[SCCC] ARRL DX CW VP9/W6PH SOABLP

[W6ph at aol.com]

2012 ARRL DX Contest,  CW

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

Class:  SOAB LP
QTH: Bermuda
Operating Time (hrs):  40.5

Summary:
Band  QSOs   Mults
-------------------
160:  342     50
80:  398    51
40: 1202   59
20: 1260    59
15:   824    55
10:  366     39
-------------------
Total: 4384   313  Total Score =  4,116,576

Comments:

IC-7000  CT-WIN Ver 9

160m  Inverted L (40 ft vertical)
80m Dipole at 25 feet
40m Dipole at 20  feet
20-10m A4S at 25 feet

The VP9GE QTH is on a rise about 30 feet above sea level and about 1000  
feet 
from the sea.  So those antenna heights may be misleading.

I tried starting on 80m but found that I was not getting many calls and  
only
had 50 watts going to the antennas due to foldback from an elevated  SWR.  
The
Z-100 antenna tuner was not flattening the SWR as it had done  in the past. 
That lower power on 80m affected me psychologically and I  harbored 
thoughts of
doing a SB 40 as 40m was really perking.  When I  hit 160m the computer
went into fits from RFI which I traced to my outboard  keyboard.  After I
disconnected it, 160m worked good by using the keys  on the laptop which 
were in
an inconvenient position.  When things  slowed down on 160 and 40, I went 
back to
80 and found that it was working  well despite the lower power.  I received 
some
comments that I was  scarce on 80 and this is the reason why.  It was my 
lowest
band in  QSO/hr production.

40m and 20m were great contact producers.  The  40m dipole is optimally 
oriented
with most of the US broadside to it.  I  spent a lot of time on 40m because 
there
was a bottomless pit of callers  until the sun had been up for an hour.

I only had about 40 contacts on 10  meters on Saturday, mostly Texas with a 
few
in states around Texas and a  couple California stations.  But Sunday was 
another 
story.  Late morning I tuned across the band quickly to get a feel for  its 
possibilities 
and it seemed to have potential.  I called CQ and immediately had  callers 
from all 
over the west.  After about an hour of callers at S9+, I heard some  weak 
callers 
and the band was open to the northeast and I started putting 1s, 2s, and 3s 
 in the 
log but no 4s.  The signals were just above ESP but readable for a  couple 
more
hours.  I did finally get a handful of the big W4 stations  in the log but 
missed a 
bunch of W4 multipliers.  Lots of SCCC stations got in the log on  Sunday.
 
Big signals that I remember were K6NA, AA6PW, W6TK, W6YA, N6WIN, and 
N6QQ.  There are others that I don't remember right now.  I was  surprised 
that 
W6YI wasn't one of them.  I suspect that Dan called me with his  antennas 
pointed 
in a different direction.  On 160m, very good signals from N6VR,  W6OAR, 
N6SS, 
and W4EF.  Mike told me his high desert antenna is a 56 foot top  loaded 
vertical 
with 5000 feet of radials.  It works.

I have never had such big  pileups to deal with.  Many were the result of 
the point and 
click crowd.  The result was a continuous tone of varying  amplitude.  The 
guys who 
transmitted slightly off frequency were easy to pick out but inevitably it  
was a continuous
dash until someone gave their call or a bit of their call in  the clear 
after everyone else 
stopped transmitting.  I apologize to those who said CALL?.  I  tried to 
sign my call 
at least once a minute or more frequently but I may have gone longer.   
Despite that 
I had very few duplicate callers.

This was my 12th consecutive year  at VP9 for the ARRL DX Contests and it 
is my
best score so far.  Ed  Kelly, VP9GE, is the greatest host someone could 
have
and has turned into a  great friend.  They do not make them any better. I 
just
turned 70 yrs  old so I have a few more years left.  It is a real rush to 
hear
so many  friends that I have made over the years.  Thanks to all of you.  
It  was
a great contest.

I will be partnered with N6WIN for ARRL  Phone.  Tim is a terrific operator 
and
we have worked together at our  K6Z CQP operation.
 
                                        73, Kurt, W6PH