[3830] JIDX CW NH6O SOAB QRP

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                    JIDX CW Contest - 2022

Call: NH6O
Operator(s): NH6O
Station: NH6O

Class: SOAB QRP
QTH: Honolulu Hawaii
Operating Time (hrs): 1

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:          
   80:          
   40:          
   20:          
   15:   3     3
   10:  11     5
-------------------
Total:  14     8  Total Score = 200

Club: 

Comments:

Park portable QRP - Elecraft KX3 5W, end-fed 32-ft wire vertically supported in
tree.

I had been working JA's by the dozens all week on FT8, so I expected to hear
lots of loud JA CQ's on 20/15/10 in the 0z-4z period I usually operate portable.
The high bands were surprisingly quiet - several strong Chinese stations CQing
for JIDX, a number of mainland and OC/HI participants in JIDX, but very few JA
stations like I usually hear in CQ WW/WPX contests.

I worked the 3 strongest CQing stations I heard on 15 between 0245 and 0300,
then returned to digital for a while to check propagation. Around 0445, it
looked like FT8 signals from JA were getting strong enough to make CW feasible.
Only one of 2 running JA stations heard me, but I decided to try running.
Amazingly, a steady stream of JA's called me between 0450 and 0510z, and I was
able to log 13 contacts in that brief run. Pretty lame by contester standards,
but so much fun for a QRP op!

I then saw that the K index had elevated sharply during my on-air hours, and the
bad propagation was likely a combination of the geomagnetic storm plus the
diminishing solar flux level. 

I hope to do better next year - I'm working on earning JARL awards at my usual
QRP level, and it has been enjoyable to learn so much about Japanese
prefectures, cities, guns, and kus. 

73,
Bob NH6O in Honolulu


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