[3830] ARRLDX SSB PJ2T M/M HP

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                    ARRL DX Contest, SSB - 2023

Call: PJ2T
Operator(s): N1ZZ AF4Z AK4R K4JC K5LD AD4ES KE3VV N0OJ W0CG N7NR K8ND
Station: PJ2T

Class: M/M HP
QTH: Curacao
Operating Time (hrs): 48
Remote Operation

Summary:
 Band  QSOs   Mults
--------------------
  160:   187    41
   80:   729    55
   40:  2151    61
   20:  2465    61
   15:  3148    60
   10:  3095    61
--------------------
Total: 11775   339  Total Score = 11,967,039

Club: CCC and PCARS

Comments:

As time goes by and we lose more and more of our contesting brothers, I’m more
thankful than ever still be here dispensing Curacao QSOs. All of us in the PJ2T
group remember with affection our club’s silent keys WA9S, NP2L, K2PLF, W9EFL,
W9JUV, N9AG, and K8LEE. 

As is our custom, ARRL SSB was manned by members of PCARS, the Platinum Coast
Amateur Radio Society, Melbourne, FL, led by indomitable Dan Gravereaux, N1ZZ. 
Veterans N1ZZ, AF4Z, AK4R, K4JC, K5LD, AD4ES, and KE3VV were joined by first
time visitor Ryan, N0OJ. W0CG supplemented the on-site team, and K8ND and N7NR
filled on air shifts remotely. We missed Pete, K8PGJ, who tested positive for
you-know-what after returning from KH6 and opted to stay in Michigan so as to
not possibly infect our team. We missed Pete’s energy and super positive
attitude. Thanks to our on-site crew for making the trip in this era of very
high airfares.

Also customary, N1ZZ’s birthday fell within the period of the trip, and we
caked and sang to him on Friday, March 3, just prior to the contest. We
couldn’t find any island stores that had 84 candles all alike, but that did
not diminish the celebration. Dan is founder of West Mountain Radio, inventor of
the RigBlaster and many other beloved gadgets, and is now doing it all over
again with clever and useful products from Paradan Radio. He is strong, fit,
quick, clever, energetic, innovative, and tireless and inspires us all to cruise
into our supersenior years with courage and a smile. 

We set up a true multi/multi with five stations on site and a sixth accessed
remotely. PJ2T now has very fast and reliable fiber direct to the QTH. Our
connectivity rivals that anywhere and effortlessly supports lots of data in and
out of PJ2T. Good riddance to the slow and unreliable DSL. 

At the opening I kidded with the ops about going for 750 QSOs in the first hour.
They thought that was pretty funny until 0100Z, when we cheered out loud with
755 in the log. K4JC led the pace that first hour with 255 on 15. Conditions
through the night and first morning were as we expected, but we were surprised
midday Saturday when the 20 meter rate went to zero. The band was wide open, but
everybody was on 10 and 15. Why not, because in a few years there will be no 10
meters again. After those mid-afternoon doldrums it got dark in Europe, then our
rates went through the roof until about 0300Z. 

By the midpoint in the contest we could see that we would not equal our 12.6M
score of last year but soldiered on with energy. 160 was the worst we have heard
 
in many years. Canadian mults on 160 were just a pipe dream this weekend.
We’re happy with the finishing score, the equipment and software performed
perfectly all weekend, and there were none of the Murphy problems that dogged us
on the CW weekend. One of those problems was averted because DX Engineering was
able to deliver a desperately needed length of cable to N1ZZ’s Florida address
only 19 hours after I placed the online order.  That’s as professional as it
gets. 

Congratulations to N0OJ on his first big-team contesting experience. Ryan is
quick, quiet, professional, and has superb situational awareness and
multi-tasking abilities, and we hope he will be back many times in the future.
Thanks to N7NR and K8ND for staffing 27 band-hours via the remote. It’s not as
much fun for them because they can’t walk out of the shack to palm trees, sun,
and a blue ocean, but they dug in and were a super addition to the team. 

Kudos to the dues paying members of CCC. It’s because of them that we have the
resources to continue delivering lots of PJ2 mults to thousands of you.
Particular thanks to guru Gene, KB7Q, who got us into the remoting world, and to
N7IR who works tirelessly to keep the equipment working. And as you all know, my
partner Dorothy Dahlgren is a key team member, taking care of everything
non-radio around here so that we can focus on the technical stuff. We’re also
grateful to a mostly anonymous donor who has enabled us to have some important
goodies on site of which we only dreamed in the past. 

We will be welcoming an eclectic team for WPX SSB, hoping to grow some new
contesters and reinforce some experienced ones. See you then.

    73,
	Geoff, W0CG, PJ2DX, for the PJ2T team


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