[3830] CQ160 SSB K3ZM Single Op HP

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                    CQ 160-Meter Contest, SSB - 2021

Call: K3ZM
Operator(s): K3ZM
Station: K3ZM

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: Virginia
Operating Time (hrs): 25

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 1102  State/Prov = 58  Countries = 35  Total Score = 287,742

Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club

Comments:

Sibling interaction can have its own special flavor.  For example, at about
0600Z on Sunday morning, when the contest had been largely decided, the
following conversation took place on the air:

K3ZM: Okay, Ace.  How many QSO's do you have?

VY2ZM: About 800.

K3ZM: I win.


The competition started out with decent rates.  Here were my first few hours.

115
104
122

I could hear EU coming in at the start, but they were not very loud.  At about
0100Z, I moved well up the band.  Do the contacts still count for the 160
contest if you are operating on 145 meters?  This enabled me, eventually, to
have somewhat of a EU run.  By the end of the first night, I had fought my way
to work 61 EU's.  The Tier 1 EU stations were plenty loud, but as you got down
to Tier 3, the signals were very weak.  This apparently was why there just were
not many of them participating.

At bedtime Saturday morning, I had 768 QSO's, 31 countries and 57 sections.  I
was missing North Dakota, VO1 and VO2.  I don't count the exotic VE stuff.  My
score then was 195,272.  It was shaping up to be a record low score in this
event for me but it looked like I was well ahead of the Real Hams of the Jersey
Shore (multi effort in SNJ).

A bright spot of Friday night was that, for me, the West Coast was coming in
fine.  Lots of WA, CA stations with Oregon as well and a small handful of VE7's.
 KH6 was no problem.

I never worked Asia.  Not even P33W or a 4Z4.  Maybe the only Africa was EA8. 
Certainly no ZL or VK.  Only 15 additional EU's on Saturday night for a total of
76.  That is probably a record low.  There was never any bothersome QRN.

On Saturday night, I found a frequency high above 1900 and held it for a while,
hoping the faithful DL stations would help bolster my pathetic EU total, but it
never happened.  So many common countries were missed, like ON4, GM3, etc.

I finally worked two North Dakota stations.  Yay!  Never heard VO1 or VO2.

One highlight was working my sister-in-law K4ZDM, XYL of the talented George,
K2DM.  For the record, she was louder than he was.  It was also fun working
Patrick, KK6ZM who had a good signal from WA here on the East Coast.

I'm grateful to my own XYL, who is so supportive of this crazy hobby and can
also tram up a pretty tidy yagi antenna.

Thanks for all the QSO's.

73,

Peter  K3ZM


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