CQ WPX CW - WJ7R M/M

[AA7NX at aol.com]

Results:  1965 QSOs (5338 Qpoints), 661 mults
Total Est. Score  =  3,528,418 points

160M = nope
80M = 236 Qs
40M = 665 Qs
20M = 858 Qs
15M = 206 Qs      
10M = right...

Operators:
WJ7R - Ron
KI6FE/JF2DQJ - Riew
WA6BXH - Sandy
AA7NX - Mike

First CW m/m excersize of the new W7RM station went well, better than we
hoped! The station checked out with very few interference problems, and we
never had to ask any band to stop due to interference. Of course, with the
marginal (at best) conditions we had plenty of time to scheme with Rush on
things to do with various filters, antennas, etc. 

Friday night started slowly, with no bands doing much. 15 was a trickle of
weak US and south, 20 was similar with a few EU and JAs, 40 was like 20 but
less outside the US and of course 80 was nothing (we had 4 more hours of
sunlight at 5 PM). 20 came alive in the 2nd hour and 40 followed shortly with
a weak EU opening. Best EU opening on 20 was the first night and had a good
JA run on 40 from about 9z through sunrise (13:30 or so) which was
highlighted by 1 LP QSO with a Z21. Managed to work ZD8Z on 80 before the
light had faded! (Jim has very good ears). Thankfully we got some JAs on 80.
After sunrise Sat. things slowly ground down until the afternoon when 15
produced a few EU on scatter path, along with 1 (!) JA also on scatter. 20
was a very slow trickle most of the day, including some very weak and watery
EU. Sat. PM was kind of slow, but put a few more Qs and Mults in the log.
Again, 40 produced a relatively steady if slow flow of JAs after about 9z and
through 13:30. 80 produced JAs but not nearly as many nor as long. All day
Sunday was very slow. EU was very weak and was in and out through the day on
20. On 15 there were actually a few JAs coming out of about 310 degrees
(direct path) after 22z, but being Monday morning there after a weekend of
poor condx kept the active seekers to a minimum. Too bad that opening hadn't
occured on Sat.  

So this is contesting near the bottom of the cycle...certainly slower than a
year ago, but we definitely had a good time and actually set a new record for
WPX CW M/M in 7-land ! (What?! Nobody else ever BOTHERED to go M/M in the 7th
call district in WPX CW? Well, fine, so be it. Now there is a target to shoot
at. Maybe we can drum up some kind of local competition for next year. We
left-coasters are easily amused you know, because we have to be! It comes
from endless hours of hearing right-coasters rocking away to EU while we try
to crash the pileup on a PJ).  ;~)

73, Mike  AA7NX at AOL.COM