[3830] ARRLDX CW WB8WKQ SOAB LP

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                    ARRL DX Contest, CW - 2021

Call: WB8WKQ
Operator(s): WB8WKQ
Station: WB8WKQ

Class: SOAB LP
QTH: MI
Operating Time (hrs): 

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:   14    12
   80:   61    28
   40:   67    36
   20:  310    64
   15:   30    13
   10:    7     6
-------------------
Total:  489   159  Total Score = 233,253

Club: Mad River Radio Club

Comments:

Big time fun.  I don't think I've tried to give a reasonable effort on this
contest since I was a kid in the 70s.  Still, in the back of my mind, this was
the "grand daddy" of all contests, at least from my perspective back
in those days.  Has the CQ contests overtaken it?  I have no idea, but this was
pure nostalgia to me.  Of course now I have a much improved setup from the
Griefkit twins and a HyGain vertical of the 70s, but I think the propagation was
better back in those days.  Also, I remember getting together with our teenage
ham gang and running multi op, which was non-stop fun and laughs.  Anyway, fast
forward to today.  Thought I'd buck the trend and try low power, since I am no
match for the super stations and ops in the 8th region who run HP.  I found the
low bands (40, 80 and 160) to be pretty tough low power, and with this horrible
call, there was a lot of sending.  But, I was pretty psyched to work a few Euros
barefoot on 160M.  Both 40 and 80 had there moments, but were also tough
sledding too, at times.  On 20M, the money band, surprisingly, I found I could
basically work anyone I heard and not stay in a pileup too long.  Wish I would
have discovered that you can even "run" LP on 20M.  Didn't figure that
out until Sunday AM.  That was fun.  Never worked any/much Euros on 15M, mainly
just SA and Caribbean.  10M was only Caribbean.  But, it was a thrill to get
both VK and ZL on 15M.  And, the JAs were good on 20M Saturday, and even better
on Sunday when I also managed to pick up HL and some Asiatic Russians.  A lot of
that familiar "over the pole" sounds on the Asians, and even some on
the Euros, which surprised me.  This was far from a full time effort, but with
weather at night at zero or below, it gave me something to do this weekend,
while also watching sports on the tube.  All in all a pretty fun contest, and
being LP was a good challenge for me.  Thanks for all the Q's.


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