[3830] CQWW CW W6YX(N7MH) SOAB LP

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CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW

Call: W6YX
Operator(s): N7MH
Station: W6YX

Class: SOAB LP
QTH: CA
Operating Time (hrs): 37.7
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:   15     8        8
   80:   98    15       26
   40:  395    29       60
   20:  471    31       77
   15:  375    26       59
   10:   36    10       14
------------------------------
Total: 1390   119      244  Total Score = 1,374,318

Club: Northern California Contest Club

Comments:

After going single-band for the past few years I decided this was the year to
try SOAB LP. With the poor conditions at the beginning of the contest I wasn't
expecting much.

I tried to run on 15 at the start but could not get any answers. Was S&P on
20 to Caribbean and South America on the other radio when I probably should have
been running to Asia.

By the time I got to 40 I could only work North and South America and a few
Africans. Finally I found one EA that heard me. The few other Europeans I heard
on 40 were down in the mud with not even a ? to my low power calls.

If there was an EU opening on 80 I missed it. HK1NA was a beacon on 160 but
could never hear me either day.

Running on 40 and 80 to JA/Asia was just about as expected. Rates were a bit
slower than what I'm used to with high power and 80 dried up fast.

I had planned to operate for the first 18 hours straight but at 1300 I felt
that if I stayed up much later then I'd be too drowsy for the 15 minute drive
home so I took a break, planning to sleep for 3 hours. I woke up at 1700,
having overslept by an hour. The radio in my old clock-radio had stopped
working and the alarm was putting out quiet white noise that didn't wake me
up.

By the time I got to the station the only Europeans workable on 20 were EA, OH,
and SM. With the two radios I S&Ped on both 15 and 20 then shifted briefly
to 10. Later I ran on 20 and then began dueling CQs once 15 opened to JA. This
was productive for just over an hour then alternating S&P with running on
15 and 20.

I moved to 40 earlier but only worked two EU. I went to 80 and 160 earlier and
when the rate dramatically dropped just before 0600 I took another break to
head home to sleep. With no alarm I was off the air for almost 6 hours.

After an hour of running on 40 I started to S&P and came across RK4FL who
was very loud no matter where my antenna was beaming. He didn't hear me on
short path so I tried long path and completed a QSO. Other EU could be heard
but some were stronger on short path, others on long path. Most could not hear
my low power signal.

The morning opening on 20 to central Europe was brief. I should have focused on
just getting mults but I started working everyone I heard and soon I was only
hearing the most southern countries and British isles. I missed most of any EU
opening on 15, only working EA, CT and CU.

The final few hours were similar to the first day except I checked out 40 in
the last 15 minutes and got a new mult (Italy!). I should have gone to 40
earlier since there were other needed EU mults there.

I missed 5 zones - 17, 20, 21, 22 and 34. I heard all but zone 34. One
highlight was working two zone 39 stations on 40 - 3B9HA and F5MYK/MM. 39 is
one of the zones I regularly miss running high power.

I was curious about the SOAB LP records for W6 and was surprised that my score
this year, with such lousy conditions and only 55 EU worked, ranks as the 2nd
highest. The top score was achieved in 2000 by Paul K8PO, recently SK, who
lived in CA before moving to ME.

Thanks for all the Qs.

73,
-Mike, N7MH


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