[RTTY] WPX RTTY K4GMH

[Mike]

                    CQ WW RTTY WPX Contest

Call: K4GMH
Operator(s): K4GMH
Station: K4GMH

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: VA
Operating Time (hrs): 29
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
  Band  QSOs  Pts
-----------------
    80:  240   688
    40:  515  2230
    20:  824  2169
    15:  178   427
    10:    0     0
-----------------
Total: 1757  5514  Prefixes = 614  Total Score = 3,385,596

Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club

Comments:

Thanks to all who were patient and kind enough to work me this weekend.  Real
challenge with the conditions.

First break occurred less than 15 minutes into the contest. This was 
unscheduled
but had to be done due to equipment

Around 0000Z, 12 Feb,  the noise from the snow building up the static on the
ant. would cause the QRN to raise above s-9+15 dB.  80 was useable with the
Beverages, but later in the evening the snow build up on the 80 ant. caused the
SWR to go over 3 to 1.  The amp. was not able to handle the SWR, but the IC746
auto-tuner would work.  So the power out on 80 went from 1400 W to 100 W.  Big
difference trying to work into Europe on 80 from the USA.  Throughout the
evening 40 meters would be good for about 15 to 20 minutes and then the static
would build up to the no-signal-could-be-copied level.  Didn't get full use of
the time vs what the log says I had used.  One 55 minute period was wasted as
misjudge the time away from the radio, which resulted in having to quit a half
hour before the end of the Contest.

The first and second evenings were not very promising to getting near my last
year's score.  Especially with 10 meters not producing anything this year.
However, due to the increased activity actually did better than last year.

Lot of activity is evident from the QSO numbers seen at the last 
couple of hours
of the Contest.


         73,
         Mike, K4GMH