[3830] CQWW CW VE9AA SOSB(A)/10 HP

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                    CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW

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

Class: SOSB(A)/10 HP
QTH: 5
Operating Time (hrs): 23:44

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:                    
   80:                    
   40:                    
   20:                    
   15:                    
   10: 1831    33      145
------------------------------
Total: 1831    33       45  Total Score = 854,578

Club: Maritime Contest Club

Comments:

Ravings of a single band contester.  10m.......with ~600w and a small 5el @
24'.....de Mike VE9AA.....
~~~WARNING~~~~Long diatribe, but hopefully not as boring as all those stat
sheets we see people post. (Snoozefest ~!)

These are just comments and musings as I go along, with little edits later. 
Not meant to be a story, or much of anything.  Think of
them as scratches on paper....but now we have "notepad" and
computers.

An hour before sunrise on Saturday I am pouring my first coffee.  No signals
heard on 10m at all last night.
(not even K3LR on scatter - hmmm. WEIRD !)

There are some small burbles from the Russians and Eastern EU countries, but
nothing remotely workable.  Two centimeters
of snow fell last night and it's a winter wonderland outside. Looks like a
Christmas card, but does nothing for prop as I wait for the sun to rise.
I sip my coffee patiently and wait for Ol' Sol to get itself up over the
horizon.  You could say it's deep purple outside.

I sip a second mouthful and set the CQ machine to rattle away , not expecting
too much. WHOA!  Almost instantly a ZS goes into the log out of nowhere.
It's as dark as the inside of a cow here, so that was a big surprise. EU's are
literally in the noise, but I have been beaming due east, just
in case.  Nice when things work out like that.  Small things amuse me in these
single band (chosen) contests. HEH.

The morning slowly ramped up and I had lots of EU's call in, but few loud
Russians like when 10m is really hot.  I would
characterize this mornings 10m prop as luke warm to warm. No really huge
signals but still plenty of key clicks.  It's annoying that an S5 signal can
take out 5 kcs or more.
 I did manage a few AF and some Middle East by chance, but nobody that was
loud.  
Missed hearing Nodir, EY8MM, though I did see him spot a few of the bigger NA
stns. Maybe tomorrow.

Extremely happy to put a well known VU2 station in the log.  He peaked 529 -
good ears Prasad !

Saturday all day then went pretty much as expected , except some bizarre
intentional QRM that was a new twist to me.  I wish to thank the
station who was repeating my callsign and report when I was not transmitting. 
This was very helpful for the 20+ minutes that you
did it for at 10wpm less than I was sending. How considerate for the slower
ops. I think we covered the bases as you were no doubt beaming other directions
from me.
Even when I moved 10kcs up the band, due to key clicks from a big gun stn, you
were smart enough to find me. I am glad you were there for me.....
  Especially since when I was not transmitting, others could still know my zone
and callsign from you repeating them. What a great life you must lead.  Almost
like a pseudo multiop!
Shazam ! You are a brilliant intellectual dude.  If you made any QSO's with
that QRS recording, please email them to me in Cabrillo format
and I'll see they make it into my log before I submit.  Can always use a few
extra points. 

No big runs, nor especially big signals, except @ dusk, I worked Rich's gang
from KL7RA and they were loud loud as to be expected.

A couple rare Pacific called in just before the lead balloon dropped and I was
very tickled to put NH2T and FW5JJ in the log.  Yes, I was definately
beaming that way calling CQ. :-) Happy Happy. Very pleased you called me.  The
Pacific is a long ways from VE9 and it's a treat to work you guys.

Day one ended @ about suppertime with a smidge less than 1000 Q's, 33 zones and
129 countries in the log.  I was a little miffed at some of the intentially
fake cluster spots, but when the lunatics are let out of the asylum, I guess
