[3830] WPX CW WX3B M/2 HP

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                    CQWW WPX Contest, CW

Call: WX3B
Operator(s): WX3B K3WI
Station: WX3B

Class: M/2 HP
QTH: MD
Operating Time (hrs): 35.5

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:    0
   80:  184
   40:  762
   20: 1306
   15: 1003
   10:   51
------------
Total: 3306  Prefixes = 1152  Total Score = 11,374,848

Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club

Comments:

Many thanks to Bill K3WI for making the trip to WX3B and for the fun/friendship
that always makes these events so awesome!!

The week was one for things breaking.  First, my Jeep died and had had to be
towed for repair.  Something related to the starer or supplying power to the
starer.  The day before that, my riding LAWNMOWER quit.  The contest started,
and my 15 meter amplifier started that familiar ARC AL-1200's do when the
bleeder resistors open, and KA-POW!!  Fortunately a spare amp was put into
service in 10 minutes, but so much for the blazing start on 15.

Bill and I did what can be called a Gentleman's Multi/Two.  

I slept 4 hours Friday night and 5 hours Saturday (Bill caught up Saturday ...
not so much Friday....and he departed in the early afternoon Sunday, after we
had a long relaxing lunch.  

I never totally mastered 15 meters on Saturday.  Part of the problem started
with the RX antenna being engaged, and 15 never seeming to open.   Transmit was
fine, but the noise floor was too quiet.  Then I saw spots for friends on 15
from EU and realized we missed the first hour(s) of 15!

What we lacked with 15 meters we made up for on 20.  What a ball that band
was.

We also missed(?) any real opening to EU on 10 meters, I heard from someone
there was a good skew path opening for awhile but I'll bet we have less than a
dozen EUs in the log on 10.  

Saturday evening I caught the tail end of a great 80 meter opening and had all
the big guns pounce on me for a QSO.  That was fun.  

Sunday morning, we got on the radio after a good rest at 8:00am and from the
skimmer I see 15 meters opened shortly after 6:00am!!  

Took some time off to wait for nearby storms to pass, and sat on 40 meters for
the last 90 minutes of the contest hoping for some 6 pointers.  The best pileup
I had on 40 was the minute AFTER the contest was over...

Some fun watching Bill working all those Asians on 15 Friday and Saturday
night...he said he must have pounced on 20 Chinese stations.  Also had my first
contact with Australia VK3IO at about 6:30pm on 40 meters. 

We set a goal to beat the old WX3B M/2 record which was quite easy to
do...however our effort was too casual to expect to place in our category.

We had fun, made a lot of QSOs, and we are exiting the weekend reasonably well
rested.  I call that a success!!

Hats off to team KD4D, who entered the M/S category and kicked our tail...with
one transmitter.  I'm sure there are also a few single-ops (Krassy K1LZ comes
to mind) that probably beat us too.

Great summer contest, boy I sure miss those EU runs on 10 meters.

73,

Jim   WX3B


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