[3830] WPX SSB KQ2M SOAB Classic Unassisted HP

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                    CQWW WPX Contest, SSB - 2021

Call: KQ2M
Operator(s): KQ2M
Station: KQ2M

Class: SOAB HP
Class Overlay: Classic Unassisted 
QTH: CT
Operating Time (hrs): 24.0

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:     0
   80:   301
   40:   482
   20: 1,594
   15:     1
   10:     0
------------
Total:  2378  Prefixes = 980  Total Score = 6,803,343

Club: Yankee Clipper Contest Club

Comments:

ALL QSO's were made NON-Assisted with ONE Radio and ONE Amp.  No 10 or 160
antennas and no 20 meter stack.

Classic 24.0 hours:  2,378 x   980 = 6,803,343

TOTAL   28.5 hours:  2,746 x 1,076 = 8,526,224

The WPX SSB has always been my favorite contest and it frequently is blessed
with some of the best propagation of the year due to the proximity of the
contest date to the Vernal Equinox. 
  
I was looking forward to it especially after huge storms and professional work
had gutted my plans to operate both modes of ARRLDX.  However, Murphy paid me a
long-duration visit.  Wednesday morning the dreaded ACOM2000a "Low Heater
Voltage 0.0v" appeared and the usual fix failed. This dictated a one amp
contest.  Then I fixed the 160 Inv L but a windstorm on Thursday broke it again.
 Undaunted, I set out to fix the 20 meter stackmatch switching which caused
relay issues on transmit and prevented me from operating 20 meters in ARRLDXSSB
3 weeks before.  I carefully took apart the box, burnished all the relays,
completely rebuilt the connections and patchcords and tested it on Friday
afternoon.  Worked perfectly.  I would have my 20 meter stack again.  YAY! Also
on Friday afternoon I fixed the 80 meter 4-square.

But Murphy was not done with me yet.  I started the contest on 40 and it was a
snakepit - not having a 40 meter yagi, running is a struggle for me.  The MUF
dropped and after an hour it was time to qsy to 80.  I was feeling the effects
of three hours on Thursday night after another 100+ hour work week
so when the 80 meter signal began to get distorted after one hour of operating I
was concerned.  I qrt'd and took off the mic connector to see where the problem
was but my vision was so compromised from lack of sleep it was impossible for me
to tell which wire(s) had frayed and were shorting out.  There was nothing I
could do. 


In disgust I went upstairs to sleep.  I was so exhausted and demotivated that I
slept late.  Until my eyes were able to focus properly I would not be able to
fix the connector.  I got up at 13z and attempted to fix the connector.  I still
had trouble focusing my eyes but it was better and after 30 minutes of
"surgery" I was able to seperate the wires and reconnect them properly
to the mic connector.
Releived and psyched that I could operate SSB again, I quickly went to 20 and
called CQ TEST.  I had a nice pileup and was THRILLED that the 20 meter
switching was working.  For 5 minutes.  Then the audio started to drop out with
a 40 - 60 loss of signal strength, then the SWR went to infinity.  WTF?!!  QRT
again after 9 minutes of operating!  I took a lunch break, went outside and
tried to trouble shoot the problem.  Went back in the shack and everything
sounded fine again until I transmitted.  This time it only took 30 seconds for
the audio to drop out and the SWR on 20 to become infinite.  At this point I
felt defeated.  I contemplated turning off the radio and doing some work and
spending time with my family.  But then I realized that I would have to wait
another year until I was able to operate WPXSSB again and that was just
unacceptable!

I went back inside and dug up and old RCS-4 - plugged in the three 20 meter
yagis to their separate ports and was able to manually switch from one antenna
to the other for the rest of the contest - but I could not phase any of them
which was a serious problem in WPXSSB were you need to be heard in multiple
directions simultaneously.  I went inside and noticed that Antenna 3 was not
working.  WHAT COULD BE WRONG NOW?  I put antenna 3 in Port 4.  That worked.

Finally at 1708z, I was back on the air.  The mic connector was holding, barely.
 Having missed most of 40 and 80 the first night and now missing the first 6 1/2
hours of the 20 meter EU opening, I was out of the running - 238 qso's at 1708z.
 But it IS WPXSSB so I was determined to give it all that I had.  Cndx were not
very good.  Didn't matter; just call CQ Contest.  Rates were not as high as I
would have liked - averaging about 150 per hour but at least I was operating.
Still, I expected a better opening than the one we were getting some sunspots
and with K=4! Part of the problem was the heavy rain that I was experiencing and
almost constant long duration static crashes of a coastal storm.  At times the
rain induced drumbeat sounds on my top 20 was so bad that I had to listen on my
lowest 20 - the signals were down 3 - 6 S-units but the S/N ratio was better. 
It was a nuisance though to have to manually switch between the antennas every
time I transmitted!

