[CQ-Contest] ARRL DX CW W3GRF(K0DQ@W4RX) SOAB HP

[VADM Scott Redd]

                    ARRL DX Contest, CW

Call: W3GRF
Operator(s): K0DQ
Station: W4RX

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: Virginia
Operating Time (hrs): 42
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:   70    42
   80:  255    66
   40:  626    86
   20: 1058    92
   15:  963    90
   10:  144    57
-------------------
Total: 3116   433  Total Score = 4,047,684

Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club

Comments:

What a trip down memory lane!   This was only my second ARRL DX from the US
in
15 years but, in spite of the cobwebs, a real blast from the past.

First, thanks to the good offices of W3MC and PVRC, I had the honor of using
the
call of a great old friend, W3GRF (SK).  I had often operated from Lenny’s
super
station – which included a full-size, 4 element 40 meter beam -- in the late
70’s and 80’s, culminating in a US Championship in ~’87 in the ARRL DX CW.
Then
life and responsibilities intruded and basically shut down ham radio for
most of
the next 15 years, during which Lenny passed away.  I’m sure many of you had
a
twinge of nostalgia hearing that call, although nothing in my fist could
match
the unique swing of Lenny’s bug (Mike, W3MC, offered to let me use Lenny’s
old
bug, but that was a bridge too far).

Second, I had the privilege of operating from the station of another PVRC
legend, Jim Ahlgren, W4RX (nee W4YHD).  Among many other awards, Jim’s #1 US
trophy in CQ WW 1969 sits on a shelf in his shack, a reminder of the glory
days
when the likes of W4KFC, W3MSK and W4BVV ruled the East Coast (young Frank
Donovan was still K1LPL).  Jim’s mountain fortress sits about 60 miles west
of
Washington, D.C. and is, in a word, incredible.  Four ~200 foot HF towers,
all
topped with full size monobanders – all on top of 1800 foot Mount Weather.
Had
operated there once before in ’99 and have never felt so LOUD – even from P4
and
A9.

Mountain tops have a downside, and that’s the destructive effect of big
weather.
 Matt, KC1XX, and his crew came down twice in the weeks preceding the
contest,
enduring some horrible conditions to get the big 3L 40 rotating.
Additionally,
my work schedule had been hectic and I had little prep time to operate and
get
used to the station and the bands.  To make matters worse, I ended up
getting
only 4 hours sleep Thursday night before the contest.

In the event, it was a great weekend.  Was a bit uncertain of propagation
patterns but Fred, K3ZO, generously provided some hints on what to expect,
and
that was helpful.  Scott, W4PA, was kind enough to provide his rate sheet
from
last year’s winning effort @K5ZD.  SO2R worked extremely well with TRlog’s
special features and the new DX Doubler.  TRlog showed 476 band changes in
the
3200 Q’s (before dupes).  Most S&P’s were first call successes, even in big
pile
ups.  Opened with a 112 hour on (mostly) 40, but then the band went long and
things slowed noticeably.  Indeed, some things don’t change, and another
not-so-pleasant memory came back when listening to the New Englanders run
Europe
before the bands open here, especially on the low bands.  Sunday mid-day on
10
meters was also reminiscent of numerous contests from Lenny’s at the bottom
of
the cycle, with the MUF squeaking above 28.000 for fleeting moments.
Probably
stayed on 10 too long, but it was irresistible.  Although I was only 300 Q’s
behind K5ZD’s ’04 rate for the first 24 hours, I fell well behind the second
day.

Hope springs eternal and part of the fun of contesting is to figure what to
do
differently.  In particular, looking at the early results, I wonder if/how I
could have come up with another 600 Q’s (or more) to match the leader (N2NT
at
this hour).  Another six hours in the chair would help, but there weren’t
any
100 hours left on the cutting room floor in the segments I took off.  80
probably offers some improvement – Jim’s 3L wire yagi is normally 1-2 S
units
above the sloper, but was not up to snuff this weekend for some reason.  In
the
end, I may have put too much effort in the second radio whilst neglecting
the
run radio.  Hard to tell.  On the other hand, maybe we should just move Jim’
s
mountain to Maine – or PEI.

Whatever, this is still a neat hobby and no matter what the stresses of the
day,
it’s a welcome break.  One of the blessings of being out of the game for so
long
is that contest Friday mornings still evoke the excitement of a Christmas
morning as a young kid in Iowa.  Having a supportive XYL and family makes it
much more enjoyable.

Blessings to y’all.  It was great being back in the hunt from this side.

73

Scott K0DQ / P40Q / A92Q / YI3Q / ZF2DQ