[3830] WPX CW W6QU(W8QZA) SOAB QRP

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                    CQWW WPX Contest, CW

Call: W6QU
Operator(s): W8QZA
Station: W8QZA

Class: SOAB QRP
QTH: San Diego, CA
Operating Time (hrs): 35.8

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:    0
   80:    4
   40:   75
   20:  212
   15:  308
   10:   42
------------
Total:  641  Prefixes = 419  Total Score = 653,221

Club: Southern California Contest Club

Comments:

STATION:
Radio: Elecraft K-2, 5 Watts.

Antennas:
  3 el Stepp-IR up 32 feet: 10-15-20 Meters.
  Butternut HF-2V Vertical for 40-80 Meters.
  DX-LB trap dipole up 30 feet for 40 Meters.
------------------------------------------------
With the experience of 130 DX contests over 25 years of contesting from this
QTH, this was my fourth best contest ever by number of Qs. All my contests are
on an Excel spreadsheet which makes this and other useless "trivia"
checks interesting and easy!

10 Meters was lousy but 20 Meters was fantastic. Starting Friday evening I was
able to go up and down 20 Meters and work all over Europe with many on the
first call. With my QRP station, I only go to 20 Meters as a last resort and
struggle for each Q. This surrealistic behavior continued to some extent on
Saturday evening, so my total of 20 M Qs was 212 instead of the usual 60 or
70.

My award for PATIENCE goes to 4X7R who struggled mightily on 15 Meters to get
my call and NR correct over many exchanges. He gave me my first 4X ever in a
contest!!

Best Qs were:

10M was lousy with only a few weak South American stations most of the time. I
did get 5W1SA and FK8DD and a few other Pacific stations. 

15M was great with my best and most memorable Q being with 4X7R.

20M was great with TC3D being my best Q.

40M was good with my best Q being OA4SS who was very strong.

During this contest I heard a most unusual phenomenon. I was searching around
10 Meters about noon on Sunday with the beam southeast when I heard a weak
station calling CQ with the call YT5W. I had not heard a single European in the
entire contest, even CT or EA. I tested the beam heading, but he disappeared
with the beam NE. I thought it must be YN5W, but it was not. I later checked
YT5W on the DX spots, and he was on 10 M and CQing during this time! I suppose
this is that "skew" propagation I have heard of? I was not able to
work him with my 5 watts.

My DXCC was 82 and my WAZ was 26. There were always so many good stations to
work, that I only CQ'd once. I quickly lost interest because S&P was so
good.

So that is it for the 2014-15 DX contest season. I will miss IARU this year
because we will be on our family vacation. See you in September for CQ WWDX
RTTY, ...now that they have a QRP class!

73,  Bill  W8QZA - W6QU


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