[CQ-Contest] Quick Notes on SS de K7QO/7

[Chuck Adams, K7QO]

>


I have operated /7 from WY the past two Sweeps.  I do this because I want
to get an extra station on from a rare section.  Well, OK it used to be
rare and difficult to work.  Since I am doing this portable and I am an
avid QRPer I do this in the Q class which adds one more level of difficulty.
And having portable antennas is just one more stake through the heart.  :-)

This year

K7QO  Q   552Qs  77sections (NL, QC and NWT missed)  85,008 points


1.  I took the /7 out of the call this year as Tree's program removed it 
last year.

2.  I put up antennas in 15 degree F to 0 degrees wx on 
Friday.  Brrrrr.  No wonder
      WY is rare.  :-)  And a foot of snow to boot.  Lander, WY in Fremont 
County.
      I took down the antennas at sunrise on Monday in -15F cold.

3.  Thanks to KL7XX (AK) who called me on Sunday afternoon.
      Thanks to K1PQS (ME) who called me on Sunday afternoon.
      Thanks to VE1ZJ (MAR) who called me on Sunday afternoon.

4.  On code speeds and newbies.

      a.  I was averaging 28wpm.  On Sunday I slowed down to 16wpm to get
           one Q when I was in the S&P mode.  We all had to start some where.
           It is easy to forget that.  (Look up my RUFZ score on the web.)

      b.  I make an MP3 CD for practicing.  It has 1600 valid Qs and runs from
          20wpm to 35wpm.  Takes about 10+ hours to run through.  I sell this
          puppy for $20, but I will give it to any newbie if you send me 
his/her
          call.   They just need a computer or walkman MP3 player that can
          handle ISO9660 f/s.

       c.  I'd call SS one of the toughest CW contests.  It has a long exchange
            and don't even think about changing it.  It is the best test of CW
            skills in any contest I know.  It is a sequence of random code
            groups, but you know where the numbers are gonna be, the mixed
            letter/number groups, ....  Get the newbie to practice with RUFZ
            and get to at least 20wpm regularly on copying random calls.

5.  I never had a contest mentor, but wish I did have one.  There is some 
thing that
      I am doing wrong as 95,000 is my highest score in Q class.  One thing
      that I noticed in CQ mode on Sunday when I could grab a frequency.
      I'd go 2 mins without an answer then get 3 calls.  I'd pick one and 
when I
      was through I'd wait for the other 2 but they were gone.  Why?  When I'm
      out gunned on the bands that I did not have a good antenna  (in 
S&P)  I'd wait in
      line up to their 3 Qs and then move.  Is this the wrong 
approach?  Maybe I am
      TOO patient?  I never got the pileups like VY1JA when I called CQ.  :-)
      Weak stations don't mean they are far away......

5.  Funny story.  You'd be surprised by the amount of time during the contest
      I lose due to two situations.  a.  The guy would take an extra few 
seconds
      thanking me for WY.  b.  Guys asking for a confirmation on WY.  :-)  Like
      WY isn't on the section list on the computer screen?  Like I made it up?
      And this from stations with over 850 Qs.

6.   Second funny story.  On 10m Sunday afternoon.  Try busting the pileups
       on VY1JA and VO1MP running only 400mW!!!  Can't be done.  Long story.



This year was fun for me.  Last year was a bad location and high noise levels.
Next year a contest station may be available for me to operate in WY......

dit dit

P.S.  Will contest for food...... :-)






Chuck Adams, K7QO
http://www.qsl.net/k7qo     and    http://www.earthlink.net/~k7qo

Moving to Arizona?  ----   Please bring your own water.