[3830] RTTY WPX ON3DI SOSB/80 QRP

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                    CQ WPX RTTY Contest

Call: ON3DI
Operator(s): ON3DI
Station: ON3DI

Class: SOSB/80 QRP
QTH: 
Operating Time (hrs): 30

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
   80:  411
   40:     
   20:     
   15:     
   10:     
------------
Total:  411  Prefixes = 279  Total Score = 459,234

Club: 

Comments:

Hi

Last year I won on 10m with one simple qso, some people thinks that a little
joke, but it was wel considered. I had no time to do the usual 80m qrp, but this
year I had. I saw that some scores of last year where high, to high for me. The
score of HA3MY (SK) was three! times better then my personal best.

Normally I start with calling CQ but this time I did a lot S&P. Worked the
usual European stations but soon I heard USA (AA3B, K3WW, W4YMA, W4PK, AD5XD
(came back to my CQ) W3LL, WK1Q and AC0C), I could work them quite easily. This
is more USA DX then normally, noiselevel on 80 saturdaynight was pretty low,
conditions were not to bad. Big gun P49X was also in my log!
Calling CQ had some respons, but not that much, was hard to find a clean spot
and had some run. Anyway, I found the courage to do S&P time after time...
The first shift ended at 8UTC. 
Meanwhile I saw at live contest server that US3IW was in the same category as
me. After ten hours of contesting we had the same score, idem for YO9BCM,
challenging!

The saturdaynight shift is always the hardest one (17UTC-6/7/8 UTC
sundaymorning), I did this without any pause. I saw that US3IW went to bed
around midnight, I knew I had to push them and I did. AFter the night I had 90
QSO's more and a little 40 multipliers more, thought that the gap was made. 
Nice qso was with RK9AX who came back to my qso! During this shift I haven't
worked any USA stations, heard some but couldn't work them.

The last shift is always surviving, at live contest score I saw that US3IW was
closing the gap and two hours before the contest he had even more multipliers.
Honestly, it costed a lot of stress, no breaks, always pushing. I was glad he
went to bed an hour before of the end of the contest. I have at the end one
multiplier less but around 60 qso's more, happy.
Worked at the end some nice DX (TA7I, P3X, ED9E), nice multipiers, nice 6
pointers!

With a score around 460k points, I can be happy. It is the third best score in
the contest, the double! of my personal best and good enough for a new Belgian
record. I will be honest, I thought it was good enough to win this contest.
Would be my third victory in a row in a WPX RTTY and 6 consecutive in a RTTY
contest (WPX and WW), but the dream came to an end when I saw on this site the
score of YP8W. Congrats to him, his score is fabulous, more then 200k point
more, that is a lot, normally a new WR!
'The problem' is that I gave everything, there is no room for improvement at my
conteststation. I can't be QRV more, I did the full 30hours with no breaks.
So at this point, I am very dissapointment, second is simply not good enough, I
go for the win...

Perhaps next time I will be qrv at 40m, maybe a new challenge can help!

Varia:
1. There were a lot of Belgians QRV, nice!
2. I am not a fan of the W3LPL spots at the cluster, it is an advantage for some
stations (LX7I, Z60A). Is it so special that they are 'heard' in MD... They are
calling CQ with a KW or so, think it is more special when W3LPL would hear me
with my 5w...
3. I said this before but as a qrp station, you have to wait a lot for your turn
and you see a lot a macro's. There is room for improvement, very often they are
to long...
4. It was my last contest with my yaesu ft897, he did a good job, but now it is
time for my kenwood ts590s, who is normally better!

Setup:
Fullsize dipole antenna, 5w, yaesu ft897, dxkeeper

Thanks for all the QSO's!

73

Pieter ON3DI


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