SS Low Power Score, Calling on Frequency, Buying Better Filters

[Cyndy Clemons]

The weekend started out poorly, as I got very little sleep Friday night
while fighting the most painful stomach virus I've ever had occasion to meet.  
(My wife had it five days earlier, but I didn't worry because I never catch 
such things...)  By 21:00 Saturday, I was only exhausted and feeling queasy -
the worst was over.  Besides, it had been 8 years since my last real SS
operation, and I really didn't want to miss it.  Even with propagation less
than expected, I am glad I battled the physical problems.  Oh yes, my keyer 
also died with 3 hours to go, but that was relatively minor!

I chose to use paper logs, since I can't type fast enough to keep up with 35 
wpm code.  (You might find it hard to believe that I work as a software 
engineer, but it's true!)  I also won't be able to dupe them until next
weekend, since I have to spend every spare minute this week preparing this
week's college lectures (part-time job) which I would have prepared Saturday 
morning had I not been sick.  Anyway, enough excuses - the raw score follows 
(my past experience indicates 1 or 2% of the contacts will be dupes/broken 
calls):

		749 x 72 sections      Low Power       E MA section

Observations:

Propagation sure was strange.  It was great in the first couple hours, then
suddenly went bad.  However, the night bands were wide open (with weak signals).
I don't think I ever worked W6 stations at 01:00 on 40m and 03:00 on 80m before.
I couldn't believe how many QRP stations worked me.  These guys sure have their
work cut out for them in the low sunspot years.  20 never seemed to fully open
on Sunday.  Of the five missing sections, four are normally considered "givens"
from E MA. I never heard KL7 or VE5, and didn't hear KH6 until it was so late
(weak signals) that I couldn't track him up the band (he was S&P'ing).  I 
worked W7s galore, but none from E WA (where were they)?  VE8/VY1 was the 
other missed section.

Regarding Zero Beating When Answering CQs:

I am also one of the people who run the CW filter really tight (TS-930).
Unlike the DX contests, where my antennas are aimed away from all the strong
U.S. stations, I find the QRM to be unbearable if I don't.  In the early 80's
I read an interesting article by K1GQ in the YCCC Scuttlebutt, where he stated
that his success in the previous CQ WW (#1 in the U.S.) was in large part due
to careful zero beating of the station he was calling.  I have taken this to
heart, and over the years have found that I frequently will beat stronger
high power stations in DX pileups when I am running 100 watts.  I have proven
that it works, and strongly back up Bill's point.  Yes, it does get more
difficult as you get tired, but you just have to add that to the list of things
to train yourself to handle during fatigue periods.

Regarding Buy Better Filters:

The remark made about "paying lots of money to be wide" at first sounds
arrogant, but I rather imagine it was a reaction to some contest-hater
"policeman".  You all know the type - they come crawling out of the woodwork
during the big contests.  I know its easy to overdrive the mike during periods
of excitement, but I've been told that I am too wide when my yagi is 90
degrees away from the offended station, my processor is turned down, and I am
only running 100 watts.  Even better, I was told last year that I was 
interfering with a certain net on 20 meters.  I asked the person what frequency
they were on so that I could move in the opposite direction.  He wouldn't tell
me, so I didn't move.  Come to find out later, I was a full 10 khz away
(again running 100 watts).  People like that tend lose their credibility.  I 
choose to ignore them, perhaps others make remarks like the one mentioned.

At the end of the contest, and on the basis of how awful I felt, I decided 
that I would never enter a SS again.  I fully expect to feel this way for
three more days.  See you all on SS Phone!  (Aren't contests great?)

73, Dave Clemons K1VUT

p.s.  Will somebody who reads this give me Trey's direct e-mail address?  The
college changed our address a day before they promised, so I am now being 
forwarded a copy from the old address, and have subscribed using the new address
so that I can put messages onto the net.  I'm sure he can fix the problem with
a little manual work - I can't unsubscribe the old address since it doesn't
agree with the new one.  Thanks.


>From oo7 at astro.as.utexas.edu (Derek Wills)  Mon Nov  7 20:14:44 1994
From: oo7 at astro.as.utexas.edu (Derek Wills) (Derek Wills)
Date: Mon, 7 Nov 94 20:14:44 GMT
Subject: SS exchange
Message-ID: <9411080214.AA25572 at astro.as.utexas.edu>

I had a few replies to my comment about people sending both
callsigns in SS, and should clarify that what bugged me was
I meant was when people replied to:

CQ SS de W1XYZ W1XYZ SS SS

with

W1XYZ de W9AAA

instead of just "W9AAA"

I wasn't worried by people sending my call at the start of
the full exchange, I did that too (even though the rules
don't require it - well, I wasn't trying to win[tm]).

