[RTTY] 02 ARRL RTTY RU AH6OZ, SOABHP

[Walt Niemczura]

I was not planing on doing much, if anything, in this one. I had
a trip planned and I was supposed to leave *VERY* early Sunday
morning. In addition, I had torn down the shack getting ready for
the excursion so the home QTH was in no shape for a contest. 

As it turned out I found out Friday AM that I was bumped due to 
a bureaucratic technicality and I made the decision to work this
one anyway. As anyone knows, it takes at least a week of preparation
for any contest and to rebuild the operating position to contest
demands in 24 hours was a challenge. I tired. I almost did it. I
forgot a couple of things that resulted in a painful first 10 hours
of operating but sorted it out and continued.

As Saturday dawned here over the Pacific the bands seemed "Crammed"
with signals, or so I thought. S5 throughout the digital section on 
20 and 15m (due to a rig miss-setting, drat) and the few Qs I struggled 
over on 20m drove me to 15 and finally to 10 where I spent most of 
the rest of the first 6 hrs. Good (not great) rates and lots of folks.

As evening fell I moved first to 15 (not much) then to 20 looking for
Europe over the pole. Nobody, not a sole was heard here. Odd. Worked a 
lot of stateside and to the West but not a single Q from the North 
all night. 40 seemed very nice but few would answer my Cps. I convinced
that signals on 80m stop somewhere about 500 miles to the East and
West.

Dawn again and still no Europe on 20m. I could hear a couple but they
couldn't hear me. Move to 15, more stations to the North but I had
little luck getting their attention. I plodded through the rest of
the contest with decent rates but very few mults.

Missed ND and three provinces. Only three EU stations worked (ouch).

In the end I was down about 80 Qs and 15 mults from last year. This
is the first time I haven't improved from a previous effort. Lack
of preparation took it's toll but I guess it's better than not entering
at all. Operating less than the full 24 hours probably didn't help.
Lots of fun, once I sorted out the problems.

TNX to ARRL for another fine event and all who worked me with the almost
endless "?  AGN?" the first part of the test.

I won't be up for BARTG (unless someone wants to answer my question as
to why I magically became a "check log" last year) and we haven't decided 
how we're going to do WPX (maybe SOSB QRP standing on our heads, 8-o).

73 and Aloha

Walt
AH6OZ

ARRL RTTY Roundup 

Call used: AH6OZ
Location:  HI
Operating time: 19:40

Entry Class: Single Op, All Band

Band    QSOs   Sta   Prov    DX
80         0     0     0     0
40        17     0     0     1
20        80     4     1     4
15       239    12     4    12
10       260    31     4     6
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Total    596    47*    9*   23*
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* - Counted only once (not once per band)
--------------------------------------

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Claimed Score: 47,084
Software: WriteLog 10.28C and RITTY 4.51 (can't be beat)
Power Output: 300