[SCCC] NI6W (W4EF op) 2010 WPX CW

[Michael Tope]

CQWPXCW Score Summary Sheet

        Start Date : 2010-05-29

     CallSign Used : NI6W
       Operator(s) : W4EF

Operator Category : CHECKLOG
              Band : ALL
             Power : HIGH
              Mode : CW
  Default Exchange : 5NN 001
        Gridsquare : DM04

              Name : Michael Tope
           Address : 11018 Cardamine Drive
    City/State/Zip : Tujunga  CA  91042
           Country : USA

      ARRL Section : LAX
         Club/Team : Southern California Contest Club
          Software : N1MM Logger V9.12.8

         Band    QSOs    Pts  WPX
          1.8       1      6    1
            7       4      10    4
           14      34      50   29
           21      20      47   20
        Total      59     113   54


             Score : 0
               Rig : QTH#1 Ten-Ten Omni 6+, Drake L-7,
                     QTH#2 Yaesu FT1000MP MKV, Drake L-7

          Antennas : QTH#1 160M Top-Loaded Vertical, 40M Inverted-Vee
                     QTH#2 160M Inverted-L

           Soapbox :

I was in Littlerock, Ca at my remote QTH Thursday and Friday for some 
construction work, so I slept over on Friday night and got up Saturday 
morning right around sunrise quite by accident. I had to set my alarm on 
Friday morning to get ready for a concrete contractor who was coming at 
6:30 AM, so I guess my body was calibrated to the rooster crows. I 
figured I would check 160 meters to give NR6O and whoever else was there 
a QSO and was surprised to find VK9LL calling CQ at 1817.3 KHz with good 
signals. Talk about dumb luck.

I did almost manage to blow the QSO when I kicked in the narrow CW 
filter and then couldn't find the RIT control on the Omni 6 - I really 
need to get on the air more often :-). I think I spent the next 15 
minutes fiddling with N1MM logger by which time 160 was dead, so I QSY'd 
to 40 meters and made four more QSOs interspersed with more N1MM 
fiddling. Then I went back to bed.

After more work around the remote site on Saturday I headed back to LA 
on Saturday afternoon. I had intended to go back up early on Sunday to 
put some more hours in, but I decided that my time would be better spent 
sawing the wood for a new operating desk for the remote site (the small 
table I've been using up there is getting really cluttered). Finally the 
craving for a CW fix kicked in around 2200 UT, so I fired up with my 160 
meter inverted-L from my Tujunga QTH and did a little S&Ping on 15 and 
20 meters. Since I operated the contest from two different locations 
with the same call, I decided I'd better just send this one in as a 
checklog :-)

It has been just over a year since I acquired the remote QTH in 
Littlerock and almost 19 months since I made the 1st inquiry on the 
property. Although I continue to question my sanity for having taken the 
plunge, I am not sorry for having done so. If things go right, I might 
even get a tower up before the fall contest/DX season. Upon reflecting 
back on this crazy endeavor, I realized that I may have failed to give 
due credit to the role played by Randy Johnson, W6SJ at Independence 
Mortgage. The acquisition of this property was anything but a 
straightforward process. Without Randy's sage advice and patience (there 
were a number of false starts along the way), this crazy dream of mine 
would have never been possible. I can't count the number of hours Randy 
spent on the phone with me providing advice and counsel on my financing 
options and how best to proceed. He really went above and beyond the 
call of duty. If you are looking for help with a mortgage or a refinance 
from someone you can trust, don't hesitate to give Randy a call. You 
just won't get the kind of hands on service that Randy gives from a 
run-of-the-mill broker. Randy's been in the business a long time and 
really knows how the industry ticks. Thanks, Randy!

73, Mike W4EF (aka NI6W)