Derek AA5BT, G3NMX
oo7 at astro.as.utexas.edu

>From bhorn at netcom.com (Bruce Horn)  Tue Nov  8 03:08:54 1994
From: bhorn at netcom.com (Bruce Horn) (Bruce Horn)
Date: Mon, 7 Nov 1994 19:08:54 -0800
Subject: SSCW Results/Comments
Message-ID: <199411080308.TAA28634 at netcom9.netcom.com>


Callsign: WA7BNM
Section: LAX
Category: SO QRP
Score:  100/68 = 13,600

Spent my now traditional CW SS looking for exactly 100 Qs. Part of
the time I looked for new sections and part of the time I spent either
in the novice band or up higher in frequency with the keyer speed
turned down as slow as I could send without too many mistakes. Ended
up working a combination of those serious contesters who ventured to
the slow cw frequencies looking for more Qs and those newer hams (the
ones I was really looking for) who feel mighty nervous on cw. (I fully
appreciate their nervousness, since I'm only slightly better than they are.)

A suggestion to those "hot" cw operators calling CQ at 40 wpm on Sunday
afternoon with no replies for 5 minutes: figure you've already worked
the hot cw operators by that time and slow your cqs down to something
the average guy can copy and will maybe be tempted to reply to your
cq. It certainly won't hurt your rate at that point and maybe it will
tempt more hams to get involved in cw contests.

73 de Bruce, WA7BNM   (bhorn at netcom.com)

>From Richard L. King" <0007131253 at mcimail.com  Mon Nov  7 21:00:00 1994
From: Richard L. King" <0007131253 at mcimail.com (Richard L. King)
Date: Mon, 7 Nov 94 16:00 EST
Subject: K5NA 1994 SS CW Results
Message-ID: <94941107210049/0007131253PJ3EM at MCIMAIL.COM>

We did a multi-op from K5NA this year for the CW SS. The operators were 
K5NA, KU2Q, JA9SSY, SM0CCM, and KY2J. Here is the breakdown:

    80  435 QSOs
    40  316 QSOs
    20  324 QSOs
    15   60 QSOs

Total was:  1135 QSOs, 77 Mults, 174,790 points.

Please note that I am now using a new service for my E-Mail. I can be 
reached at   K5NA at MCIMAIL.COM   

This is in spite of what the header information for this update specifies.
Apparently both addresses work to get mail to me here.

73, Richard


>From Edward Guilford <guilford at u.washington.edu>  Tue Nov  8 03:40:32 1994
From: Edward Guilford <guilford at u.washington.edu> (Edward Guilford)
Date: Mon, 7 Nov 1994 19:40:32 -0800 (PST)
Subject: NM7M's SOLAR MAX propagation game
Message-ID: <Pine.A32.3.91a.941107193602.17919B-100000 at homer15.u.washington.edu>

Bob Brown, NM7M, has developed a game, SOLAR MAX, a simulated 
dx contest for those wishing to learn more about HF propagation.
A Mac System 7.0 version is available for $10.00 ppd from

     W0MPG
     SUN FOLLOWER SOFTWARE
     3185 Endicott Drive
     Boulder CO 80303
     USA

(The original DOS version is available direct from Bob, same price).
73 de Ed, AA7HQ


>From Trey Garlough <GARLOUGH at TGV.COM>  Tue Nov  8 03:50:25 1994
From: Trey Garlough <GARLOUGH at TGV.COM> (Trey Garlough)
Date: Mon, 7 Nov 1994 19:50:25 -0800 (PST)
Subject: NM7M's SOLAR MAX propagation game
Message-ID: <784266625.434623.GARLOUGH at TGV.COM>

> Bob Brown, NM7M, has developed a game, SOLAR MAX, a simulated 

Come on folks.  How many times do we have to hear about this solar
max game being for sale?  Please, do not use the cq-contest as a 
forsale forum; it's a contest forum, not a swap shop.  If you want
to advertise, please buy some space in the NCJ.

Please refrain from advertising in the cq-contest forum in the future.

--Trey, WN4KKN/6