[RSM] Fwd: K3KU ARRL DX CW

[Art Boyars]

In case anybody around Manitoba (or Palm Springs) is wondering what it was
like in the Land of the East Coast Super Stations.  i did manage a couple
of QSOs from home with PJ2T.

73, Art K3KU/VE4VTR


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Art Boyars <artboyars at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Feb 19, 2018 at 11:08 AM
Subject: K3KU ARRL DX CW
To: pvrc at mailman.qth.net


"I thought you operated at W3LPL"

Well, yes.  For many years I have headed out Saturday night to W3LPL,
filling in where ever they needed help.  That's usually 20M at night, and
spot duty on various bands on Sunday.  Once in a while I get some real
action, but I'm contented.

Especially with the lack of sun spots, there's always a risk that 20M at
night will be s-l-o-o-w-w.  It hasn't been unusual to go for hours without
a QSO -- push F1 for a while; clear the busted calls and unhearable spots
out of the spot window; tune up and down the band a couple of times; get
coffee; off-load coffee; re-learn the antenna switching and the logging
software and the full-bells-and-whistles radio; chat with the op's on the
other bands.  One year I sent an intra-station "gab" note: "Remind me again
how SS CW is slow Sunday afternoon."  Another year at midnight I sent a gab
note: "Happy birthday K3KU" as the clock ticked over to Sunday local time;
I provided a birthday cake for the station that year, too.  One year I made
about 120 QSOs, but mostly it's been slow.

Last October in CQ WW DX CW, there was nothing for me to do after sunrise
(except help Frank replace a broken gear in the drive for one of the
rotating towers), so I went home.

This year I expected another early release, but during the week Frank said
I would be useful on 10M Sunday; the scheduled op's had to drop out.
Yahoo!! Maybe.  Nonetheless, I cleared it with the family, and headed out
ready to send all night and all day at W3LPL.  Drive carefullyt!! we had a
little snow Saturday, and the roads are a bit slushy.  Watch out for
re-freeze.

I arrived about 02Z and took over 20M.  Ugh! THREE QSOs from 02Z to 06Z --
one UA0 dupe answered the constant CQing; "tuning the big knob", I found
one ZS1 just as the spot showed up; and one English station that signaled
the beginning of the European opening, when the A-Team took over.

What about 10M?  Checking the on-screen score summary, I saw that they had
all of FIFTY-ONE QSOs Saturday.  Can I take another 12 hours of this?  To
my relief, late Saturday night Frank mentioned that thy had a work-around
to cover 10M, so I could leave after sunrise.  And I did.

I went home and fooled around for a bit Sunday.  Horrible line noise.
Following advice of K3ZO, I tried running high in the 20M band; discovered
that I was an alligator b/c of the noise.  Spent the rest of my on-time
S&Ping the loud ones. First-call responses from a few Hawaiians that I
could barely hear.  Squeezed in a QSO with PJ4A on 40M in the last minute.
He was probably more excited about it than I was.


Class: SOAB LP
QTH: MDC
Operating Time (hrs): 1:45

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:
   80:
   40:  13     10
   20:  57     30
   15:  15     10
   10:
-------------------
Total:  85     50  Total Score = 12,750