Around 2100z, I noticed that Northern Europe was beginning to come back and the
SW EU stations were getting louder.  I resisted the temptation to go to 40
meters for the 6 pt EU qso's and stay on 20 to see what called in.  I had a
thought that MAYBE we could even get a JA opening?  Sure enough, at 2136z VK3GZ
(longpath) and JA6WFM both called in followed by another 80 JA's, B4O, B4T and
several other Asian stations.  It was the best Asian opening that I had
experienced in many years - a sign of things to come in the new Solar Cycle 25!
Even more remarkable was that occasionally a loud EU station called in during
the JA run - that is pretty rare in New England.

At 2315z I qrt'd to 40 and found a good run frequency and stayed for the next 4
hours before moving down to 80 and 2 hours of fun.  It was a thrill to get
called by A4, A6, A7, 4L0G and UB8A on 40 SSB and then again on 80 by A6, A7 and
FR4QT!At 2315z I qrt'd to 40 and found a good run frequency and stayed for the
next 4 hours before moving down to 80 and 2 hours of fun.  It was a thrill to
get called by A4, A6, A7, 4L0G and UB8A on 40 SSB and then again on 80 by A6, A7
and FR4QT!  Even though 40 and 80 were still open, the 05z hour rate dropped off
sharply and I had to qrt at 0613z.

I was up early and on 20 at 1031z but the cndx were poor, especially now for
K=0.

It had occurred to me that in WPXSSB most stations do most of their operating in
the first 36 hours and then only sporadically on Sunday.  Sure enough, even
though 20 was fairly decent on Sunday, the rates stayed poor except for the 11
and 12z hours.  15 never really got going to EU - I had missed that on Saturday,
so I was left to stay on 20 all day.  With low rates and better conditions on 20
but with 15 dead, frequencies were at a premium.  K3RA decided that he liked my
frequency and wanted to stay there even though he was S9 on groundwave and
clearly could hear both me and my pileup.  I would ask him to qsy and he would
ignore me.  Then he would qsy up 300 hz and call CQ again or qsy down 300 hz and
call CQ again.
This nonsense continued for about 30 minutes before he left.  I really don't
understand why people think it's ok to operate this way.  Sure enough, K3RA came
back several more times to qrm my run frequency before finally leaving for good.
 What a colossal waste of time!  

I continued to run on 20 all day and the rates gradually improved toward the 20z
and 21z hours.  ZL and VK stations started to call in longpath and I was hopeful
that we might get a JA opening, but at 2230z when I was still not hearing any
JA's, I turned the beam South to work all the SA and Caribbean stations that I
had not worked earlier in the contest.

Watching the Doppler Weather Radar in the 22z hour made it clear that a nasty
approaching Thunderstorm line would make it to my qth before the contest was
over.  At 2343z I qrt'd and disconnected everything, just 5 minutes before the
storm arrived.

After the contest I was shocked to find out that apparently 20 DID open to Asia
and quite well.  Somehow I had missed it; and no doubt not having the benefit of
phased antennas and the ability to split them in different directions proved to
be quite costly.
All things considered I was pleased with the results of my abbreviated one-radio
one-amp operating while missing many of the best hours.

Classic 24.0 hours:  2,378 x   980 = 6,803,343

TOTAL   28.5 hours:  2,746 x 1,076 = 8,526,224

You can see the immense different in score that those last 4.5 hours of
operating made.  Had I been able to operate 36 hours of my choosing with SO2R
and several hours more of 40, 80 and 160 meter 6 point DX qso's, I probably
would have broken 12 Million points!  

I have a lot to look forward to in 2022 - maybe 15 will finally open to EU?

One more thing.  I chose to operate NON-Assisted. I think it is appalling that
the NON-Assisted and Assisted categories have been combined by the Contest
Director WITHOUT any prior discussion and seeking of opinions of the 
contest community before making this unilateral and extremely unpopular
decision.  This contest belongs to ALL OF US, not just the Contest Director and
our input should be sought out before ramming a change of this magnitude down
our throats!  This is inexcusable, unsportsmanlike conduct.  And this decision
SHOULD BE REVERSED!

I salute the great efforts of KI6RRN and N6MJ to accept and adjudicate the logs
of those of those of use who willingly and proudly choose to continue to operate
NON-ASSISTED!

Finally, thanks to all of you for the qso's and mults and for all the wonderful
contest memories past and present.  There is nothing more enjoyable in radio
than being to work everyone all over the world and then get to say hello to all
our friends again each year! 

73 and stay safe!

Bob KQ2M

kq2m at kq2m.com


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