[3830] SS SSB K0EU SO Unlimited HP

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                    ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, SSB - 2021

Call: K0EU
Operator(s): K0EU
Station: K0EU

Class: SO Unlimited HP
QTH: CO
Operating Time (hrs): 24
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:     
   80:  189
   40:  762
   20:  944
   15:   19
   10:     
------------
Total: 1914  Sections = 84  Total Score = 321,552

Club: Grand Mesa Contesters of Colorado

Comments:

That was fun for a few hours and then it gradually turned into a grind.
Actually, I think all SS contests are a grind after the initial euphoria of high
rates for the first 5-6 hours. But, it is what it is, and I keep coming back for
more year after year.

Many have already noted that the bands were not in the best of shape.
Particularly frustrating was the quick QSB that affected what AA5B called ghost
signals (weak signals that pop in and out very quickly). I regret that I had to
give up on people quite a number of times, hoping they might call later when we
had a better path between us.

Before the contest, I checked out the hourly rates last year from top scorer
K5TR. I revised my old rate targets to more or less match what George did with
the first seven hours on average, setting each hour to 150 QSO's. In hours one
and two, I was able to keep up with those targets. In fact, I was ahead of last
years actual QSO totals by a fair amount until the 0200-0300 slot. At that
point, it was like somebody put the brakes on radio signals. Last year, 128 Q's
in that hour. This year, only 75. When I started up again on Sunday morning, I
was roughly 100 Q's behind last year. Luckily, I was able to keep things going
well enough that I only lost another 30 or so Q's on Sunday compared to last
year. I finished with 1914 (vs. 2039 in 2020). This bummed me out quite a bit
until I saw the ND7K posting this morning. Wow. They dropped from 2455 Q's last
year to only 1704 Q's this year. This made my drop seem less precipitous
:->.

Special thanks to Bill K0UK who really pushed for activity from our local
contest club members. I don't think I've ever worked so many Colorado stations.
Also a shout out to VY0ERC, who called me early on 40M and allowed me skip the
VY1CO pileup on Sunday.

Congrats to K5TR and W7WA on excellent scores.

73 Randy K0EU


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