[3830] WPX CW VC9T(VE9AA) SOAB LP

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CQWW WPX Contest, CW

Call: VC9T
Operator(s): VE9AA
Station: VC9T

Class: SOAB LP
QTH: nb
Operating Time (hrs): 16
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:    0
   80:    0
   40:  219
   20:  507
   15:  122
   10:   22
------------
Total:  870  Prefixes = 460  Total Score = 1,217,160

Club: Maritime Contest Club

Comments:

If it wasn't for bad luck.......I'd have no luck at all !

Left work @ noon on Friday as I wasn't feeling very well after eating.
Got home, went to washroom (ahem) and decided to boot up computer; make sure
N1MM+ was up to date and try to take a nap.  

What followed was 4½ hrs of fighting with my computer to recognize the 2nd
radio.()this was a brand new issue()  When I finally had that working (sort of)
I tried to get some sleep, only to have to make multiple runs to the W/C.....I
think I either have the flu or food poisoning.

Anyways, operate 2+ hours out of the gate making some of my best rates/scores
ever.
At 11:30pm (2.5 hrs in) XYL gets home and says "did you see that?"
(What???). All the lightning she says.  Nope....about 3 minutes later the
crashes are so loud, even with the volume maxxed out, I can't hear stns calling
me on 40m, so I bag it, and pull all the coaxes etc. The strikes are almost
in-sync with the thunder , so well under 1km away for sure.

I actually fell asleep, but when I woke up 2 hours later I was feeling even
worse than before, so I slept for 6 more hours.

It ain't gonna happen, I said.  I try to have a small breakfast, lose THAT, and
go have a small coffee....I keep that down.  Whew.  Operate a little of Saturday
morning and then go to bed for the next 10-12 hours.  

Get up around midnight Sat, then watch TV w/ the family for an hour, then back
to bed all night again !

Get up Sunday morning, feeling a smidge better, but by now most of the contest
goes by and I feel miserable, so I head outside at Sunday noon and notice some
of my wire antennas have fallen from around 40' to 30', so re-rope them up over
the 50' Maple and check the SWR.  Must have been the storm. It was really
thrashing here about 5 minutes after I pulled all the coaxes & pwr.

Turn on the radio just past noon Sunday and bands sound so-so, so try not to
think about the huge score I am missing and just have some fun playing in the
contest, WRTC pts be damned!

Radio #2 keeps getting dropped by the computer, so it's mostly a 1 radio affair
(no sympathy from the SO1R guys, I'm sure, hi !)

Suppertime Sunday 20m comes alive and there is a smattering of Es on 15m (and
even 10m) to W4, but there are very few on.)

TRY to have fun, but am fighting a losing battle.  Had purchased a special
callsign just for the contest (turns out it's miserable on CW-blech) with many
repeats needed and so I won't do THAT again, and will stick with VE9AA or other
regular callisigns.

In the last hour, 40m opens just a wee bit to EU and Midwest, but QRN is
wicked.

Not the best weekend for a true LP operation.  Less than 1/2 the time I had
intended on putting in.  Heard many (ahem) supposed LP signals to my west that
were thundering in here on backscatter, running S1 Europeans. How does THAT
happen?

It so makes me want to turn the amp on and claim LP, you just have no idea. But
I resist.  At least I can sleep at night.  It's small comfort.

All in all, except for my sickness, I had a lot of fun in the contest itself.

TNX a lot for all the Q's guys.......very much appreciated !

Mike VE9AA (VC9T).....2 x IC-7410's barefoot, A3S or HF9V on 10m/15m, Delta
loops on 20m & 40m, ground planes on 80m/160m (not used this weekend)


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