[RTTY] NAQP RTTY KI5XP(@W5WMU) Single Op LP

[Charles Morrison]

Call: KI5XP
Operator(s): KI5XP
Station: W5WMU

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: Lafayette, La
Operating Time (hrs): 10
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
   80:  164    49
   40:  251    49
   20:  293    56
   15:   92    32
   10:    1     1
-------------------
Total:  801   187  Total Score = 149,787

Club: Cajun Contest Club

Team: SWACC

Comments:

The morning started off as usual before a contest, a phone call from Fred
WW4LL, who'd managed to mess something up again, and I had to bail him out,
again.  :) Just kiddin' Fred, anytime buddy!

I never planned on having great conditions.  Although 10m would bring new
mults, I didnt plan on working much there.  I figured a start 15 and 20
would do the trick, and that I'd try to play 15 completely out.  I think I
stuck around just long enough.  I played 15 until the mults dried up, and at
that point figured it was time to move to 20/40.  When I got to 40, it was
chock-a-block, everyone had already moved.  I got worried that I was late!  

This contest, with the mults per band, is so fun to change bands in!  When I
got to 40, its like a kid in a candy shop.  Knocking them down one after
another, yellow everywhere!  To me, the real excitement comes when that
callsign comes across yellow.  As I scrolled up 40 meters it seemed all of
them were yellow, total bliss!

Speaking of yellow, one callsign stands out.  K1DAN, man, he'd always
appeared at the right time with that yellow callsign!  I'd get into a rythmn
working some on a run and up pop's good ole' Dan, with his yellow callsign!
Just caught me each time.

I didnt see as much DX as the rest of you guys have reported.  I got really
nervous reading Bill's comments about 7.040, I never ONCE thought about
going down there, and no telling how much I missed.  

Like George mentioned, I only worked a few guys off frequency, and I'd send
them a note in my qrz to check their afc.  However, I did pull a good way
off frequency move myself.  When I switched the left radio to 40 from 15,
Pat usually works CW about .12 off.  Well, after calling a few stations and
not having anyone answer (except for 1 or 2 of you guys, sorry about that!),
I realized I was still .13 off, and hit the RIT clear immediately.  Amazing
how much easier it is to work someone on frequency.  

Next bonehead move was the IPO.  I worked the first two hours of 15m time
with the IPO turned on, which for you non yaesu guys, that means that the
preamp was OFF.  Nice move knucklhead.  So if I asked for repeats on 15m, it
wasnt you, it was me, not paying attention.  I didnt notice until about 2
hours in when I switched to 10m and didnt hear anything..nothing, not even
our electric fence next door.  Looked up, IPO.  Nice.  I managed another 2
hours out of 15 after that!

I took an hour off in the middle and began to worry that I'd made the wrong
move.  During that time, I read Ty's Feb05 comments that he worked 10 hours
straight, boy, at about 8 minutes into the break, I almost went back.  Im
glad I didnt though.  80 was tough later on around 10:00.  But I swear, at
10:15, it just took off.  I actually maintained a run on 80m, I dont think
thats happened before.  You guys just kept coming and coming, and that makes
it really fun!  

I dont know how many of you guys counted me for La. but I can tell you,
without Don, it was HARD working my own state.  Thanks to N5MEG who showed
up (with a big long RYRYRY!) and let me move him to all bands (lone 10M
qso).  I ran into Don late on 40 and I think he asked to move, I was cq'in
on 80 at the time in a run but never got him there.  

Thanks to all for the contacts and as usual, thanks to Pat W5WMU for the
camp. 


73
Charlie
KI5XP