[3830] ARRL 10 K4HQK SO CW LP

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                    ARRL 10-Meter Contest - 2022

Call: K4HQK
Operator(s): K4HQK
Station: K4HQK

Class: SO CW LP
QTH: Alexandria, VA
Operating Time (hrs): 13:45

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
   CW:  255    91
  SSB:    0     0
-------------------
Total:  255    91  Total Score = 92,820

Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club

Comments:

This contest should have been a for-credit course called Propagation 101. It ran
us through a little of everything the ionosphere has to offer.

Friday night was what I had expected, a classic mass of sporadic-E and/or
backscatter QSOs in every direction. If you looked at the 10-meter band’s page
on the DX Maps Website you saw red lines running in every direction. In my case,
the line of my heard-and-worked stations ran from my QTH through Georgia
(thanks, John/K4BAI) down to the Gulf states of AL, MS, and LA (skipping NC, SC
and FL), then to Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois
and Minnesota. From there the line turned back east and ran between Pennsylvania
and New York State. New England was virtually inaudible. No DX heard, not even a
VE. For a moment I thought I was on 6 meters. QRTed at 2220 EST.

Saturday began with the EU opening around 0700 EST, F-skip apparently, shining
its “searchlight” here and there across Europe until it closed down around
1000 (thank you EA6SX, MD2C and CT9ABO) and moved to the Caribbean and South
America (TEP?), which were difficult for me to work. By noon the western states
began popping up, including weak California stations and a few Canadians. By
1545 Hawaiian stations could be heard (e.g. KH7Q and the reliable KH6LC). Around
1700 EST I began hearing stations in Florida, Nova Scotia, Pennsylvania and
Maryland—along with the Western states. Crazy! More backscatter?

Saturday night was a shocker. Unlike the very busy night before, the band went
dead around 1900 EST.

Sunday morning opened around 0700 with EU again and stayed open in that
direction until around noon (thanks P3AA/Cyprus, Z35T, IS0/OM3RM, and
whoa—VO1HP). After that the mix began. In the 1200-1230 period I worked BC,
CO, NM, ON, EI, PJ2, FY5KE, EA8, HI, OR and DE. No wonder PVRC participants with
directional antennas didn’t know which way to point them! 

Sunday afternoon was a mix of Caribbean, western states, Hawaii, Alaska (thank
you once again, KL7SB). My head still spinning, I ended my participation at 1700
EST. I won’t be expecting a certificate for my modest effort, but I will
demand propagation class credit.

Bottom line: This band’s fickle nature gave me a thrill. On top of that, one
of its happiest characteristics is it doesn’t require a lot of power, as do
the lower bands. I did fine with 100 watts. With that I logged 40 states plus
D.C., KP2 and KP4 (missing NE, CT, ME, NH, RI, VT, NC, SC, WY, OH, and WV), 6
provinces, 1 Mexican state, and 44 DX countries. Of course a better antenna on
our “city” lot could have brought a better score, but as it was, it wasn’t
too bad at all.

John K4HQK
Alexandria, VA
Station: Icom 7410 (100 watts), Cushcraft R6000 multiband vertical


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