[3830] CQWW SSB K7RL SOAB HP

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                    CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB - 2019

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

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: WA
Operating Time (hrs): 32
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:   21     8       10
   80:  204    18       37
   40:  373    29       67
   20:  577    31       95
   15:  116    17       43
   10:    2     1        2
------------------------------
Total: 1293   104      254  Total Score = 1,004,190

Club: Western Washington DX Club

Comments:

I’ve been looking forward to CQ WW since summer, and would you believe a week
before the contest, a finger nail on my index finger tore slightly? No big deal,
right? Happens all the time. What does this have to do with CQ WW?  

By Wednesday, the top of my finger was painfully swollen, and I mean serious
pain and swelling. Went to the doctor and he prescribed antibiotics for an
infection. Infection? From a hang nail? By Friday, my finger was not only
seriously painful, but black, blue, purple, white and extremely swollen. So,
hours before the contest started, the doctor cut it open and put a giant gauze
wrap on it (which made it feel so much better, BTW). Hmmm. Guess I won’t be
using that finger this weekend, but I still have four others on that hand. Cool.


Conditions leading up to the contest were fantastic. A start time on Tuesday or
Wednesday would have been perfect! When Friday rolled around, conditions took a
steep nose dive. K of 5, A of 29? Honestly, these were the worst conditions
I’ve ever experienced in CQ WW. Once of the lowest recorded SFI’s, coupled
with a nasty A and K index took its toll. My score certainly reflects it.  

The usual bread and butter 20m band rationed its portions this weekend. Europe
was very poor. Didn’t start hearing EU until about 9:30 am local both
mornings. The best part of the opening lasted about 1 to 1.5 hours both days -
tops. When the big guns are S7 to S8, you know modest stations have zero chance
of making it, and that’s exactly what happened. Second and third tier stations
were locked out. Runs mostly sputtered and S&P ruled the day. Saturday
heavily favored southern EU, with most northern EU weak or non-existent. It
improved a little on Sunday, with bigger signals from northern EU. 

Ran into Larry, N7DD, late Sunday on 20m, and we swapped horror stories about
the band. Even sunny, southern Arizona didn’t totally escape the solar death
grip. 

40m wasn’t much better with very little EU, and lackluster Asia openings. A
quick QSO with Dan, W7WA, confirmed it wasn’t just me and my station
experiencing it. In fact, 80m was better to JA than 40m, at least the first
night when my tower was actually pointed to Asia – explanation to follow. 

I don’t know exactly when it happened, but sometime about half way into the
contest, the chain that turns my tower fell off. The motor turns, and the
controller tells me it’s turning, but the tower is not turning. It wasn’t
until I looked out the window Sunday morning at first daylight that I noticed
it. The tower was stuck at 100 degrees for god knows how long. That means all of
my Asia operating Sunday night was a giant waste of time! I was able to mount
the chain back to the tower and get it turning again in time for the remaining
Asia opening on 40m, and the short EU opening on 20m. 

Highlights included: Working Alex, KU1CW, operating from 3W9A with a nice
signal; working a loud ZS1SBW long path on 40m Sunday morning for a new country
and zone; a better than expected opening on 15m, with Sunday the better day; and
working many friends from around the globe. 

Thanks to all for the Qs, and especially the guys that traveled to exotic
locations to provide the rare ones.

Congratulations to NO6T(KI6RRN) for a big west coast score.

73, Mitch, K7RL


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