[SCCC] SS SSB KQ6ES Single Op LP

[John]

 ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, SSB
Call: KQ6ES Operator(s): KQ6ES Station: KQ6ES
Class: Single Op LP
Operating Time (hrs): 20
 ------------
  160:
   80:   18
   40:  134
   20:  101
   15:  121
   10:
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 Total:  374  Sections = 75  Total Score = 56,100

 Comments:
FT-1000MP, A3 at 20ft, Butternut vertical
Totally unassisted as my wife was out of town.

For some reason the Butternut had a very hard time tuning on 80m this 
weekend, making the band almost unusable.  I thought I might miss many more 
sections, but fortunately I found most of them on 40m.

Missed LAX (Wow! never heard anyone except W6TA and couldn't get his 
attention in the constant pileups); NNY (heard a few times but no luck); PR 
and QC (never heard them CQ'ing); and SB (they were loud but never heard me 
on 40 or 80 - same as last year).

On the plus side, FWIW this is the most contacts I've ever had in a phone 
contest, and I was happy to easily work NT and NL.  Pulled MB, SK, ND, SC, 
WTX and SDG (thanks to w6yi) out of the hat towards the end.  A hopeful sign 
was that I worked a lot of stations licensed after me ('96), which usually 
doesn't happen much.  It might have been much better if 10m was open.  And 
thank goodness for 15m.  I can only imagine how horrible 20m would have been 
for me otherwise.  As it was I had a very difficult time finding space to 
call CQ.

I'm looking forward to some CW again in the CQ WW.

John kq6es