[3830] NAQP SSB NN3W Single Op LP

[webform at b4h.net]

                    North American QSO Party, SSB - August

Call: NN3W
Operator(s): NN3W
Station: NN3W

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: N3HBX
Operating Time (hrs): 10
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:   25    11
   80:  324    34
   40:  354    50
   20:  335    46
   15:   16     9
   10:    8     4
-------------------
Total: 1062   154  Total Score = 163,548

Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club

Team: 

Comments:

First, thanks to John Evans N3HBX for letting me use the Poolesville farm for
this run.  Station performed flawlessly and everything worked (except the
ionosphere).

I really like the NAQP: high rate, 12 hour time frame, strategy planning, low
power format, single ops are Packet free, etc.  This was my first serious swing
at a contest since some family issues basically took me off the air for a couple
of years.  IIRC the last time I did a serious August phone run, K7RL beat me by
effectively one mult - I didn't want that to happen again.

The condx were tough: I played in the CW leg two weeks previously and condx were
quite good for bottom of the cycle.  Here, I figured I'd start dual CQing on 20
and 15 but 15 was -DEAD-.  I first thought it was the station, but everyone else
starting making the same observation.  So, I knew it was going to be a
challenge.  20 was decent, 40 was LONG from the getgo, 80 and 160 were QRM and
QRN filled.  Had one group of jackasses on 80 tried to run herd on me for daring
to get within 2.5 KHz of their QSO.  Amazingly, they spent more time bitching
then QSOing and had no effect on me.  We also had a small line of storms roll
through which made life tough on the 40 meter beams owing to the rain static and
on 80 and 160 from lightning static, but I made the attempt to move as many
stations and mults as I could.

I took most of my off time earlyish - leaving the last 30 minutes at the end of
the contest as the balance of off time.  I still don't know if that was the
right choice, but it is what it is.  The rate meter really started to taper
towards the end, but I was banking on those last mults - some of which came to
fruition (but less than hoped).

I totally forgot how to do SO2R and it took about two hours to begin to feel
comfortable.  I felt I had it down OK by mid-contest.  Sorry for the fumbles. 
Its been a while.

See you in the next party!


Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/