[3830] WPX SSB PJ2T M/M HP

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                    CQWW WPX Contest, SSB - 2023

Call: PJ2T
Operator(s): W0CG N5BR AC7DC N7NR N7WA WA7CPA AD7XG WM5H W5WZ KC7EFP
Station: PJ2T

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

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:    5
   80:  388
   40: 1056
   20: 1724
   15: 2542
   10: 2498
------------
Total: 8213  Prefixes = 1415  Total Score = 40,030,350

Club: Spokane DX Association

Comments:

Congratulations to NH7T and contesting icon Jim (N6TJ) the crew for posting the
best Oceania score in many years! Good work!! Jim has been one of my contesting
role models ever since his Ascension Island days.

We took a different tack at PJ2T this time and put together a contester
incubator team where those new to high-rate DX-side contesting could mix with
experts. The goal was to raise some boats, and that was clearly achieved while
having a ton of fun in the process. 

Robin (WA7CPA), Gary (AD7XG), and Jay (AC7DC) are all members of my home club,
the Spokane DX Association, and signed on when I first announced this
opportunity. We were then fortunate to recruit Cal Birdsall (N5BR) from the
Houston area. Cal is a super gentleman, an experienced aviator, and a successful
entrepreneur. It was a pleasure to share stories with him. The Louisiana
power-contesting duo of Scott (W5WZ) and Bobby (WM5H) who often contest at K8AZ
made the long trip to Curacao. Scott taught me a lot about N1MM technology,
contest technique, buying cars, rebuilding diesel engines, the homebuilding
industry, cloud computing, providing hurricane relief, and many other things.
Those excellent conversations underscore the richness of knowledge, skills, and
personalities we enjoy within the contesting community. Bobby (WM5H) spent his
career as a police officer in Monroe, Louisiana, and shared some of the profound
wisdom and life-truths that one learns in a career like that. Our team was
rounded out when we recruited James (KC7EFP) from the Seattle area, an extremely
proficient operator and a software professional, who helped confirm to me that
the stuff I’m teaching university undergrads about Microsoft Azure is on
target. James and Gary brought along their XYLs Jenny and Svetlana, so we were a
group of 11. And during the contest week N2BA, NU3O, and his XYL Margarita were
staying next door, expanding our group to 14. It was quite a logistical gaggle
when we all went out to eat together. 

It’s no news that conditions were terribly disturbed this weekend. We roll the
dice when we plan these big team operations, and this time the dice won. But we
pressed on aggressively with the knowledge that everyone was in the same proton
boat, and we did the best we could. During the weekend it was inspiring to see
our team’s speed and technique improve somewhat as they watched and listened
to our most proficient operators W5WZ and KC7EFP.  Our objective was for this to
be a learning experience, and that went down beautifully. 

10 was the top producer (W5WZ) at the opening, and stayed open for nearly four
hours, surprising all of us. 15 was also blazing for the first two hours (via
remote, N7NR), while 75 was painful, 20 slow, and 160 non-existent. 40 was the
big point producer overnight with double point credit and patient ops who
understood that 45 miles per hour all night would eventually get us to a nice
Saturday morning number. Spotty conditions continued all weekend, with waves of
QSOs followed by periods of apparently dead bands. Europe came and went and came
back again on the high bands, and of course the second night was
fingernail-pulling slow. 

Characteristically, rates in WPX are not as good as in WW or ARRL because of
lower participation. Still, we had some good hours to celebrate. W5WZ did 201 on
10 in the first hour. KC7EFP spun off an excellent hour at 158. The big rate
king for this weekend was N7NR (Dave) with hours of 188, 164, 162, 142, and 132
among his good hours, all via the remote from his shack in California. 

By the end we were all pretty much glad to hang it up, but we had great fun and
learned a lot from each other.

This wraps up the team contesting season from PJ2T, with five big team efforts,
CQ 160 CW single op, and several smaller ones (such as WPX RTTY (WI9WI)) on the
books. All of this activity is enabled by a universe of different kinds of
support from our CCC membership, including operating on site, maintaining and
repairing our gear in the States, relentless maintenance of the towers and
antennas in our saltwater environment, software guidance and documentation and
configuration via Anydesk, donations of dollars and equipment, logistical
coordination and leadership, accounting chores, seemingly endless shipping of
ocean freight and boxes, and other kinds of support much too numerous to
mention. You can thank all of our CCC members for those Curacao contacts that
drop into your logs. 

And, though you are probably tired of hearing it, you can also thank my life
partner Dorothy Dahlgren, who keeps us all smiling, laughing, fed and watered,
and altogether happy to be on site at Signal Point/PJ2T. Dorothy and I very
badly need some physical and mental rest, so home, our blue recliner, and some
cooler weather will be very welcome. 

I thank the entire worldwide contest community for your friendship and the
camaraderie. What a great family. 

      See you at WRTC/Italy, 73,
-	Geoff, W0CG/PJ2DX for the PJ2T team


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