that's to be expected.  I envision myself going back to no packet in the near
future.

At one of these packet pileups where someone posted a totally fake spot, there
was a roar and the DX kept saying "LSN LSN". but never did give his
call for quite a while.
Just 5NN 8, and on and on, so he kept saying QSO B4 and I could tell he was
getting angry.  Give your friggin'; callsign buddy and you won't have nearly
the trouble.
I have to wonder if someone posted it to get back at him? (No, it wasn't me - I
got caught in the fray as well!!)

What will day 2 bring?
-------------------------------------
Day 2.....4AM....Wide awake . Can't sleep. 10m closed. (duh!) Tossed and turned
like a button on a string.  C'mon sunrise.
6:15am. Hear the timer on the coffeepot kick in and in short order I smell the
aroma of a brewed bean that'll get me goin' in no time.
6:39am, tuning across the low end of TEN.  All I hear are Meteor bursts. I can
tune all I want, but it's in vain. May as well be 6m.
 Sunrise in 1 hour.  Coffee is good. 6:51am. I salivate as I read the avail
mults/Q's window in N1MM logger. I can't hear a single one of
them (no surprise) but around 7am I am hearing some of the Italian contest
groups.  Have worked most of them, so don't call.

The run started earlier and ended earlier to EU and beyond and signals I felt
were a little better than yesterday. Some of the DL's were 20/9 at times.
No bone crusing loud Russians like I sometimes see, but there was a smattering
of pretty loud Zone 16 stations as the sun set there.
HEavy fading late morning.  A station would call @ 519 and when I went back,
there was nothing but hissssss.  I have a low noise level, but 20dB fades
are brutal.

Dupes abound !  Man, I just worked you. Check your log.

My morning was topped off from my 6m friend GAry, CU2JT -what a wall calling
him.  I used up a bit of time breaking through the unruly mob.
It was worth it. Thanks GAry.

Most of Sunday went quite well.  Managed another 600Q's before I had to take a
20 min break and eat something.  I was plenty coffee'd up
and the EU signals were going down the tubes. No doubt I missed a couple, but
you can only go so long w/o a good lunch, hi !  Also
made some for family.

Of course, when I came back later, it was pretty much dark in 95% of EU and
only traces from the G/EA gang, so grabbed what I could and started to call
to the SW....Hmmm. Not much action. Had  I worked  everyone yesterday? Nope ! 
Packet insisted I be on 15m, but that's not gonna happen in SOSB 10m HP (A)
class !
Checking packet, 15m must have been a madhouse. No wonder 10 was a wasteland.

What a spotting mess on 28.021MHz ! I am not sure how he was doing it (or
why??) but a SA stn was spotting his run log. GAH !!  I had to mess with
enabling a blacklist
on the fly, but not until I saw 50-75 spots fly by and load up my bandmap for
half hour or so. What a pain in the arse.  Dude, seriously....figure this out
for next time, eh?
I know you'll get hate mail.

4pm local. Another hour and the sun'll be down.  Sunday single band slump has
set in.  

VP9I. saw him posted 100 times and.....never heard him.  No backscatter, no Es,
no scatter. Too close I guess.  Shucks.

Nice (but short) peak to the Pacific. The KH6's were over S9 and easy to work,
but only lasted a very short time.  Mob on V6A....what a dogpile, hi !

It's official !  For those that follow politcis VE2 has not separated, but BC
has. I have just worked my 12th VE7 stn.  I have no idea why they are calling
me. 
 Evidentally there are no other zone 5 east coast stns in the USA operating
this contest.

6pm and she's like the inside of a chimney outside. Couldn't see your hand in
front of your face. USA callers are few and far between now.  Single digits. 
Quit or CQ for 2 hours
for 5 or 10 contacts?  Kh6's are still armchair copy. My signal is hitting a
Kon Tiki raft west of Raratonga, I am sure of it.  Where are the VK6's? That
zone eludes me every time. :-D

Band map is full and I hear nobody. T-1 hour and I am packing it in. SIGH !
Tally-Ho !

If you have read all these ravings, you're as mad as I am, Arr Arr.   Hope you
had a fun contest as I did.

See you next time !

Mike VE9AA :-) IC7410, ~600w, 5EL@ 24', N1MM


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