[3830] WPX SSB GM5X(GM4YXI) SOAB HP

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CQWW WPX Contest, SSB

Call: GM5X
Operator(s): GM4YXI
Station: GM4YXI

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: Ellon
Operating Time (hrs): 34

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:    0
   80:  320
   40:  668
   20: 1892
   15: 1191
   10:   10
------------
Total: 4081  Prefixes = 1251  Total Score = 13,024,161

Club: North of Scotland CG

Comments:

I couldn't manage a single contest last year for a whole range of reasons, so it
was great to be able to do this one again. My last outing in CQWPX SSB was 2012,
having been away on DXpeditions with GM3WOJ each year since then, around this
time. And I only managed this year, due to a last minute change in family
plans.
Then I remembered that my 40m, 80m and 160m antennas were QRT from autumn
storms last year. Good Friday was spent lashing up new 80m and 40m verticals -
no 160m!. 
Rumours of difficult conditions proved correct. Cycle 24 in undoubtedly on the
slide but it seems the deterioration is quite rapid. 10m was virtually empty.
15m was not a patch on what it was during my 3 hours spent there during ARRL
SSB, but it was possible to work JA and NA both days. There was almost no short
skip to Europe on 15m from here. Sunday during the day was very hard on 15m. I
abandoned 15m early, went to the bear pit of 20m late Sunday afternoon, only to
leave it (thankfully) a couple of hours later when 15m opened up again with an
hour or so of reasonable signals to NA. 20m was all QRM and splatter but it was
in decent shape on Saturday to NA and OK to JA on Sunday morning. I struggled on
40m without my 4-square since hearing was a struggle, 80m was a little easier
where, I guess, a single vertical (T) element is slightly more competitive.
I had an enforced extra sleep early Sunday morning when my 80m antenna
developed a high SWR. I suspect something going on related to very high winds
overnight, since the antenna was usable later, once the wind died down a bit by
sunrise Sunday.
Thanks for all the QSOs and a (mostly!) enjoyable weekend.

73 Keith GM4YXI

  BAND   QSO DUP  PFX  POINTS   AVG 
-----------------------------------
  160     0   0    0       0  0.00 
   80   320   0  174     963  3.01 
   40   668  10  249    1879  2.81 
   20  1892  37  475    4354  2.30 
   15  1191  13  347    3185  2.67 
   10    10   0    6      30  3.00 
-----------------------------------
TOTAL  4081  60 1251   10411  2.55 
===================================
     TOTAL SCORE : 13 024 161


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