[3830] WPX SSB V31VP(WB0TEV) SO(A)AB TB-Wires HP

[webform at b4h.net]

                    CQWW WPX Contest, SSB

Call: V31VP
Operator(s): WB0TEV
Station: V31DL

Class: SO(A)AB HP
Class Overlay: TB-Wires 
QTH: Belize
Operating Time (hrs): 26:40

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:    0
   80:  287
   40:  768
   20: 1457
   15:  314
   10:   65
------------
Total: 2891  Prefixes = 837  Total Score = 7,278,552

Club: DFW Contest Group

Comments:

This years score was an improvement over last year. Only had 1 more WPX than in
2017 and ~300 more QSOs, but a better operating strategy of concentrating more
on low bands gave a 1.5 million point boost over last year.  There is still room
for improvement, mainly with the operator who only managed to keep BIC for just
under 27 hours.

Unlike last year when I started on 20m, I staked out a spot on 40m below 7200
and began the contest there.  Sunset in V31 is around 0030 so that was the
better choice.  Had a good run for the next 3+ hours with decent rates (~120/hr)
with a good number of EU stations calling in as well.  After 0330, the rate
started to fall and I wanted to snag some EU mults while they were still
available so did Search and Pounce for about an hour before moving to 80m around
0430.  Was able to run and did so until around 0600.  Mostly NA at first but
after 0500, many more EU called in.  Conditions on 80m seemed quite good here
with low noise and strong signals.  The new 80m inverted V we put up 3 weeks ago
for the ARRL SSB DX contest was a big improvement over the low antennas we had
before.

Did some more search and pounce on 40m at ~0600 then decided to look at 20m out
of curiosity.  20m was still open to SA and I worked some CEs and PY's along
with PJ2T around 0620.  After grabbing a few more mults on 40 and 80 I went
above 7200 on 40m (since prop to EU was kaput by then) and had a nice run until
going QRT just past 0700Z.  

I decided that if I wanted a chance to work a reasonable number of JA's on 40m I
would need to do it the first night, since on the second night it is already
Monday morning in JA and many would have to be at work.  So, after too little
sleep I was back QRV just before 1100Z on 40m.  After picking off ZM4T and VK4KW
I started a run below 7200 and was rewarded with a number of JA QSO's and
several new mults as a result.  Doing this the following night would not have
been as productive.  A couple of YBs called in as well.

By 1200 the lack of sleep and QSO rate took their toll, so the futon in the
shack became my friend as I assumed horizontal polarization for a much needed
nap. Got back up after ~90 minutes and did a bunch of Search and Pounce for EU
mults on 40 and 20m for 20 minutes before going down to breakfast.  Was back QRV
at 1450Z running on 14127 to get a clear shot at EU mults and Q's without all
the stateside QRM (with occasional quick QSY's elsewhere to grab another mult
off the cluster).  Still had to chase off a couple of US hams who called me out
of band including one who protested that he had an Extra Class license.  (and
yet he still didn't know the US phone band plan apparently... SIGH). After about
30 minutes of that (which netted ~30 EU's) I found a newly vacant spot above
14150 just before 1500Z and ran there for the next couple of hours. After
sweeping 20 and 15 for mults, my almost 60 year old body threatened to go on
strike so I went QRT just after 1700Z to try and get some rest.

5 and half hours later after an early afternoon nap and 2200Z supper I was back
QRV on 20m around 2230 in order to hopefully once again grab some JA's during
their propagation window.  It was all NA until the first JA called in at 2246Z. 
9 more JA's followed in the next 15 minutes.  There were not a steady stream of
JA callers (at least that I could hear) and the last one came at ~0038 I think. 
Every so often I asked the NA pile to QRX briefly so I could try and listen for
Asia.  I appreciate how well the US guys held there fire for those brief
interludes so that the JAs could make use of their all too short prop window.

By 0100 that second day 20m was petering out so it was back to 40m.  There
seemed to be fewer EU available on 40m compared to the day before.  Switched to
80m around 0200Z and after snagging EM0X and LZ9W (man those guys were loud) I
found a spot to try and run.  Slow going at first until someone spotted me then
got busy in a hurry. In between the solid steam of NA callers, a number of EU
called in.  When things slacked up briefly I'd do a quick QSY elsewhere on 80 to
grab another mult then quickly go back to the run. 0330-0350Z became a 3 band
search and pounce mult chase including 20m which yielded two VKs, a ZL and a
PY.
Run some more on 40m above 7200 for a while and visited the mult smorgasbord
before calling at night around 0440 as there didn't seem to be a lot of EU
compared to the first night and I was feeling the need for some sleep.

Some 10 hours later after a good nights rest and breakfast V31VP was again QRV
at ~1420 qrabbing a few quick ones on 40mm before heading for 20m.  Soon had a
run going for almost the next 5 hours with brief forays to 15m and elsewhere on
20 to grab a mult or two.  

At 1930Z I figured I'd check 10m, but had low expectations.  The bandscope on
the IC-7300 was pretty well lit up.  I tuned thru the band and picked up a
number of SA mults and upon hearing NA as well found an empty spot in the midst
of the main cluster of activity and called CQ.  Worked about 40 calls in ~25
minutes, mostly SA but with a fair number of NA as well.  Was surprised to work
EF8R as well.  After just under 1 hour on 10m I went to 15m since up to that
point I'd hardly worked 15 at all, 20m having been so productive up to that
point.

15m had seemed pretty punk the first day, so I figured I'd just be there a
little while before going to 20m for a better rate, but I was mistaken.  15m was
in very good shape, and even though this contest does have mults per band, I was
essentially "fresh meat" on 15 at that point and got a number of
repeat callers that had worked me on another band the day before.  Once I got a
run going around 2030 in was pretty much all NA (with some SA) but it was just a
flood of callers.  I was spewing reports as fast as my mouth would work and at
times probably sounded like I was wired on meth or something!  I kept it up for
a couple of hours and had the best 1 hour rate of the contest (201/hr) during
that 15m run. By 2220 I figured I'd best go find a spot on 20m to do the sprint
to the finish line as I didn't expect 15m to hold up with good rate all the way
to sunset.

Grabbed S51A on 40m along with another US mult before setting up shop high in
the band on 20m for one final push starting at 2230Z.  It was a frantic frenetic
dash to the finish with 260 Qs in the last 90 minutes before the clock hit 0000Z
and the bedlam that had reigned the phone bands faded into the night.

This was my 3rd trip to Belize since early February and as always a big thanks
to Andre (DL1AS/V31DL) for the use of his fine rental shack to to his XYL Monika
for the fine hospitality here at the Maya Hill Lodge.   

After all that yakking (all done live) I think I may go do some RTTY for a while
HI!  

Except for a couple of hours where I forget to start the recording program I
hope to have QSO recordings from this contest available for playback via the
V31VP page on QRZ.com.  That function seems to be kaput at the moment but I will
work to try and getting it working again (maybe with help from K3IT who makes
the great QSORDER program) after I get back home to Texas.  

Thanks to all who helped fill the V31VP log!

73,
Victor


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