[3830] ARRLDX CW HQ9X(W1UE) SO Unlimited HP

[webform at b4h.net]

                    ARRL DX Contest, CW - 2019

Call: HQ9X
Operator(s): W1UE
Station: HQ9X

Class: SO Unlimited HP
QTH: HR
Operating Time (hrs): 39
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:  503    55
   80:  625    60
   40:  753    60
   20: 1401    61
   15: 1006    60
   10:   34    10
-------------------
Total: 4322   306  Total Score = 3,967,596

Club: Yankee Clipper Contest Club

Comments:

My goals for this contest were simiple:
1. Beat my previous best for most QSOs in a 48 hour contest (4003)
2. Beat V26M for score.

This was the first serious single op I've done at DX Lodge Roatan.  Yes, you can
google it if you want to see the place, and it is a ham rental if you should be
so inclined.

Station Setup:
IC7610 and 7300
Two Alpha 99 amps
Audio Switch Box (courtesy of NN1C/KC1CWF)
Antennas: 160M Dipole at 45ft (only used 2nd day due to a feedline problem)
80M: 1/4 wave vertical
40M: 1/4 wave vertical
20/15/10M: Skyhawk at 50ft
VA6AM High Power Triplexer and BPFs

I started the contest on 20M, with an all-time best (for me) best hour of 196
(just missed that elusive 200 number) As 20M started to die, I switched down to
40, then 80 (no 160m the first night), and as I worked each band I slowly began
to incorporate Dueling CQs to run two bands at the same time.  When I took my
first nap at 0708Z I had 1003 Qs in the log, and I was feeling good!

Saturday morning, after hour stints on 80 and 40, found me again on 20, but not
for long.  15 seemed to be runnable shortly after 20 opened, and not know when
15 might closed I jumped on it.  I would occasionally check 10m with the 2nd
radio, but no one ever seemed to be there- no blips on the display.  Finally,
about 1600z, I found a couple of stations.  I kept going back to 10M, hoping for
a better opening, but at the end of the first day I had 9Qs and 5 mults on 10M
(FL, AL, GA, KY and NC).  First day ended with 2624 Qs and 250 mults (remember,
no 160m the first 24).

THe second 24 hours started with a bang!  I switched to 160M, and was
immediatley greeted with one of the biggest pileups I've ever heard- calling me!
 I abandoned the second radio while I concentrated on pulling stations out of
the din.  Not having to wait for European sunrise in this contest, I pulled the
plug about 0600Z and took another sleep.  At this point, I was definitely
feeling fatigue!

I got up about 1100Z, and ran 160,80,40 until it was again time for the high
bands.  2nd day strategy was to just somewhere and call CQ, but after 1800Z
fatigue was really taking its toll.  I Dueled CQ as much as I could in an effort
to keep the rate up.  Hope I didn't stumble too badly while doing this. The
multiplier count slow crept up, from 296 at 1100Z to 300 at 1600.  I kept
checking 10M, knowing that to catch V26M's last year score I needed a decent
number of mults on 10M.  Finally, about 1840, I caught a small opening to the
southern USA  I was able to work TX, CA, LA, AZ, and AR in a matter of minutes. 
There were lots of TX stations to work; unfortunately, all of them are still
only 1 mult!  In any case, I was able to pump up the mult count by a few.  

Finally finished with the numbers you see above.  Measured against goals:
1. I fell a little short of the V26M score last year, and also the V26M score of
this year!  He reported just over 4meg, and I was just under 4 meg.  Its close,
but 60K is probably too large a deficit to overcome with log checking.
2. I smashed my previous 48 Hour QSO total- 4322 against 4003.  That was neat!

Many thanks to Rudy N2WQ for the use of DX Lodge Roatan for the contest!  I had
a great tine, and the station worked great!  Hope to hear and work a lot of you
in the CQWW 160M SSB contest next weekend!

Dennis HQ9X aka W1UE


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