at a swap table at
the Chelsea MI swap on June 2nd at the Chelsea Fairgrounds, and at the Monroe
MI swap on June 16th at the Monroe County Fairgrounds.

Best RX to all, and see you in the next big one!  72/73 de kt8k -- Tim


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