[CCF] OH8X - CQWW SSB 2016 - SB 20m

[pasi at luoma-aho.fi]

Call: OH8X
Operator(s): OH6UM
Station: OH8X

Class: SOSB/20 HP
QTH: Arkala
Operating Time (hrs): 39,5
Location: Northern Europe
Radios: SO2R

Band	QSOs	Zones	Countries
160:
80:
40:
20:	2580	39	137
15:
10:
Total:	2580	39	137	Total Score	910,624


Club: Contest Club Finland


Comments

Now that was an Interesting weekend.  The 20m band was pretty well open to NA
just minutes before the contest start, but then almost exactly at 0000z all
signals started to go down.  This is *not* happening, no way!  But it was.
Should I still change to 15m SB like last year?  Quick check.  Well no, that
band was completely silent.

The first 12 hours produced less than 500 Q's.  No propagation to the East at
all.  No sign of any JA's.  Lucky to get through to some EU.  This must have
been the worst first 12 hours ever for me in any CQ contests.

Luckily enough, the propagation started to improve a bit, and at 0000z on
Sunday morning I had 1500+ Q's logged.  And what? - The JA's started  
to come in
now? - Already this early!  Not many, but the ones I heard and worked  
were quite
loud.  Finally we are getting somewhere!  This is going to be such a great
morning and day! :)  Well, after 40+ JA's and some NA and other Q's it was all
done.  Nothing to do but go to sleep.

Sunday. Yet another day with practically no real openings to the East.  Had
hopes for better propagation to the West / NA on Sunday evening, but  
managed to
get only some short occasional runs going.

There were still several higlights and interesting learning lessons  
for me, for
example:

The "XE/zone 06 moment" when I suddenly picked up 4 XE's in a short
period of time after having just been wondering where are all the XE's.  Same
kind of thing happened with zones 07 and 10.  Nobody heard from those  
areas and
suddenly I had logged a couple of stations from each. :)

My "African moment" on Sunday when I was called by a 3B8, 5R8, ST,
3DA and several ZS's during rather a short period, by a 5H a little earlier,
and me ending the "moment" by picking up a FR.   Logging a SU earlier
in the morning totalled my zone 34 qsos up to 2  - probably my personal
"Worked zone 34" all time record!

My "Pitcairn moment".  I'm pretty sure I've *never* ever been called
by a VP6 before. :)

Just to mention a few.


All in all this was a *FUN* weekend, and I'm already looking very much forward
to the CW weekend!   The steam is already on!


TNX for the Q's and CU all in the CW pile-ups, too!  CW IS!

73 de Pasi OH6UM @ OH8X