[3830] CQWW CW W6QU(W8QZA) SOAB QRP

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CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW

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

Class: SOAB QRP
QTH: San Diego, CA
Operating Time (hrs): 19.7

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:    1     1        1
   80:    8     7        6
   40:   43    14       21
   20:   81    21       37
   15:  119    22       49
   10:   23     9       13
------------------------------
Total:  275    74      127  Total Score = 142,107

Club: Southern California Contest Club

Comments:

STATION:

Radio: Elecraft K-2, 5 Watts.

Antennas:
  10-15-20 Meters: 3 el Stepp-IR up 32 feet
  40 Meters: DX-LB trap dipole up 30 feet
  40-80 Meters: Butternut HF-2V Vertical with 3 radials
  160 Meters: Inverted L
-------------------------------------------------------

I worked hard for a couple weeks in getting my inverted L working on 160 hoping
to work a KH6 in this contest. But a big rain and wind storm came through on
Saturday and I was not able to get it working in the contest.

We travel out of town for Thanksgiving so I set it up where we come back on
Saturday and I have everything ready to turn on the rig and start logging. It
all worked fine (except for the 160 M inverted L). I find it quite exciting to
operate the second half the contest. This way many of the big piles are gone
and stations are asking for Qs.

I only worked 8 stations in Europe, down from 59 last year. That is a real
score buster! 

My best Q of the entire contest was VQ9X who I found well above the normal
working area of 20 M. Very few callers up there! The other remarkable Q was
VK2IA on the long path on 20 M. I know it was long path because it was the
right time (late afternoon) and I proved it by reversing several times on the
SteppIR. It is rare for my QRP station to work eastern Australia on the long
path!

160 M. I worked one station using my DX-LB and that was W8TK. Thanks for the
double mult!

80 M.  I was able to work 6Y3T who heard me on the first call! Usually I am
restricted to the immediate Pacific area on 80.

40 M.  I was delighted to work ZD8W with my low trap dipole. And LOTS of JA
stations(16).

20 M.  The VQ9 and the LP VK2 that I mentioned above were on 20 M. Also got
TF3CW for zone 40, a zone I seldom work.

15 M.  Clearly the workhorse band. Good Qs included ZD8W, A31MM, FO/K7AR
(Australs), and VK6NC. (...only 5 Europe, all on the western edge!)

10 M. I never heard Europe or Japan. All Qs were Central and South America and
KH6. I heard ZD8W for quite a while, but just not quite strong enough to work.

So I ended up with 59 DX entities down from 78 last year. Surprisingly, my WAZ
dropped only from 28 to 26. That is because I got some zones that usually slip
away from me: 2, 29, 40 and I got lucky and got 39. But the cycle is taking its
toll on my QRP station!

I slept 1 hour and 3 hour shifts on Saturday night. That and a few other breaks
that wound up being over 30 minutes cut the actual 26 hours I was on the air
back to an op time of 19.7 hours.

In the end, I was delighted with the DX I was still able to work. I guess the
bottom is still a couple years away, so there will be worse times ahead. But it
is still all fun!

See you at the 10 M contest (....if I can get out of my back yard!) and then
ARRL comes in Feb. 

73,   ....Bill  W8QZA - W6QU


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