[3830] CQWW CW N1UR SOAB HP

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                    CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW

Call: N1UR
Operator(s): N1UR
Station: N1UR

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: VT
Operating Time (hrs): 44.5
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:  141    14       42
   80:  448    21       74
   40: 1195    29      101
   20:  908    34      105
   15: 1109    30      109
   10:  130    21       67
------------------------------
Total: 3932   149      500  Total Score = 7,317,472

Club: 

Comments:

Fun contest.  Very challenging from a conditions standpoint.
The aroral "finger of death" was back and forth over Central
to Northern Vermont all weekend.  I literally saw EU stations
on 160 go from S4 to S9+5dB in the matter of 15 mins on 2 passes
of listening.  Thats a 30+db attentuation pad sitting right 
above you.  100 miles or less south of me, this is not what
happens.  Obviously 10M was marginal all over the Northeast, it
looks like it was better in the Central Atlantic and maybe south
of that.  As we all know, you can't do any more than roll with the
conditions.

I was down 150 Qs by 1000Z vs last year and it was all the lack of
80M runs.  They were just not possible on Friday night until the 
last hour of 05Z and even then they weren't great.  None of the high
bands opened as early or stayed as long to EU and of course 10 was 
right on the fringe.  I did do a 1 hour ESP run on Saturday to EU
netting most of my 10M EU mults while grabbing nice mults on 15M on the 2nd
radio.
The net rate was maybe 120 an hour vs the 180+ that was happening on 
15M but felt like the right decision.  Sunday had a stronger 10M opening
for about an hour but activity didn't seem great.  I stayed on 15M for
that one and grabbed some additional mults on 10.

JA was not on 10 at all here.  I fear that last season was the end for
JA on 10 until the next cycle.  15M to Asia was way less than last year
but workable.  No JA run worked though.  I had 100 JA run last year on
Saturday evening.

20M had some nice Asia openings espcially 14 - 16Z on Sunday.  EU on 20
did not seem as productive at it should have been.

40M was fantastic to EU.  Even near the end of the contest.  The rate meter
was hovering at 200 for over 2 hours from 21 - 23Z - fantastic!

80M was very frustrating.  The first night felt like I was using low power.
There was almost no run.  And many stations took time to work.  The second
night started better and got progressively better with time.  I had a great
run going at 04Z and only left it to try a 160M run when I saw the 30dB+
increase in signal strengths suddenly appear there.  I ran 100 EU stations
on 160 in just over an hour from 05 - 06Z.  That hour literally "saved
the
contest" on 160 for me.  It dropped my potential 80M Qs and some rate in
the 
process but put about 20 mults on the table in an hour.

160 was frustrating all weekend other than the last few hours of Saturday
night.

I am really concentrating on balancing mults and rate for this contest.  I
felt
better at grabbing 2nd radio mults with the rate over 150 than last year.  Why
do I feel I will just about have it down when the rates drop with the sunspot
cycle?

I really enjoy this game.  Hardware, strategy, skills, endurance.  Its like
offshore racing from the comfort of your shack.  

There is no doubt that skimmer and spotting have seriously changed the game.  
Where you run is less important than being spotted.  At least with CW, the 
RBN gets you out there almost instantly.  Calls from far away are becoming
less surprising as a result.  KH6 calling in at 06Z on 160.  Off the back of
the
1000 ft phased beverages to EU.  Took me 2 calls to realize that maybe the 
West beverage should be checked and then BOOM out of the noise came KH6J!
Thanks for the double!

The void of our friend KL7RA was clearly felt this weekend. RIP OM.

I will be playing around in ARRL 160 and 10.  Next serious effort is ARRL CW.

73 and thanks for the Qs.

Ed  N1UR


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