[3830] CQWW CW K7RL SO(A)AB HP

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                    CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW - 2019

Call: K7RL
Operator(s): K7RL
Station: K7RL

Class: SO(A)AB HP
QTH: WA
Operating Time (hrs): 40
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:   43    11       15
   80:  433    30       62
   40:  677    34      112
   20:  660    35      106
   15:   58    14       35
   10:    9     4        4
------------------------------
Total: 1880   128      334  Total Score = 2,252,712

Club: Western Washington DX Club

Comments:

Aside from the latest solar disturbance that somehow always seems find us this
year during CQ WW, this was a much better weekend than SSB. The lack of EU noted
by PNW stations was the headline. I started out SOAB HP, but half way through I
turned on spotting assistance to keep me awake and fight lingering low-level
boredom. 
Thought about quitting at the half way point, but switching to assisted and
taking a break to shower and eat a decent meal helped lift my spirits for the
second half. 

Here’s a band-by-band breakdown:

160m: 

Didn’t spend much time here. Maybe I was bitter/uninterested knowing this
latest solar disturbance meant no EU after experiencing regular EU openings in
the weeks leading up to the contest.  

80m:

Not much EU (11 to be exact), but worked 232 Asian stations. Conditions to JA
were outstanding. A steady stream of callers kept me going through the night.
Had EU been open like the weeks leading up to the test, and 80m might have been
epic. Guess we’ll never know. Q total is new station record.

40m:

Disappointment and surprise summed up 40m. Although the band was open all night,
there were peaks and valleys in propagation.     

Admittedly, I’m disappointed that last year I worked 1,200+ stations to only
677 this year. Look at this:

2018:

Europe - 473
Asia - 516

2019:

Europe – 110
Asia - 367    

Both EU and Asia are down in 2019 with EU down considerably. It felt like a
one-two punch of low SFI and solar disturbance took its toll.

But out of that disappointment was also a surprise. Sunday morning featured nice
LP conditions to EU. However, the signals were so distorted it was almost
impossible to copy some stations. The reason, I soon discovered, was both LP and
SP were open. Once I turned SP, signals improved and the distortion was gone. I
ended up having a low volume run for about 90 minutes or so. I was probably late
to discover it, but some is better than none. I’ve never heard 40m open SP to
EU in the morning. That was a first. 

Of note was the skew path to JA while pointed north. Really interesting.

About 2:30 PM local, I went back to 40m and sure enough the band was still open
to EU. It never really closed, but signals attenuated in the late morning as the
sun rose. Enjoyed more low volumes runs way up the band until the end of the
contest.

Without those little runs, my EU numbers would have been abysmal. I need to
check, but I’m pretty sure 112 countries is a new station record for single
op.

20m:

Like everyone in the PNW mentioned, this is one of the first years in recent
memory that any kind of decent EU run was not the norm. Saturday morning was a
challenge, but early afternoon the band opened to northern EU during the JA run.
OH, LA, and SM were loud, and it was fun working EU and JA at the same time.

Sunday was better. Finally had a low volume morning EU run into G, EI, DL, LZ,
EA and F. Stations in southern EU were much stronger.

The same early afternoon opening to northern EU and JA occurred on Sunday too,
but activity was down from northern EU.

Here are comparison numbers from 2018 and 2019:

2018

Europe – 422
Asia – 364

2019

Europe – 142
Asia – 340

Asia was fairly consistent from year-to-year, but EU was down considerably. With
solar conditions bottoming out it really hurts when 20m doesn’t produce to
EU.

15m:

Not much to say here. Typical opening at this stage of the solar cycle. Don’t
think I worked a JA.

10m:

Happy to report the band was open somewhere! Saturday featured an opening to
South America like PY, LU and CX. It was nice to hear signals again. Heard a PY
on Sunday, but already worked him on Saturday. Band not nearly as good as
Saturday.

Hope we start to see an uptick in sunspots as the year goes on. 

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks to all for the Qs.

73, Mitch, K7RL


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