[SCCC] VP9/W6PH ARRL CW SOABLP

[W6ph at aol.com]

I'll be back at VP9 this weekend for SSB.  I would really like to try  
picking
up California on 10 meters this year.  I will be glad to try a QSY  from 15m
if asked, and any other band if we have propagation.  The sun rises  at
2:30 am PST and 160m is gone right away.  75m is good for about
another half hour or so and 40m is good until 4:30 am PST.   Looking
forward to putting a bunch of Cal stations in the log.  Look for  me
fairly high in the bands with my LP.
 
                                   73, Kurt, W6PH 
 
ARRL DX Contest, CW

Call: VP9/W6PH
Operator(s): W6PH
Station:  VP9GE

Class: SOAB LP
QTH: Bermuda
Operating Time (hrs):  41

Summary:
Band  QSOs   Mults
-------------------
160:  372     51
80:  552    56
40:  1030    58
20: 1276     59
15:  509    46
10:   16     6
-------------------
Total:  3754   276  Total Score =  3,108,312

Comments:

Equipment:  IC-7000  CT-Win  9.92
Antennas:  A4S at 25 feet, 40m dipole at 20 ft, 80m dipole at 30  ft, 160m 
Inv L
(50 ft vertical)

After five years, I have finally seen  an increase in my score. Here is a
comparison to last two  years:

2010             2009            2008
160m      372/51           467/53          410/49
80m      552/56           683/55         608/51
40m    1030/58          1049/58        1039/55
20m    1276/59          1257/60         1204/58
15m      509/46            25/10           296/46
10m       16/6             3/3           2/2 
Total    3754/276         3484/244       3559/261

Bermuda is not the  Caribbean.  Propagation is similar to the  mid-Atlantic
states.

Ten meters remains essentially closed.  The  only credible signals were from
Texas.  The others were near ESP with  QSY's from other bands.  I checked 
the
band often and had quite a few  unsuccessful QSY's from other bands.  No 
W6's
were worked or heard.

Fifteen meters has come back as everyone has  observed.  The propagation was
very interesting in that Saturday  featured a pipeline to Philadelphia and 
an 
fan outward to the west.   There were no signals north or south of PHL.  On 
Sunday, it was mostly  stations west of a line from Lake Michigan south to 
the
Florida  panhandle.  I had a good pipeline to the west coast.

Twenty meters  is twenty meters.  What can I say!  It is THE band.  I do  
very
well in the morning picking up stations in W9 and west as the band  hasn't 
quite
opened up to Europe and I'm loud there.  And the beam  heading to VP9 is 
easterly
and I'm in the beamwidth to a Europe pointed  antenna.  Finding a frequency 
is
the main problem and I generally end up  around 14050 to 14070.

Forty meters is always a good band and I try to  milk it out after sunrise 
to
pick up stations that are just waking up.   It is interesting to be able to 
work
the west coast two hours after sunrise  in VP9.

My numbers are down on 160m and 80m this year.  I think I  spent the same 
amount
of time on these bands and it may have been less  activity.  The 
propagation was
good to all areas of the US and  Canada.

This was my tenth year as VP9/W6PH.  My hat is off to Ed  Kelly, VP9GE, who
couldn't be a better host.  All that I need to bring  is my IC-7000, my 
computer,
and my enthusiasm.  I'll be back for the  ARRL DX  Phone.

73, Kurt, W6PH